Shep Hyken's Blog, page 183

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of September 5, 2016

Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

Create Great Customer Experiences with These Three Principles by Opinurte Team

(Opinurate) Matt Watkinson has worked with some of the biggest businesses in the world on customer experience strategy, service design, websites and mobile apps. His book has been described by Forrester Research as a fundamental must read for CX professionals with well reasoned conceptual theory and pragmatic examples that include rich case studies.

My Comment: This article has three very simple, yet powerful concepts to help improve any company’s customer experience. I’m especially partial to number three, which is to “Reduce Effort.” The frictionless experience, as I like to call it, is more and more important. Ease of doing business is a competitive advantage.

5 Hospitality Customer Service Habits – Warm & Welcoming by Rupesh Patel

(LinkedIn) In this article, I share five ways you and your hospitality team can offer more memorable welcomes, that your guests will love (and what to avoid saying). Incorporating these five habits into your daily life can also make you a highly valuable and productive person.

My Comment: This article is filled with information. While the author shares five concepts, underneath each one there is a list of how to deliver on each of them. I especially like number two, which focuses on the words you use that do and do not work. You will definitely want to share ideas from this article with your team.

This Magical DMV Serves Cupcakes and Is Winning at Customer Service by Eliza Murphy

(ABC NEWS) Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a horrendous DMV experience. Well, the customers at the Holly Springs DMV in North Carolina certainly can’t relate.

My Comment: When you think of the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicle), you don’t always think of stellar customer service. However, this DMV in North Carolina is raising the customer service bar, not just for other DMV’s, but for any business. Talk about delivering customer amazement!

Premium Customer Care from Premium Employees by Amanda Wilks

(Switch & Shift) Recent studies show that customers abandon their favorite brands because they lack quality customer service. So it’s high time the customer care team was properly taking care of and here are the 5 best ways to do that.

My Comment: If you treat the employees right and give them the tools they need to get the job done, they will be more engaged and be better equipped to take care of their customers. It may seem like I’m stating the obvious, but unfortunately, the obvious isn’t always as common as it should be.

Customer Service is Dead… Welcome to the Customer Experience by Jeffrey Hayzlett

(Salesforce) The customer service industry is as old as time, but it’s an industry that has had to evolve in order to target a more diverse clientele and their demands for better, more personalized, service. Change is inevitable in business and no matter how much we like to think we’re prepared for it, we need to constantly pay attention to new trends and new ways of doing things.

My Comment: Very catchy title. No, customer service is not dead. It is just wrapped up in the concept of customer experience. Jeffrey Hayzlett shares his thoughts on this topic and reinforces the importance of looking at the entire experience, not just the one-to-one service experience.

Comcast Tops the Customer Service Wall of Shame While Amazon Shines in the Hall of Fame by Maria Minsker

(Smart Customer Service) In a study by equity insight and analytics provider 24/7 Wall Street and research company Zogby Analytics, Comcast was named one of the worst performers in customer service, while Amazon was named the best. More than 1,500 Americans were asked to evaluate companies across 17 industries.

My Comment: This is a “bonus article.” It includes a list of the best and worst customer service companies. Nothing on the lists surprises me. The best keep getting better and the worst, while making some improvement, still lag. I was honored to share some comments about the survey findings throughout the article. Interesting update on the state of customer service.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com . For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com . Follow on Twitter: @Hyken 

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Guest Blog: Customer Service Leadership – Using VUCA Leadership Principles

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, John Smart, explains the leadership term VUCA and how it can relate to customer service. – Shep Hyken

In a previous article I described the difference between customer management and customer leadership. In this article I will explain further about the application of customer leadership and how we can utilize current leadership thinking to take us to the next stage.

In today’s ever competing and very rapidly changing market place the impact of excellent customer service has never been more important. With a global market, the internet of things and virtual purchasing, the world is a very different place.

In modern leadership jargon, a term that is showing up constantly to highlight the fast-paced, changing environment that we now live in is – VUCA.

The term VUCA began in the 1990s and it is derived from an acronym used in the strategic American military academies following the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Cold War. It has been subsequently used in emerging ideas in strategic business leadership that apply to a wide range of organizations. As the predictability of the Cold War (known enemy, strength, tactics, etc.) gave way to an unsure and unstable world, this is also reflected in the business world where market fluctuations, economic drivers, and global issues started to emerge. So, business leaders soon caught on to the concept to describe the new emerging world – and the ‘solution strategy’ that accompanies it.

