Appointment Scheduling

Banks are working hard to become more “friendly,” but is it working? Reputation.com’s recently released 2019 Retail Banking Reputation Report is a reminder of how banking still has quite a ways to go to address the customer dissatisfaction that’s impacting their Reputations Scores. Many banks are now just catching up to the reality that retail […]

You’ve done the research and know your customers are savvier than ever, want personalized attention, and are raising their hand and asking to meet with real people instead of having conversations with chatbots or waiting days to weeks for a response from your contact forms. This is where the addition of a “Schedule-a-Demo” feature on […]

Maybe you’ve been chasing a sales lead for months and finally confirmed a meeting with a stakeholder who can make or break the deal. Alternatively, you may be a retailer offering one-on-one appointments with VIP customers for services that range between consultations to preview nights. Regardless of who your customer or prospect is, booking the […]

Automation has been suffering from a bad reputation problem lately. This is especially true in the retail sector where a recent survey indicated 2 out of 3 retail workers fear technology will overtake many of their job duties. But there’s a much more optimistic tone among industry insiders and analysts. The World Economic Forum, the […]

How can financial advisors grow their client base and increase inbound prospects? With a combination of networking, marketing, referrals, and technology. Jason Hill, President, and Founder of Client Focused Advisors and host of the podcast Shrimp Tank Boca Raton joins us to talk about how financial advisors can grow their business. In this interview we […]

If you spent winter curled up on the couch binge-watching TV, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Netflix’s “Tidying Up With Marie Kondo.” In the show, the domestic goddess of decluttering walks Americans through the process of embracing minimalism, and only keeping items that spark joy. While her method might seem like it’s best put […]

Retail trends move quickly, but one that has staying power, and for good reason, is a focus on customer experience (CX). One major pillar for CX in 2019 is the link between personalization and engagement rates. Industry groups including the National Retail Federation found that this year brands are prioritizing “both the online and in-store […]

With just days left to go in 2018, we thought it was the right time to take a look back at the blog posts and topics our readers loved most this year. In case you missed them, here’s a quick Top 10 list. Enjoy, and we look forward to bringing you more engaging content in […]

A better way to manage return season with personalization and intelligent appointments The 2018 holiday season holds a lot of promise for retailers. According to Deloitte’s annual holiday forecast, everyone from discount brands and big box stores to purveyors of luxury goods is expected to ring up more than $1.10 trillion sales, with about $134 […]

Even as the lines between physical and digital channels continue to blur, many banks and credit unions are struggling to prioritize the people and financial resources needed to reach their goals and deliver a truly omnichannel and personalized in-branch experience. A new report from WBR Insights’ Future Branches division, Enabling In-Branch Associates Through Phygital Initiatives, […]

This blog is part of a short series called “The Events and Classes Diaries”, where we recount our own experiential marketing journeys to highlight the power of classes and branded events in creating an exceptional customer experience. On Fridays, my kids have swim team practice at the Needham YMCA on Great Plain Avenue. In theory, it’s great […]

Today’s Millennial consumers expect a modern experience when choosing a financial services provider. Whether it’s a bank, credit union, or wealth management advisor, Millennials want to engage when, where and how they want, across multiple channels. Web, mobile, app, or phone — all represent viable Millennial engagement options that financial services sellers must tailor to […]

This blog is part of a short series called “The Events and Classes Diaries”, where we recount our own experiential marketing journeys to highlight the power of classes and branded events in creating an exceptional customer experience. At Engageware, we work with some of the most innovative brands in the world. And we’re proud of […]

Salesforce’s AppExchange is a rich destination for Salesforce users, allowing administrators to select and download from over 3,000 applications that help fulfill business needs across the spectrum of Salesforce users. Increasingly, customers have come to Engageware with questions related to our own AppExchange listing, Scheduler for Salesforce, and inquired about the status of our application and […]

Successful marketing depends on creating an omnichannel customer experience that is integrated across platforms, and that includes leveraging social media engagement as a means of reaching customers. People spend hours every day on their phones and on social media, and if you’re not capturing at least some of their attention, that means that they’re engaging […]

