As businesses move to the cloud, IT Service Management (ITSM) tools within the cloud are becoming increasingly common. The IT Information Library (ITIL) best practice approach to ITSM does not currently target the cloud, but its best practice approach to service management has resonated throughout the cloud-based application industry. This approach allows organizations to use IT to realize business change, transformation, and growth. ITIL's principles have been implemented in efficient and cost effective cloud-based analytical software applications today, however, further updates are required to target the following specific areas:

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The technologies available to consumers and businesses are, undoubtedly, developing at a rapid pace. People have new demands when it comes to their technological needs. ITIL, the Information Technology Infrastructure Library, provides guidance for IT service providers on how to bring IT best practices and business needs together, giving companies the tools to approach many kinds of IT challenges. The capability of applying it to a variety of situations and vendors makes it a go-to resource for many service providers when looking towards solutions for complex business problems in both customer service and IT support. The last time that ITIL was updated, however, was in 2011. While it may not seem that long ago, the last five years have brought many changes in the technological landscape, and ITIL alone may not be the most effective way to find an answer.

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It is the dream of every business owner to become bigger, better, and to become a necessary staple in the mind and lives of customers. However, some might not consider the changes that go into accommodating this new and improved status. One of these changes will be the management of your phone system and the way your calls are handled. Once a business rises to a certain size, there has to either be an in-house call center or an outsourcing of these customer service calls to another location, preferably within the geographic area. Why is this? When a business receives a rise in their customer base numbers and want to continue this trend, there will have to be adjustments made to better serve this growing demographic by answering their questions and quelling their concerns. This is when either an evolved help desk system or call center implementation becomes necessary.

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Traditionally, call centers monitor the calls of customer service employees using methods such as random call monitoring selection, consistent monitoring of a small sample size of employees with five being the optimum number, and a checklist that evaluates the efficiency of the call. This is all done with the goal of decreasing variations between calls, increasing customer quality experiences, and combining all of the data gathered in hopes of creating a standard call checklist that meets all of those requirements. However, it has been revealed that not only is this method of call monitoring and quality assurance outdated, it is also relatively ineffective when compared to the information and results that could be obtained through the usage of the increasingly popular Emerging Model.

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The importance and value of cultivating and maintaining customer relationships cannot be overstated. Any business that fails to cater to their customers in ways that are business efficient as well as positively reinforcing, are doing themselves a great disservice. Businesses tend to understate the importance of customer relations management, only focusing on problem solving, rarely prevention. This is a mistake that can cost them dearly. It is rare that businesses can be effective and efficient in all areas. There are three big benefits to having a separate customer service division:

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Last year's Customer Service Hall of Fame list from 24/7 Wall St. highlights the top ten businesses with an "excellent" rating and can be found here. With the list of companies established, the question becomes what makes their customer service so great? Let's zero in on the top five: Kroger, Marriott, Apple, Chick-fil-A, and Amazon to find out.

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Sometimes life gives you lemons. It happens to you personally and it will happen with your business too. From the small issues like late delivery of a customer's order to the big ones like a product recall that threatens the bottom line, the trick to handling lemons is learning to make them into lemonade. Here are some examples of companies who turned lemons into lemonade and some tips for how to do it yourself.

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The eternal argument: should companies outsource customer service? The truth is, it depends. There are a number of factors that go into deciding whether or not to outsource your company's contact center. Let's take a look at both sides.

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Is your company's customer service department stuck in the mantra that negative feedback should be swept under the rug and kept silent? Negative customer feedback can be a death knell in today's world of intense competition, social media and instant virtual report cards, but it doesn't have to be!

In Giva's recent Customer Think article "Why Encourage Negative Feedback to Make Customers "Sticky"?' learn how to embrace negative feedback and turn your customers into a massive marketing force. This guide details how to make the best out of unfavorable responses to keep your customers coming back every time!