Understanding VUCA Leadership and applying this to your Customer Service Leadership ‘tool-kit’ will help you lead your team in this ever-changing world.

The general descriptors for each letters of the acronym are:

V = Volatility. This highlights the nature and dynamics of change, and the nature and speed of change, the change forces as well as change catalysts.


U = Uncertainty. Describes the lack of predictability, the prospects for surprise, the sense of awareness and understanding of issues and events.


C = Complexity. Amplifies the increased diversity, range of choices and options now open to us, the rapid multiplex of technological advances, confounding of issues, the chaos and confusion that surround us.


A = Ambiguity. Is used to describe the haziness of reality, the potential for misreads and misinformation, and the mixed meanings of conditions; cause-and-effect confusion.

In today’s world these aspects of volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity are sometimes now seen as the ‘norm’ in the business environment.

To address VUCA, the ‘solution strategy’ is to change the words and address the problem. As an example, you need to change:

Volatility – to – Vision: to do this you need to –

Be able to communicate effectively, which involves targeted communication, communicating a sense of purpose and lead people towards the vision.
Be focused, ensure you and your team’s efforts are aligned and focused on the right goal.
Provide the direction, articulate the end game, so it’s clear to all.

Uncertainty – to – Understanding: to do this you need to –

Not be afraid to ask questions (clarify), both of your team and your customers.
Understand your team/your customers’ motives, their hopes fears and desires.
Develop an open mind, both within yourself and your team to explore new ideas, always seek feedback to review and reflect on actions.

Complexity – to – Clarity: to do this you need to –

Keep it simple (KISS), cut through the complexity and deal with the core issues.
Rely more on intuition, to trust gut instinct and experience to cancel out the unnecessary.
Communicate succinctly, with structure and with reason.

Ambiguity to Agility: to do this you need to –

Be decisive, adapt quickly to changing circumstances and make decisions with confidence.
Adapt, innovate or die, learn from mistakes, continuously seek new ways to get better at what you and your team do.
Empower your people, cut out unnecessary bureaucratic processes that are blockers, develop clear communication channels, utilise collaboration over control – and set people free to do great work.

Applying the ‘solutions strategy’ to VUCA will help you lead your Customer Service team through times of rapid change – which is becoming the norm in everyday business life. By adopting this methodology to enhance your leadership skills you will ensure that you, and your team, will be better equipped to face the challenges of the modern world.

John Smart is a development consultant, running his own consultancy. He has held senior management positions gained in Consultancy, SMEs and FTSE 100 companies, within a diverse array of industries. He is the author of PROUD – Achieving Customer Service Excellence.

For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com .

Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article: Bad Customer Service Costs Businesses Billions Of Dollars

 

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Why Must I Repeat Myself Again and Again?

Customer Support

Have you ever called a company’s phone support number, talk to their customer service rep, have that rep transfer you to another person, only to have to repeat the story all over again? It gets even worse when you get transferred or call back a third or fourth time.

How about when you dial the company’s support number and the automated prompt asks you to put in your customer number. Then the customer support rep comes on and the first thing he or she asks you is, “What’s your customer number?”

One question came to mind… Why?

Why did she ask for my account or customer number? I just entered it into their system before I was transferred to her. This is a waste of valuable time for both the customer and the company.

Just yesterday I called Headsets.com. They are the company that sells, you guessed it, telephone headsets. I had an issue with a headset they had sold me. I Googled the company name, clicked on the link to their website, immediately spotted the phone number, dialed it and within a few rings and a very short wait, I was on the phone with a customer support representative. She told me that from the phone number she has on her caller ID, she could see that I was from Shepard Presentations in St. Louis, MO and she had my account up on her screen. She asked who she was speaking to. I told her, and she immediately went to work on solving my problem. It couldn’t have been easier and a more efficient use of both of our time.

What she didn’t do was ask was for my customer number, my social security number, the name of my first born child and my grandmother’s maiden name.

So maybe the people at Headsets.com aren’t dealing with sensitive information like a bank or insurance company, but the point is once you have given any information to a customer support rep, you shouldn’t have to repeat it again.

