Author name: D Edward Levy

Small businesses make up the backbone of most western economies. In the US alone, it is estimated that 99.9% of businesses are classified as small businesses and are considered the engine of economic activity and growth. Small businesses do come in different shapes and sizes but one thing they have in common is that for […]

Recent National Retail Federation research indicates that retail loss, or shrink, increased 13.2% in 2023, suggesting losses at store or facility level are rising alarmingly. Customer facing businesses are well aware of the ongoing issues with shrink but it is important to note that there are two forms of shrink: External losses caused by shoplifting,

Shaky economies across the globe may impact customer facing businesses in the form of reduced traffic and curtailed spending per visit. For small and midsized businesses, highlighting customer service and identifying opportunities to maximize each and every customer interaction is now a priority more than ever. Research from INVOCA, a leading contact center consultancy, suggested

A Zendesk study from 2023 suggested that 52% percent of consumers would switch to a competitor after only one negative customer service interaction. On the flipside, a Salesforce survey indicated that 92% of consumers would make a repeat purchase after having a positive customer experience. Businesses that depend on selling goods and services for revenue

Small business optimism took a dip recently with the NFIB reporting the August index at 91.2, down 2.5 points from the month before. Expectations for higher sales also dropped 9 percent which drove the overall declines in optimism. Still questionable economics and the US election may have been factors in those declines but for small

Although the coronavirus pandemic is becoming a distant memory, small and midsize businesses are still feeling the impacts of lockdowns when it comes to hiring and maintaining service levels for frontline teams. In the United States, at least 1.7 million individuals are missing from the work force and 38% of SMBs reported difficulty in hiring

Contact centers still play a key role in delivering customer service and consumers continue to show a preference to interacting with a live person. A survey from last year (Fit Small Business) suggested that 30% of customers were more comfortable purchasing high ticket items over the phone and the majority of consumers still look for

Fast adoption of the internet and the rapid evolution of mobile devices has changed most aspects of daily living but when it comes to how consumers purchase goods, the changes were seismic. Online shopping has risen in popularity and demand was supercharged during the COVID-19 shutdowns. Preferences for online shopping have grown considerably with 43%