SOCAP Bookstore

Please contact SOCAP International to purchase any of the publications below:

Social Media Benchmarking Composite Report [PURCHASE]

The Center for Client Retention/ENTREVISTA, (2010)
SOCAP International and the The Center for Client Retention/ENTREVISTA (TCFCR) are proud to partner in the distribution of TCFCR’s groundbreaking new study, “The Social Media Benchmarking Composite Report”.  For this study, 22 companies and 27,000 consumers provided feedback and data on how they use social media, what they expect from it, and what impressions consumers derive from companies’ social media efforts.  The study found 55% of consumers felt positively when companies responded to a social media posting, with only 5% reacting negatively and 40% remaining neutral. "This is a significant finding for the 22 companies and reinforces the value of monitoring social media sites," adds Richard Shapiro, CEO, TCFCR. "However, it's critical for companies to be aware of the fine line between using social media to connect with customers versus being in a constant selling mode."  Click here to purchase this report

Salary and Job Description Study

Produced by SOCAP, 40 pp. (2004)
Based on a 2004 survey of SOCAP members, this booklet provides key information regarding your salary and how it compares to others in your profession. Comparisons include demographic trends, professional and corporate profiles, gender, geographic area, age, experience, title/level of position, department operating budget, and company revenue. Salary ranges are shown for CSRs, supervisors, managers and department heads. Member characteristics are illustrated as well, including education level, age, number of years employed, movement within company, region, changes in responsibilities, percentages of time spent within various activities and areas of expansion. Salary trends are shown in detail.

Best Practices Guide

Produced by SOCAP (2004)
All the SOCAP CRM best practice articles! Features 33 case studies from well-known brand name companies including Amazon, eBay, Levi Strauss, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, American Express, Georgia Power and more.

Bottom Line Benefit of Consumer Affairs

Produced by SOCAP, 16 pp. (1994, Third Edition)
This popular SOCAP booklet outlines the benefits of each consumer affairs function by company operating area and offers a detailed formula to help you calculate marketing benefits and ROI for complaint handling. Two article reprints are included.

Consumer Loyalty Study

Produced by SOCAP, 28 pp. (1998)
In this 1998 study, 22 SOCAP members' companies provided access to more than 5,000 consumer contacts to examine closely what drives consumer loyalty and to track major changes in the consumer affairs field. Statistics that support the consumer affairs effort are provided as well as industry-specific breakdowns. The study explored the entire relationship with the consumer from the time he or she first attempted to locate the telephone number or address to the time they received something through the mail as a result of their contact. The study also asked many questions that uncovered the consumer's prior loyalty, household purchases, and various demographic data that may not have been available to the sponsor company prior to this research. Study results provide the data you need to back up the importance of your operation.

Consumer Trends: How to Identify Them and Communicate Their Importance to Senior Management

Produced by SOCAP, 34 pp. (1991)
How do you find out what consumers really want? Learn how to perform ongoing trend tracking, explain and predict consumer behavior and how to anticipate and plan for problems. Methods and tools for collecting consumer data are discussed including mail and phone surveys, focus groups, advisory boards, use of front line employee perceptions and data gathering, and a listing of important publications. Learn how to analyze and report on consumer trends. Both qualitative and quantitative data are evaluated.

Contact Center Maturity Model Report and Toolkit

Produced by SOCAP, 192 pp. (2003)
This revolutionary study is now complete and ready for purchase. In it, you will get the full research results, almost 50 case studies to help you in your assessment and insight from the industry's most respected thought leaders. The SOCAP CCMM is to be used as an assessment tool, not a checklist or audit. The assessment process requires rigorous documentation of center strengths and opportunities as well as action planning across the center. It also includes a toolkit that will assist you in measuring your SOCAP CCMM levels and identifying the gaps that you have in your center. Be the first to own the full report - almost 200 pages of results, case studies and insights!

Corporate Guide to Effective Complaint Management

Produced by SOCAP, 56 pp. (1994)
Covers the basics of complaint management, including guidelines for front line staff, complaint categories, dealing with irate customers, staffing and converting complaints into loyalty. Offers details on how to establish standards and procedures, and the importance of being accessible to the customer. A large portion of the book is devoted to managing complaints for profit and the improvement (the value of a retained customer, increasing brand loyalty, decreasing costs and improving efficiency, reducing liability, improving quality and image, consumer affairs as a profit center, customer satisfaction tracking, issue management and impact on corporate resources). A section on tracking consumer data is included along with four popular article reprints.