There are plenty of great customer relationship management programs that give customer service reps the ability to log in a problem, question, complaint, comment, etc. so that the next person doesn’t have to ask the customer to repeat the story. There are also programs that have security features to protect against fraud. Some programs use voice print technology to match the customer’s voice to their account.

It’s inconvenient for the customer to have to repeat their story, and it only makes him more frustrated, if not angry. And as mentioned, it is a waste time for the support representative to have to listen to a story that’s already been told. If time is money, and it is, then that wasted time over a number of calls, can add up to a big number.

So stop wasting both your and your customer’s time. It will save you money and give your customer a better experience. That’s a winning combination!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXVI, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: Adam Toporek

Adam Toporek Shares Tips and Ideas on

How to Be Your Customer’s Hero

Shep Hyken speaks with fellow customer service expert, keynote speaker, and author, Adam Toporek. They discuss Adam’s new book, “Be Your Customer’s Hero: Real World Tips & Techniques for the Service Front Lines.” In addition, Adam shares seven service triggers that can ruin the customer’s experience and the importance of avoiding them. So, if you want to be your customer’s hero, don’t miss this episode of Amazing Business Radio.

Click here to listen and subscribe to Amazing Business Radio on iTunes.

“Every department needs to realize that they impact the customer journey.” – Adam Toporek

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of August 29, 2016

Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

5 Smart Contact Center Strategies Designed to Improve the Customer Experience by Pam Bednarczyk

(ShoreTel) Rising customer expectations and changing delivery preferences are forcing many companies to revisit their contact center processes. As a result, many are also rethinking the communications technologies that support those processes. If you’re looking to improve service delivery and stand out from the competition, below are five areas where contact center communications solutions can help.

My Comment: Customers want an easy and frictionless experience, especially when they have to connect with a company’s call or support center. In this short article, Mike Cannova, the director of Advance Customer Care for ShoreTel, shares five important strategies and processes to create a better customer experience.

This Company Rakes in Millions and Still Handwrites Thank-Yous Every Day by Lydia Belanger

(Entrepreneur) Kuiu sells high-end apparel and equipment designed for fit hunters who are serious about their sport. Its clientele travel to remote locales such as the Arctic Circle and need to stay comfortable, dry and, most important, alive. The 5-year-old company, which has few peers in the market, is on track to do $50 million in sales this year.

My Comment: This interesting article is actually a case study of a successful company and how they connect with their customers. Kui is a hunting gear company that has a customer focused culture. Learn how they mix the latest customer service and business strategies with some good old fashion tactics – like handwritten thank you notes!

The Future of Customer Loyalty is Flexibility by Jim Tierney

(Loyalty360) Loyalty marketers everywhere would like to know what the future holds. As technology changes, seemingly, at the speed of light, loyalty marketers want to focus on what’s coming next.

My Comment: This article is actually an interview with Christopher Barnard, President at Points.com. He gets loyalty and he shares several important trends to consider. He talks about the importance of flexibility, the proper use of data, the concept of journey mapping and more.

The Ultimate New Promoter Score by CustomerGauge

(CustomerGauge) Ever wonder how your New Promoter Score and overall customer experience compares to some of the biggest names in your industry? Here’s a great opportunity to find out!

My Comment: If you’ve been following my work, you know that I am a big fan of NPS (Net Promoter Score). This is actually an infographic and is filled with interesting stats and facts, including lists of the best in class, broken down by industry. I found it interesting how some of the high scores in one industry compared to other high scores in another. For example, the high NPS score in manufacturing was much higher than the leader in travel or hospitality.

The Definition of Good Customer Service by Jacob Firuta

(LiveChat) You make your own luck in customer service. If you want to tip the scales in your favor and produce good customer service results, see what skills, attitude and metrics you should follow.

My Comment: This article is excellent. While I thought that I was simply getting a definition of customer service, it turned out to be much more. There’s a lot of ideas that include hiring tips, attitude, the importance of speed and many other strategies and tactics about how to deliver a strong customer service experience.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com . For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com . Follow on Twitter: @Hyken 

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Guest Blog: Myths Busted: Great Customer Service Starts Here

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Doug Sandler, busts some popular customer service myths. I am a big advocate of the policies and procedures myth! Arming employees with knowledge and training is key. – Shep Hyken

I’m a fan of the Discovery series called MythBusters. Every episode Jamie and Adam (et al.) work to prove or debunk a myth (or myths) through a series of experiments involving trial and error, advanced exploration and communication. What fascinates me is the high relatability factor of the myths they present. It may be a statement of the obvious, but this is why they became myths in the first place. With customer service being my focus, I explored the myths believed to be most prolific in a wide variety of industries for companies big and small and developed a hit list of five myths related to providing great customer service. Following each myth I provide additional insight, personal observations or explanations for common misconceptions.

