Chicago and Glasgow – Sword Ciboodle, a global provider of customer solutions, and customer experience advisory thinkJar, released the results of a research survey targeting US and UK companies with medium- to large-sized contact centers on their use of social media specifically for customer service.

With nearly 400 responses from around the globe, and representation from more than 10 industry verticals, the research helped to reveal insights into how organizations are leveraging social channels for customer service. The analysis covers topics such as the longevity and maturity of the social customer service practice, the integration of social channels with traditional channels, and the decision and selection criteria used to determine social customer service programs.

Survey results indicated that social channels have been strongly embraced, with 59 percent of organizations having adopted Twitter and 60% adopting Facebook, and almost 85 percent of those who have adopted one, have adopted both together. However, while social channels are widely used, participants showed that justification and validation of social customer service is proving to be a challenge.

There are a variety of differences in how social channels are used, and factors such as an organization’s size, industry and geography also play an important role. Integration of data, as well as finding the right balance between social customer service and more “traditional” channels, is an important part of what companies are wrestling with.

The size of the company is an additional factor in the maturity of its social customer program. For example, 40 percent of respondents in companies with 1000 or more contact center agents say that their social customer service initiatives have been in place for at least two years. In contrast, 53 percent of companies with smaller contact centers say that current programs were implemented within the past year to two years.

The reasons behind the move of all companies, regardless of size, to social customer service is customer driven, with 56 percent of respondents implementing social customer service due to customer request, compared with 40 percent that put the programs in place to keep up with competitors.

“The direction social channels is headed when it comes to customer service is fascinating and a true ‘game-changer’ for businesses,” said Esteban Kolsky, principal and founder of thinkJar. “The trick is to truly understand how to navigate this hyped-up, yet semi-mysterious ‘customer service frontier.’ This research report is a must-have for all organizations who want to really know where to go with social in customer service.”

“What’s important for every organization to realize is, while social channels are constantly evolving, they are not new anymore,” said Mitch Lieberman, Vice President of Market Strategy at Sword Ciboodle. “The most successful customer service program will happen for businesses who incorporate social into their overall customer engagement practices, and really keep pace with the way their customers are communicating with them in all areas.”

To download a full copy of the research “We Are Social: The State of Social Customer Service”, which includes full survey research findings and conclusions, visit: www.sword-ciboodle.com/socialcustomerservice.

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Thanks to new technologies and incentives, more U.S. companies now see generating their own electricity and other alternative energy projects as viable options.

But as c-suite executives mull these exciting possibilities, they should be sure their checklists of potential pros and cons fully reflect the realities of today’s energy markets, write two members of LeClairRyan’s Energy Industry Team in the latest issue of Executive Counsel.

In “Weighing the Pro & Cons of Power Co-Generation,” published in the magazine’s Dec. 2011/Jan. 2012 issue, Roy M. Palk, a 40-year veteran of the energy business and the firm’s senior energy industry advisor, and Samuel R. Brumberg, a veteran associate in LeClairRyan’s Glen Allen, Va., office, provide a clear-eyed look at the types of questions c-suite executives should ask as they explore more diverse sources of energy supply.

Companies now stand to gain additional freedoms, reap new revenues and enjoy substantial cost savings by embarking on the likes of distributed generation or large cogeneration projects. Doing so, however, requires an informed and deliberate strategy, even in cases where power generation is not part and parcel of the company’s core business. These issues of cost and risk are not just “bottom line” questions—likely they are lawyers’ questions, too, the attorneys note.

“Ideally, the team studying and potentially executing the project should include members who can answer questions that require specific expertise—on technology, markets, legal considerations and more,” write Brumberg and Palk. “All of these considerations can have a major bearing, not only on the ease or difficulty of securing financing for the project, but also on its overall risk profile.”

Indeed, without proper mitigation of inherent risks, lenders may not be keen on pumping money into unknown or unproven technologies, they advise. Nor are they enthusiastic about backing firms that lack experience in operating, maintaining or repairing alternative energy equipment. “A well rounded team of experts, and proper maintenance and warranty contracts, can help make sure the project’s financial modeling is informed and realistic,” they explain.

Renewable energy projects also tend to come with unique risks. “Imagine a company that bought a fuel cell for $250,000. From the perspective of the c-suite, the fuel cell is essentially a black box: It can be turned off or on, but the company cannot break it open to conduct routine repairs or maintenance,” write Palk and Brumberg.

“This has important implications for the contract itself. Does the fuel cell come with a warranty? Does the deal include a service contract? If the fuel cell ends up being, essentially, a big paperweight sitting outside of the building, what kind of recourse does the company have?”

Likewise, the risk assessment for renewable projects must take operational concerns into account, including the potential power-replacement costs if the unit fails, where executives should go to buy that replacement power, and regulatory constraints, they note. The team should also take a close look at the potential liability, insurance and installation and maintenance risks.

Brumberg and Palk additionally discuss risks related to the deal itself, such as the tendency to cling to ill-advised transactions for the sake of perceived branding benefits. “Ensure that any particular deal rises or falls based on its business merits, even if it does happen to mesh perfectly with a high-priority corporate strategy,” they write.

Lastly, Brumberg and Palk discuss dynamics related to today’s energy incentives, from the possibility that they might change or expire to state-specific allowances for the likes of “net metering”–the ability to sell power back to the grid. “Oftentimes, executives forget about the potential role of tax credits or the sale of renewable energy certificates in offsetting some of the capital expense associated with renewable projects,” they note.

“Depending on the local utility’s tariff rate, the company could not only save on its energy costs, it might also receive credits for staying off the grid for certain periods of time and using its own supplemental power. Various renewable energy credits are sometimes available for specific types of technologies as well.”

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