Customer Contact Study

Produced by SOCAP, 45 pp. (2003)
SOCAP CUSTOMER CONTACT STUDY: CONTACT CHANNEL USE IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS An updated report on the study that many of you know and love, last updated in 1988. This is the benchmark on all of the industry's most important information. The 2003 study has new technologies added so that current trends can be identified. It can also be a useful tool in terms of industry-specific data.

Customer Satisfaction Survey Template Min CD

Produced by SOCAP (2003)
Contains more than 50 sample surveys with industry-specific examples from food/beverage, automotive, household goods, banking, insurance, utility, media, telecom, recreation, and more. A checklist for collecting data and selected CRM articles are also on the CD.

Hiring and Performance Evaluation Templates Mini CD

Produced by SOCAP (2003)
Contains samples of CSR position descriptions, suggested interview questions, interview evaluation forms, email writing skill assessment and evaluation, selected CRM articles, and a bonus section on motivation and rewards.

How to Use the Internet for Customer Support

Produced by SOCAP, 41 pp. (1997)
This book is a thorough, yet quick read on how you can ensure consumer affairs is a key player on your company's web site team. Learn more about online options for customer service and support, how to entice customers to offer candid feedback and market research, plus how to find and work with an Internet Service Provider. And there's more…also learn how to: develop an Internet strategy and business plan, work with other departments to develop a web site, learn options and preparations required to follow up on electronic inquiries, designing online surveys and intelligent forms design, working with an outsourcer, publicity and design, basic Internet primer, personalization of content, call back options, push technologies, incorporating telephony and more.

Industry Benchmarking Study

4 Reports, Produced by SOCAP, Research provided by TARP, 146 pp. total (2007)
SOCAPs new Industry Benchmarking Study provides contact center benchmarking across all industries. The study consists of one general report and three industry-specific reports focusing on Financial Services, Food and Beverage, and Consumer and Household Goods Manufacturers. Topics include contact center positioning, functions and channels, operations, staffing, technology, metrics/evaluation and benefits/future plans.

Planning for a Crisis: A Guide for Consumer Affairs

Produced by SOCAP, 22 pp. (2000)
Could you be faced with: A natural disaster? Product tampering? Product recalls? Media investigation? This new SOCAP publication can help consumer affairs professionals design a crisis management plan that fits their unique needs and situations. If you don't have a crisis plan in place, and need help creating one from scratch, or if you have one that just needs a little "boost," this guide provides you with all the information you need to get started. Learn how to determine your telecommunications and facility needs, when to use in house staff and when to outsource; how the consumer affairs plan should fit in with the company plan; how to track feedback; who should be on your crisis contact list; and how to develop an accountabilities list. In addition, the guide provides a generous list of books, periodicals, web sites and other resources to help you plan for a crisis before it actually hits.

Quality Integration: The Critical Role of Consumer Affairs Professionals

Produced by SOCAP, 63 pp. (1993)
This easy-to-use compilation and reference to quality management summarizes information and tools needed by consumer affairs/customer service professionals to apply quality management to their department operations. Includes ideas on how to contribute as a member of a team within a company involved in quality improvement efforts, a special self-assessment guide for consumer affairs departments, fundamental concepts of quality, TQM planning and implementation, how to set and monitor quality standards, techniques to gain internal stature and influence through your quality efforts, and methods for measuring those efforts.

Radical Resume and Networking Guide

Produced by SOCAP (2004)
A guide that is chock full of pointers, lists and sure fire ways to update your resume and keep your sanity while searching for a new job. Includes several articles on how to network and how to guides to make the most of your connections.

Redefining Consumer Affairs: SOCAP Members Meet the Challenges of the New Millennium

Produced by SOCAP, 80 pp. (1995)
Written by your peers in consumer affairs - this book will serve as your personal mentor. Gain sage advice on the dramatic shifts in the consumer affairs profession, a look into the future and what it holds for you and a roadmap to ensure your future success. Topics include quantifying your department's impact on the bottom line, reducing customer acquisition costs through improved retention, providing value-added products and services and becoming a value-added department, leading-edge technology (telephony, ISDN, telecommuting, and Internet), streamlining and cost reduction techniques and case studies, customer retention innovations, plus SOCAP leaders' advice on what you need to do to survive and thrive in the 21st century. Leading-edge SOCAP members share their views on the future marketplace, global expansion, training, market research, technology's impact, the call center of the future, profit center mind set, and pre-litigation strategies.