MYTH – Great customer service starts with understanding the customer is always right.

BUSTED – Companies that score extremely high marks in customer service go well beyond the philosophy of “ the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, the customer may always think he is right, but in reality, that just isn’t the case. It’s the perception of being right that draws the customer back to a company’s brand to solve a problem, make a demand or request a response. Regardless of whether the customer is right or wrong it is extremely important to acknowledge the query, to be open to the dialogue exchange (face-to-face, phone, email or social), to not get defensive, and to have a clear understanding that although the customer is not always right, being human and understanding their perspective will go far with every exchange.

MYTH – Great customer service is about being quick to resolve problems.

BUSTED- It’s about great communication. Everything starts with communication. Do not wait until you have all of your solutions lined up, neat in a row and presenting your findings to your customer. Great customer service is about keeping your customer in the loop, staying open and being honest with your communication. Some problems take awhile to resolve, and that is the reality of problems, especially problems that are unique. I can recall a problem I had traveling with Southwest Air from Baltimore to Seattle. The Southwest gate employee explained there was a delay due to not having a complete crew. Rather than leaving it at that, she explained (over the microphone) that the crew scheduled for our flight was flying in from the midwest had a delay, but was about 30 minutes from arrival. As time drew closer, she continue to update us every 5-10 minutes. As we got closer and closer to the time for the crew’s arrival she started to tell us a bit about her experience with these specific crew members. Finally, when the team arrived, we (the waiting passengers) felt like we knew them. We actually applauded for them when they arrived, excited to meet these famed crew members. Although the problem took longer than expected to resolve, Southwest kept the communication open and honest. They took a problem and made it part of a positive experience that I will remember for years to come.

“The most important thing for every human is to be heard, effective customer service is letting your client know you hear them and will therefore do your best to help them.”

~Shirley Impellizzeri, Ph.D., QME

MYTH – Great customer service is about being responsive to customers.

BUSTED – Silence is the customer service killer. I’m talking about customer silence. Over 70% of clients that have a problem or question will not call, post or reach out to your company for information or resolution. Exemplary customer service is about being proactive and reaching out to your customers to find out how their experience has been with your brand. Don’t assume because you do not get a complaint or questions from your customers that all is ok. The philosophy of “don’t stir the pot,” is like putting your head in the sand. A silent customer is not always a happy customer. Routinely reach out to your customers on a variety of channels to see how their experience has been with your brand. This can be a double edged sword. Don’t try to be on every channel unless you plan on having the manpower to be visible on every channel. If you do encounter a problem while communicating in a public space like social media, don’t be so quick to take it private. People are watching your every move. Here’s your opportunity to really shine so don’t go on the defensive. Work the situation to your advantage and the public forum you used to resolve your problem will become your stage for problem resolution.

MYTH – Great customer service is about putting the customer first. 

BUSTED – Great service starts with happy employees. A management team that leads from the top down, putting the customer first and having little consideration for their front line has sadly misaligned priorities. A company that puts their employees first, creating a positive work environment, encouraging a positive, happy culture and designing programs that are “employee-centric” will also be putting the customer first. Companies that place importance on employee’s feelings will create staff that are happy and take more ownership in customers’ feelings as well. If you create an environment where you say the customer always comes first, you may be establishing an adversarial relationship between the customer and the employee.  If the customer wins the employee loses. More money spent on the customer is less money spent on the employee. If however, you put the employee first, making them happy, everyone wins, including the customer, the employee and your company. Winning companies, through action, that show the employee comes first (empowerment programs, better training, creative incentives, great work environment), will be rewarded with employees providing great customer service.

“Excellent service is putting your employees first and building a culture that has them putting the customer first.”

~ Micha Mikailian

MYTH – Great customer service starts with having a governing set of policies and procedures specifically establishing how your company should respond to customers.

