The 1to1 Blog posts an interesting profile today about an online brokerage, Scottrade, that has discovered that providing access to live customer support is not only good customer service, in some cases it's a competitive differentiator.  Even more impressive in this age of cost-cuttong via self-service options and IVRs, is the fact that the company routes every single call directly to local branch representatives rather than have customers sit through an automated menu.  According to this article, the results for taking this approach speak for themselves...greater revenue and no doubt much more loyal customers.

All too often, companies view customer service initiatives as a cost, but do so at the expense of their customers' loyalty.  However, as the article points out, "The value of an individual transaction might not be worth the price of the customer's call, but the long-term value of the relationship is well worth it."

Providing consistent, personalized attention from a live human being can do wonders for boosting the bottomline.  As this example proves, companies should realize that not every contact is a burden, but an opportunity.

Combining strategy and technology to improve contact efficiency and still deliver high-quality customer service is the key to taking advantage of these opportunities.