ROI on Customer Care Template Mini CD

Produced by SOCAP (2003)
Contains a substantive 60 page power point presentation explaining the ROI of customer care, a checklist for your department to ensure ROI, an internal customer benefit chart, an internal customer needs analysis, a data source index, and selected CRM articles.

Sourcing The Contact Center

Produced by SOCAP, 30 pp. (2006)
This new study from SOCAP International examines contact center best practices, looks objectively at the advantages and disadvantages of each sourcing solution, and provides a scorecard to help you analyze your contact center against the key factors used in making optimal sourcing decisions. For those whose best solution is outsourcing, the study also provides extended detail on how to select and work productively with outsourcers, and how to backsource successfully. Sourcing the Contact Center is an outstanding resource for finding the best sourcing solution for your contact center's unique needs.

Training Resource Guide

Produced by SOCAP, 42 pp. (2000)
Using a number of established consumer affairs departments as a resource, best practices, philosophies and approaches to training consumer affairs representatives are offered in this new guide developed specifically for SOCAP members. Content includes objectives, training requirements, elements of a successful training program, skill requirements for trainers, ongoing development and feedback, monitoring and follow up, measuring and tracking results. Skills addressed in the guide are service, writing, listening, anger diffusion, complaint resolution, customer retention strategies, loyalty building, product knowledge, marketing, policy and procedures, software training, telephone technology, mentors and buddy systems. This great guide provides practical tips, tried and true methods and resources for developing a great training program in your department and company.

Internet Customer Care: A SOCAP Study

Produced by SOCAP and Yankelovich Partners, 64 pp. (2000)
A landmark study conducted by SOCAP and Yankelovich Partners measures customer satisfaction and consumer expectations of customer care on the Internet. Findings include consumer preferences for contacting a web site and self-serve options, effects of web site interaction on consumer loyalty, what features are most important to consumers and specific reasons consumers access company web sites, importance of various functions of a web site in customer support, consumer perceptions of support and satisfaction factors, e-mail interaction expectations, privacy issues, credit card security comfort levels, credibility and influence of product/company "hate sites", consumer preferences for customer support regarding contact vehicles, and much more! Five industries are targeted in the study: automotive, food/beverage, household products, computer technology, and financial with specific benchmark data cited for each industry.

IVR Consumer Satisfaction Study

Produced by SOCAP, 28 pp. (2000)
In this 2000 study, 22 SOCAP members' companies provided access to more than 6,000 consumer contacts to determine how consumers react to the use of interactive voice response (IVR) technology when they call a company's toll-free number for customer service. This study specifically identifies which IVR options work best in a consumer affairs environment and which ones do not contribute to increasing customer loyalty.

Maximizing Relationships With Internal Customers

Produced by SOCAP, 22 pp. (2005)
Use the results of this groundbreaking benchmark study to discover how other consumer affairs departments work with their internal customers. More than 50 companies participated in this study. Consumer affairs, marketing, operations, research & development, quality assurance, manufacturing, sales, executives, legal and IT were interviewed to find out how consumer data is collected and it is used to incorporate the voice of the customer toward improving the bottom-line.

Motivaton and Recognition of Consumer Affairs Staff

Produced by SOCAP (2004)
Customer care staff need a great deal of motivation and recognition because of the stressful nature of their jobs. Learn how to incorporate critical motivational skills into your management and leadership style. Includes how to develop a supportive climate, team building tips, how to hire the right employees, motivational methodology, how to motivate during difficul ttimes, 50 ways to provide recognition for your staff, coaching and empowerment ideas, 30 stress busters, and ideas on how to prevent burnout.

Outsourcing: Analyzing Your Options

by Roger Nunley/ Produced by SOCAP, 42 pp. (1994)
This is the only book on the market that covers the pros and cons of outsourcing, being proactive with senior management, degrees of outsourcing, questions to ask before outsourcing, a cost comparison chart, seven steps to successful outsourcing, developing requests for proposals, quality issues, how to perform an opportunity audit, identifying potential partners, a listing of outsourcing service bureaus, evaluating proposals, making the selection, crafting a contract, implementation, managing the partnership, and measuring success.