BUSTED – While having specific policies established to address customer needs is a good start, empowering your employees to make decision is crucial in providing exemplary service. Emphasize philosophy over specific tactics when engaging customers, getting to know their needs. Management that says they empower their employees yet doesn’t provide enough decision making power to them is putting on a stage show complete with ventriloquist and dummy. I regularly consult with companies, associations and organizations that claim they give their employees power to make decisions but in reality pull the plug when they have an issue with decisions made. It’s important, just like a parent raising a child, you give guidelines to your staff, but that you let them experiment and let them fail (or succeed) on their own. If you have provided proper training, they will recover, handle the issue and most importantly, they will have learned a lesson. Keeping a rigid set of policies and procedures is no better than having a robot on the other side of customer communication. There is no place for robots in customer service if your customer is a human. Human beings have feelings, emotions and needs that do not fit neatly in a policy manual.

Have a myth that you want proven or debunked, please reach out in the comments section below. I have a FREE e-book being released –  Providing World Class Customer Service:  Can’t Miss Steps to Creating A Great Experience. If you would like to get an advanced copy of the e-book, click the box below and I will send an email to you along with bonus input from over twenty industry experts on the “how-to’s” for great customer service. Link to Reserve FREE eBook

Doug Sandler, aka Mr. Nice Guy, created Nice Guys Finish First in an environment where too often people accept average as the norm when it comes to customer service; and way too often companies accept average from their sales and customer service departments.  Doug is a speaker, author and blogger specializing in exceeding service expectations and he can prove to you why nice guys (and girls) finish first.

For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com .

Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article: Recent Airline Service Debacles Remind Us: Communication Is Key

 

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We Can’t Do That

Customer Service Training

It happens all of the time. A customer makes some kind of special request. It’s not that it is all that special. It’s just not the norm. And, the first response from the employee is, “We can’t do that.”

My wife knows that I love pesto sauce. There is a restaurant in our area that has a delicious meal with pesto. However, their pesto is a creamy pesto sauce. We found out they make regular sauce and just add the cream to it before mixing it into the dish.  So, one day my wife asks if they can leave out the cream. Their response, “Absolutely. Happy to do it.”

So, we’ve been ordering lunch from them, probably once or twice a month, for over a year. They have always been accommodating. Until today. When my wife placed the order for the pesto without cream, she heard those ugly four words: “We can’t do that.”

My wife’s response was, “We order it this way all of the time.” After putting her on hold for several minutes, the employee came back on and said, that they would do it. A happy ending, but still a flawed service experience.

What happened was that this was a fairly new employee. She had been trained to take an order, but not to be flexible and consider accommodating special requests.

What should have happened instead? Other than more training about the menu items, at least train the employee on how to respond when he or she doesn’t know what to do. Don’t just assume the answer is no and tell the customer, “We can’t do that.” Instead, ask the customer to hold a moment. Ask someone else, in this instance the manager or even the chef, and come back on and say, “Happy to do it. By the way, thanks for your patience. I’m fairly new and still learning.”

And, that is for the first time that the request is made. From that point forward, the employee now knows they can make pesto sauce without the cream. She (or he) should never have to put a customer on hold and ask that question again.

The lesson is simple: Teach employees to avoid the dreaded phrase, “We can’t (or won’t) do that.” And if an employee truly can’t do something, teach him or her how to properly break the news to the customer. There aren’t that many reasons to say “no” to a customer. You can be out of an item. It’s something you don’t do. It can be illegal, and you don’t want to break the law. Or, it can even be an unreasonable request that can’t be met.

Regardless of the reason, there are many things you can say instead of, “We can’t do that.”  Imagine we asked for pesto sauce, with or without the cream, and the restaurant happened to be out of it – or never even had it on the menu at all. Rather than, “We can’t or won’t do that,” the employee could say, “We’re out of pesto sauce. I’m sorry about that, but you may love our marinara or meat sauce. Would you like to try that today?”

Now doesn’t that sound a lot better than, “We can’t do that”?

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXVI, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: James Gilmore

Jim Gilmore Shares Tips from His Latest Book,

“Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills”

Shep Hyken speaks with James Gilmore, co-author of, “The Experience Economy,” one of the best business books of all-time. In this episode of Amazing Business Radio, Shep talks to Jim about his latest book, “Look: A Practical Guide for Improving Your Observational Skills.” Jim shares tips on improving your observational skills and how to gain different perspectives that will help you become more successful at work – and especially with what you do for your customers. You don’t want to miss Jim’s amazing insights!





