Serving the World’s Consumers

Technology is accelerating change in the world of customer care and is shifting power to the customer. The proliferation of social software—peer networks, blogs, chat, public rating systems and more—combined with growing media interest in consumer issues has made it easier than ever before for consumers to share their care experiences with an increasingly large audience and influence public opinion. What’s more, the skyrocketing proliferation of mobile devices is fueling consumer expectations for even more timely and portable access to information and service. The concept of anywhere, anytime is being taken to a whole new level. Today’s consumers now feel entitled to great service on their terms.

This blog is designed to share observations on opportunities and challenges related to managing consumer interactions in today’s rapidly evolving and increasingly mobile business environment. The goal it to provide both consumer and business POV on this type – which will most likely evolve over time. While hosted by Nuance Communications, this blog is intended for broad industry dialog. Its purpose is not to discuss or market products or solutions.

About Author

Hi. I’m Julia Mason-Ochinero, director of communications for the Care Business of Nuance. I work to better understand consumer and market trends, and then share that information in forums such as this blog. Currently, I’m working with the Yankee Group on a study entitled “Impact of Mobile Device on Care Interactions” and Harris Research on “Consumer Preferences for Outbound Messaging.” Most recently I attended the Frost and Sullivan Contact Center West conference where I moderated a panel on “How to Make Self-Service Preferred.” Now more than ever, I believe the Care operation is positioned to play an increasingly strategic role in the Enterprise. The power of the consumer – enabled by social media – has quickly shifted the care operation to a play a central role in the enterprise. We’ll be exploring that expanded role in this blog.

Originally from the Midwest, I attended Bradley University (Peoria, IL) and relocated to Silicon Valley while working for Andersen Consulting during the dot com boom. I survived the “bust” and married someone who likes to golf year-round here in California – so there is no moving back to Chicago. For the last 22 years, I’ve worked in marketing positions in start up, agency and corporate environments. Some of the organizations I’ve worked for, or consulted, include Openwave, McDonalds and United Airlines. I’ve also gained some invaluable experience working in a few start ups, one that was funded by American Express and Kleiner Perkins that became www.Allbusiness.com and another that was ultimately acquired by Sun Microsystems. I joined Nuance through the acquisition of BeVocal about a year ago and work in Nuance’s Sunnyvale office. Always a consumer advocate (my husband calls me a “letter writer” ) – I love being in an organization that is helping organizations meet the demands of an increasingly entitled consumer while balancing business interests. Its fascinating to learn how businesses are balancing those sometimes competing priorities of reducing costs, while increasing customer satisfaction – especially during today’s economic climate. Thanks for your interest in this blog. Drop me a note if there is a topic you want to see more information on at servingconsumers@nuance.com.

About Nuance in the Care Market

Our mission is to help organizations better support, communicate with and understand their customer. We provide businesses the ability to do this through inbound, outbound, analytics and caller authentication solutions. We support over 6 billion customer interactions around the world annually – giving us comprehensive insights on both consumer preferences and business needs. www.nuance.com/care