Latest news with #customer support
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Samsung Turns Customer Service Into A Competitive Advantage
Samsung has been tasked with turning customer support into a loyalty machine. In the 1980s, Jan Carlzon was tasked with turning around Scandinavian Airlines, which had been losing money, and making it profitable. He achieved this by getting everyone to buy into a concept he called 'The Moment of Truth.' The definition of this phrase was so straightforward that all Scandinavian Airlines employees could understand it and act accordingly. He defined The Moment of Truth as any time a customer (passenger) came into contact with the company, they had the opportunity to form an impression. All employees were tasked with managing these moments and creating positive impressions. That concept is every bit as valid today as it was over 40 years ago. This idea is the same, and probably more so, for customer support, the 'department' that handles complaints and problems. However, I'd like to paraphrase Carlzon's timeless wisdom: Any time a customer comes into contact with the company's customer support department, it is an opportunity to create loyalty. When you create loyalty through a positive customer experience (CX), especially with customer support, several things happen. First, customers come back. Second, they spend more. Third, they trust the company more. And fourth, they become your best advertising in the form of word of mouth. Mark Williams, the head of customer care at Samsung Electronics America, has been tasked with turning customer support into a loyalty machine. In a recent interview, he shared several important and powerful points that apply to any business: Customer Service/Support Shouldn't Be Just About Fixing Problems A customer may reach out to the company about a problem, and when they finally finish with the interaction, they have a sense of confidence in the company. Every interaction, even when it starts with a complaint or problem, is an opportunity to turn the customer into a loyal customer and brand ambassador. Customer Service can be Proactive, Not Just Reactive This is a powerful concept: proactive customer service. Using technology, a company can anticipate problems. Technology is now being integrated into items to help identify problems, often before customers are even aware of them. For example, Samsung's 'smart appliances' can alert customers that the refrigerator is getting warm and help schedule a repair before all the food in the refrigerator and freezer spoils. Williams says, 'Get to customers quicker and solve their problems before they even know they have a problem.' AI Should Not Replace Humans The more I talk to CX leaders, the more I hear that companies are not reducing their customer support teams because of AI. If anything, they recognize that AI is a tool that helps people, not replaces them. Williams says, 'AI is not a replacement. It is an enhancement to make the experience better and let our agents focus on the customers so they can solve problems quicker and more accurately.' Furthermore, when AI is used internally to assist employees, it delivers the right information in a timely manner and empowers them to create a better customer experience. For complicated issues, AI supports the agent while they resolve customer issues and work on rebuilding the customer's trust in the brand. The Three S's of an Amazing Customer Experience Williams shared his three core principles for delivering an experience that creates loyalty: Final Words For those in leadership who still view customer support as a cost center, think again. The people on the front line, along with the people designing digital self-service—an AI-fueled experience—are the extension of your sales and marketing departments. Loyalty can be built by turning around a customer with a complaint. In short, customer service can be an income-generating department. Reliable products are a given, but it's the way a company handles a customer during a contentious or disappointing moment that makes them say, 'I'll be back!'
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
South Africa: Airbus opens new support hub in Johannesburg
Airbus has opened a new customer support centre for commercial aircraft in Johannesburg, reinforcing its long-standing partnership with Africa's aviation sector. The centre marks a key milestone in the company's nearly 50-year presence on the continent. The Johannesburg facility will offer technical assistance, engineering and maintenance solutions, fleet performance analysis, training services, and on-site support for all Airbus commercial aircraft families, including the A220, A320, A330, and A350. 'The new centre expands Airbus' presence in Africa and underscores our confidence in the region's potential, as we invest in local capabilities, empower our customers, drive connectivity and shared progress across the continent,' said Gabriel Semelas, president of Airbus in the Middle East and Africa. Supporting African airline operations By strengthening customer proximity, the new centre is designed to help African airlines operate safe, efficient, and reliable fleets. Airbus currently serves nearly 40 African carriers operating more than 260 Airbus aircraft. According to the company's Global Services Forecast, Africa will require 14,000 new pilots and 21,000 maintenance professionals over the next 20 years to support projected growth in air travel demand. Broader presence across the continent Airbus has been active in Africa since the first A300 aircraft delivery in 1976. Its broader African footprint includes Airbus Helicopters, which this year marks 30 years of operations in Southern Africa, where its Midrand hub provides maintenance, spare parts, and the continent's first H125 virtual reality simulator for pilot training. Airbus Defence and Space also provides support to African governments through military aircraft, Earth observation services, and satellite-based connectivity. With more than 180 African suppliers integrated into its global supply chain, Airbus contributes to local job creation, skills development, and industrial growth across the continent. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Irish Times
14-07-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Voxpro founder Dan Kiely joins board of AI start-up Momntum
Former Voxpro founder Dan Kiely has joined the board of directors of AI start-up Momntum as the company seeks to transform customer support. The AI start-up is focused on growing its next generation customer relationship platform, integrating AI with an 'emotionally intelligent' AI system powered by a proprietary Relationship Language Model. Known as Laila, it can manage real-time conversations across phone, email, WhatsApp, Instagram, and other platforms. Laila supports more than 700 languages and has an 85.4 per cent success rate across millions of interactions, the company says. It is designed to replace fragmented support systems with context-aware engagement that adapts to each customer, driving efficiency, customer loyalty, and improving customer experience. Momentum was founded in January by Brian Kenny, Keith Wealleans, Kieran Sexton and entrepreneur Pat Phelan. Among the partnerships it has signed are deals with Mr Phelan's Sisu Clinic and security company Action24. READ MORE The appointment of Mr Kiely to the board is seen as a pivotal move for the company. which is seeking to expand its business following a €1 million funding round backed by Act Venture Capital and Sure Valley Ventures earlier this year. Mr Kenny said the appointment was 'a huge validation' of the company and what it was building. 'It's a major signal to have somebody of Dan's calibre join our board. He completely understands our vision where we're going, and understands that our vision is not a step change within the customer experience world. We're not here to take what's currently being built and add an extra layer on top of it. We're here to reimagine it from the ground up,' he said. Mr Kiely's Voxpro, which he established with Linda Green-Kiely in 1995, grew to be a global customer support player before Telus Digital acquired a majority stake in the company for €150 million in 2017. The company subsequently bought the remaining shares in Voxpro, and Mr Kiely stepped down as chief executive in 2019. He said Momntum's work was intriguing to him, following his own extensive experience in the customer support business. 'I've been there, I've done it. I loved it, but that journey has come to an end. But there's always been a kind of an itch in me to disrupt something,' he says. 'When I came across Momntum, I thought this company is doing something completely different. Everybody says AI, but saying it and doing it are two different things. Momntum and what it's doing really intrigued me. I think we can make a difference.' Mr Kiely has since cofounded private family office and has backed start-ups and growing companies such as Johnson Hana, Manna Drone, ProtexAI, Solidroad, Barespace and Sisu Clinic and Limbo, another of Mr Phelan's businesses. Mr Kiely has also been heavily involved with mentoring growing companies. 'VoxPro wouldn't have been where it was, where it got to without help from people along the way who mentored or offered advice. I get a lot of satisfaction from doing that,' he said. 'It's not about making money in any shape or form. I do it for just for pure enjoyment and satisfaction seeing the entrepreneurs succeed, and helping them scale.'
