You monitor conversion and retention rates on a daily basis, and like most, you’re looking for a way to optimize these key performance metrics to attract more advertisers. This is no easy task, but Trader Media, the company that charges the CycleTrader.com and BoatTrader.com websites, has discovered an innovative, effective solution for making this happen.

On Tuesday, July 27, at 1 p.m. EST, join ATG and Trader Media for the webinar, “Three Steps to Attract Advertisers, Decrease Costs, and Prove Value; A Case Study with Trader Media,” and learn how Trader Media leveraged ATG Lead Performance and ATG Live Help solutions to convert and retain more advertisers, grow revenue, and increase profits.

The webinar will highlight:

• How to increase leads and prove your value to advertisers using Call Tracking and Click to Call
• Best practices to improve advertiser retention and up-sell using Email Response and Click to Chat
• Tips to improve service efficiency by enabling distributed service agents to handle calls, emails and chats from remote locations

Analyst BIA/Kelsey, a resource to the media, mobile advertising, telecommunications, Yellow Pages and electronic directory markets, will also be in attendance to reveal the current investments and future trends of the industry.

Register today for this free webinar.

There’s no doubt about it. American Express (AMEX) is an outstanding leader in customer service and customer relationship management (CRM).

Just last month, the company, which is an ATG Live Help customer, was named a winner of the coveted 2010 Forrester Research Voice Of The Customer Awards. Harley Manning, vice president and research director of Forrester Research, said, “The quality of this year’s nominees is evidence that voice of the customer programs are advancing rapidly … The best VoC programs demonstrate that executive involvement, measurement, and insights that are tied directly to action are critical to customer experience success.”

In addition, AMEX today unveiled the results of its American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. The study surveyed 1,000 U.S. consumers in April and its findings were just shared in 1to1 Media’s “Think Customers: The 1to1 Blog.”

Here are some of the highlights:

• 28 percent of respondents said that companies are now paying less attention to good service, even though 61 percent of those consumers said quality customer service is more important to them than ever
• 91 percent of Americans consider the level of customer service important when deciding to do business with a company
• The three most influential factors that help consumers decide which companies they do business with include personal service (98 percent), a company’s reputation or brand (92 percent), and recommendations from family and friends (88 percent)
• 81 percent have decided never to do business again with a company because of poor service

Jim Bush, executive vice president of world service at American Express, said, “Many consumers say companies haven’t done enough to improve their approach to service in this economy, and yet it’s clear they’re willing to spend more with those that deliver excellent service, suggesting substantial growth opportunities for businesses that get customer service right.”

We couldn’t agree more, Mr. Bush. Congrats to you and your team on receiving one of this year’s Voice Of The Customer Awards and thank you for sharing the results of this insightful study!

With the proliferation of smart phone usage, more and more consumers are using their mobile devices to browse product and pricing information to inform in-store purchase decisions – while they’re standing in the aisles.

According to new research from eMarketer, smart phones are enhancing consumers’ in-store shopping experiences by giving them a vehicle to price compare with other nearby retailers, scout out online discounts, and read product reviews, among other activities.

We all have faced the mental “I wonder if” trivia game when shopping in-store: “I wonder if this shirt comes in a different color,” “I wonder if there is a coupon for this retailer,” or “I wonder if this product has gotten good reviews.”

Mobile in-store shopping provides immediate answers to the “I wonder ifs” and can instantaneously influence purchase decisions.

When developing your cross-channel strategy, think broadly and incorporate in-store mobile marketing into the mix. Remember, each shopping channel isn’t siloed. Customers are integrating them and using them all to assist their buying process.