Power is shifting from manufacturers and retailers towards consumers. More than ever consumers are in control. And other present-day issues are relevant, which together shape 'The Future of Customer Interactions'. The customer service concept will need to be re-shaped to meet future challenges.

Evolving customer service
The customer service world is rapidly evolving, forcing customer service professionals to re-think  proven methods and traditional approaches.  As opportunities for communicating with customers proliferate, such that markets are being defined as conversations, the impact of the voice of the customer changes. Whereas once customer voices may have fallen on deaf ears (or on an automated voice response system), consumers today can easily share their experiences with a receptive, massive audience by making use of an expanding range of (social) media. The terms of engagement are no longer exclusively determined by customer service professionals and now, more than ever, it is important to learn what customers expect and desire, to listen and find out what it takes to deliver service excellence.

Prepare for the dialogue
This may seem challenging, daunting even, certainly difficult to fit into your busy schedule. Engaging in a meaningful dialogue with your customers is exiting and presents a range of unique and promising opportunities for companies. Yet, in order to take advantage of these, it is important that you stop and think about what’s going on in your world.

The book The Future of Customer Interactions has been written to help you do just that. The book traces emerging trends, brought on by ongoing social and technological changes. This will help you as a customer service professional in formulating strategies and techniques that are in tune with today’s marketplace realities. It sheds light on the reshaping of the customer service concept. But it does more. Based on dedicated research, the book translates recent developments into actionable advice and offers suggestions for effective tools that will enable you to start responding to your customers in the way they want and expect you to.

Embrace the dominant ongoing customer service trends
An up-to-date coverage of a number of present-day issues is presented. These issues have been identified by customer service professionals for customer service professionals and the book covers topics, such as customer control, online learning, managerial as well as environmental responsibilities, software as service, and service as sales. At the end of the day, after stopping and thinking, the book will stimulate you to act and embrace ongoing customer service trends as a chance to revamp conversations with your customers. And this will make you realize (again) why customer service is such a meaningful profession…

Ko de Ruyter
Professor of Interactive Marketing and
Professor of International Service Research and
Chairman of the Department of Marketing & Supply Chain Management,
Maastricht University, The Netherlands


The Future of Customer Interactions is the third quarterly publication of Customer Interaction Research Center. The book describes the results of research among general management and marketing, sales en services management. For more information, visit CIRC-Foundation.com or contact dr Frans Plat, F.Plat@chello.nl.

The research of the CIRC Foundation is supported by SNT, Unamic/HCN, The Selfservice Company and Clockwork.