Yesterday Engageware released data from our survey on the state of the B2C buying experience, and respondents made it overwhelmingly clear that B2B brands should consider appointment scheduling to deliver the personalized buying experiences preferred by today’s consumers. The Engageware-sponsored survey, “What Buyers Want: The State of the B2C Buyer Experience,” complements our recent data […]

Today, Engageware announced the results of our research on the state of the B2B buying experience, with data revealing deep dissatisfaction by B2B buyers over seller companies’ customer engagement strategies. Most notably among their concerns, B2B buyers cite a failure by B2B sellers to facilitate live interactions with knowledgeable employees regarding potential purchases. Indeed, “What […]

The Keynote at last week’s Microsoft Inspire 2018 conference featured Microsoft’s Ron Markezich, Corporate Vice President of Office 365 Marketing, who told partners that “we have parity between Skype for Business Online and Microsoft Teams.” This has been a key factor in Microsoft’s Intelligent Communications strategy, according to Ben, and a key milestone for existing […]

Social media messaging apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have become a normal engagement channel for consumers to engage with businesses and we’re now seeing that spill into B2B Sales. Just like consumers, businesses looking to purchase technology and services from other businesses expect fast and knowledgeable service. But what do you do after hours? […]

There’s a big difference between omnichannel and multi-channel approaches to retail in 2018. While the multi-channel paradigm requires retailers to leverage many different channels for communicating with customers and driving sales, a successful omnichannel strategy comes to life when retailers can effectively integrate the channels they use to reach their customers, creating a continuous interaction […]

Salesforce recently released its annual “State of Sales” report, and it contains some amazing insights based on responses from more than 2,900 global sales people, managers and leaders. The report is a must-read for anyone involved in the sales profession as it clearly demonstrates where businesses are focused in terms of technology trends and best […]

Google Duplex not only represents the tech giant’s newest capability – it turns the page on how customers and businesses will interact going forward. Artificial intelligence (AI) has officially gone to the next level, and the relevant use case is directed towards a task that’s seminally indispensable to both businesses and consumers: appointment scheduling. In […]

Brick-and-mortar retail, we’re happy to say, is far from dead. Indeed, in-store shopping remains a mainstay, with 87 percent of US retail customers still buying in the store, according to Forrester Research. The nature of that in‑store shopping experience, however, is changing dramatically. Today’s brands are competing more on customer experience than any other element […]

We’re excited to kick-off a new video series called, “Un-Missed Connections” where we’ll discuss best practices, worst practices, and some of the creative techniques marketing and sales pros are using to get connected — and stay connected — to their prospects and customers. So watch this space and plan to join the conversation – Un-Missed […]

Since the day Robert Stephens founded Geek Squad in 1993, he has been thinking about selling time. Robert formed Geek Squad with $200, a bicycle, and a vision. In 2002, Geek Squad entered into joint operation with Best Buy and opened “precincts” in all of Best Buy’s U.S. and Canadian stores. Robert left Best Buy […]

Any Red Sox fan knows that the home-opener in Fenway Park is always a big event on the calendar! This year, the Red Sox game served as a great backdrop to the Salesforce Boston World Tour. With that in mind, let’s take a review of the recent Boston World Tour through a baseball lens. First […]

Today, we’ve launched our new whitepaper: “Intelligent Appointment Scheduling: What Is It and How Does Artificial Intelligence Power It?” Our aim is simply to show how artificial intelligence (AI) is changing the way customer-facing teams work by helping them engage potential buyers at the optimal moment of interest. This comes just as the first wave […]

Chances are that if you’re an existing Salesforce customer, you or your company’s Security or IT professionals have reviewed their data security and IT policies and found them to be effective. As the fastest growing cloud CRM solution, Salesforce hasn’t gotten to where they are now by ignoring important questions related to data security and […]

IBM has pioneered many areas of technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) is no exception. Indeed, Big Blue’s Watson AI platform was launched as the first wave of enterprise AI technology and, for many businesses, represents an introduction to the power of cognitive computing, AI and machine learning. Given IBM’s first mover advantage, it’s no surprise […]

Credit unions continue to win over consumers by positioning themselves as community-oriented institutions that provide a wide range of financial services. This success stems from credit unions’ early recognition of today’s on-demand consumers’ heightened expectations and their insistence on a better customer engagement paradigm. Through personalized services and a member-owned financial model, credit unions create […]