Happy New Year, everyone! Here are our picks for the best customer service, customer experience and mobile articles of the week.

Using Text to Fulfill Your New Year’s Resolution by Oliver Leung

The new year is a time for a fresh start, a time to turn over a new leaf and try something new. And while each person’s New Year’s resolutions may be different, the goals are typically the same—to better oneself. But what if, instead of bettering yourself, you focused on bettering your community? That’s the impetus behind Twilio and Volunteer Match’s text-to-volunteer program, which presents you with volunteer opportunities at non-profits near you. As Huffington Post contributor Oliver Leung explains, there’s a lot of need for volunteers at non-profits, and texting can help fill that demand.

Employed individuals tend to volunteer more and 70 percent of Volunteer Match’s profiles are female. Despite steady declining rates of volunteerism over the last decade, there has been a growth in network usage of 14 percent…The problem is the number of volunteers, it’s connecting the willing with the needy. This is the engagement gap that needs to be bridged.

At OneReach, we think this is a great example of how texting can be used for good. Try texting your zip code to 314-282-8630 to get involved.

Read the full article on The Huffington Post.

2016 Will Herald the End of Google (Sort Of) by Rowland Manthorpe

2015 was the year businesses finally starting jumping on the messaging Bandwagon. Facebook rolled out its Messenger app, Magic took the world by storm with its text concierge concept (and spawned dozens of copycats), and Domino’s even let customers text to order pizza. Messaging for businesses is now hitting its stride, and WIRED Associate Editor Rowland Manthorpe foresees a continued push toward business messaging this year, primarily because of its personal nature.

As mobile becomes more and more important, a lot of companies are putting messaging at the heart of their service…The person on the other end can give you options and refine exactly what you want, as well as chatting to you in a more human fashion (emoji!). The idea is that you get a more personal communication as well as tapping into the knowledge of the person on the other end.

At OneReach, we’re not surprised that more businesses are adopting messaging. It’s quick, easy, personal and cost-effective. What’s not to like?

Read the full article on WIRED UK.

Five Customer Experience Truths That Almost Every Company Gets Wrong by Micah Solomon

More and more customers today are demanding a seamless customer experience. In fact, according to Zendesk, 87% of customers think businesses could do a better job of providing a great seamless experience (ie not having to ask for the customer’s personal information because you already have it on file when they call in). However, a lot of companies today are struggling with this—nearly 50% of contact centers name channel and CRM integration, which can help provide a smooth experience, as their top challenge. Customer service expert Micah Solomon also agrees that companies have trouble getting the seamless experience right, and explains that great CX should be frictionless so as not to detract from the experience.

It’s essential to streamline, hide, or eliminate the transactional parts of the customer experience, if you ever want to delight your customers. The Apple Store customer experience is designed so that registers, receipts, owner’s manuals, and so forth are out of sight or even nonexistent. Because they not only don’t add to the customer experience, they get in the way.

Companies that are able to smooth over or eliminate the transactional part of the experience will be able to provide CX that stands out from the competition.

Read the full article on Forbes.

10 CX Trends to Watch This Year by Shep Hyken

Today’s customers are more empowered than ever. In fact, Forrester says we’re currently in the Age of the Customer, “a 20-year business cycle in which the most successful enterprises will reinvent themselves to systematically understand and serve increasingly powerful customers.” Customers have better access to information about companies, helping them be more informed in the purchasing decisions they make. They’re also more aware of the quality of service companies provide, thanks to social media and online review sites. In his My Customer article, customer service expert Shep Hyken names the empowered customer as one the top CX trends of 2015.

When it comes to service and experience, customers know the difference between good and bad. Our marketing and advertising teach them what to expect. And, they not only compare you to others in your industry, but also others outside of your industry.

Customer service interactions are no longer just between the company and the customer—they’re between the company, the customer, and the wealth of data customers have at their fingertips. Companies need to keep this in mind when outlining their customer service strategy.

Read the full article on My Customer.

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