Click here to listen and subscribe to Amazing Business Radio on iTunes.

“The actions you take are based on the thoughts you have, and the thoughts you have are based on what you see happening in the world.” – Jim Gilmore

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of August 22, 2016

Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

45 Ways to Improve Your Customer Churn Rate by Dev Tandon

(TheKiniGroup) Here are 45 different ways for your team to reduce churn, at every step of the customer management process.

My Comment: Losing customers is obviously not a good business strategy. This article lists 45 ways to push down your “customer churn rate.” There is something here for any and every type of business. You’ll find ideas that can be implemented almost immediately and some that will take time.  Keep this article nearby and refer to it often.

Customer Retention: 50 Tools to Build the Perfect Customer Experience by Ty Magnin

(Appcues) We’re here to break down 50 of the best customer retention tools around and tell you what makes them special, so that you can choose the best ones for your business.

My Comment: How can you increase customer retention? Read this article. It’s more than a list of ways to boost customer loyalty. This is a list of tools, apps, etc. that will help you do so. I recognize a lot of these apps and look forward to learning about the ones I’ve not heard about before.

Exceeding Customer Expectations Is Nice but Not Necessary by Adam Toperek

(CTS Service Solutions) Let me say it here once and for all: You do not have to exceed customer expectations to deliver great service.

My Comment: Adam Toporek is an author, blogger and all round good guy. In this article he covers why exceeding expectations (an over-the-top customer experience) is not always necessary.

How to Cater to Your Online Customers’ Needs by Methma Atapattu

(Business2Commuity) It is needless to say that an online shopper is different from an offline shopper in various ways. As an online marketer, it is vital that you are aware of what makes online customers different from offline customers, and how to cater to them.

My Comment: As more businesses shift to an online presence (unless they started there), this article will give you some good insight to what customers want and expect.

Listen to Your Employees, Not Just Your Customer by Beth Benjamin

(Harvard Business Review) In 2014, Michael Callahan, then head of customer experience at Hulu, had a mystery on his hands. When the big video streaming service surveyed customers who renewed subscriptions, it discovered, paradoxically, that some customers stayed with Hulu even when they didn’t necessarily have a positive perception of the brand overall.

My Comment: Don’t just listen to your customers, listen to your employees as well. When it comes to delivering an excellent customer experience, just asking the customer for feedback isn’t enough. As this article adeptly points out, asking employees can give you great insight.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com . For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com . Follow on Twitter: @Hyken 

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Guest Blog: How Small Software Companies Can Provide Awesome Customer Support Without Going 24/7

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Jack Plantin, writes about the importance of customer support and options we can offer for around the clock support. He shares some excellent self-help ideas. – Shep Hyken

24/7 customer support is great to have, but it can expensive and time-consuming for small companies. Here are a couple ways to make your customers happy, while being lean on resources.

If you are a founder of a small software startup, you know how difficult it is to budget in extra money for customer support help. With all of the cash tied into product development and marketing, it’s hard to provide the standard of customer support that you want.

While some founders think it’s 100% necessary to provide customer support at all hours of the day… I’m here to tell you that there are other ways to make your customers happy, while sticking to your normal 9-5 schedule.

Set Clear Expectations Early On

This is true for small or large organizations, but it’s critical for small ones.

Many small companies I’ve worked for put statements on their contact forms that say “expect a 24-hour response time” and longer on the weekends. This works well to keep multiple emails from coming in too often.

When you set these kind of expectations for customer support, it’s even more crucial to keep your word and get back to them within the promised window. If you don’t keep up your end of the deal, you’re inviting waves of hate email.

Basically:

If you say 24 hours, you’d better reply within 24 hours!

Replying sooner makes customers happy… replying and answering their issue completely within that window makes them ecstatic and a real advocate for your company. Strive to hit the latter as often as you can, with the fallback being the first one.

As a small company, you’re actually put at an unusual advantage of having lower customer expectations for support.

Think about the last time you’ve contacted a small company’s customer support. You hope deep down in your heart for a super speedy response, but realistically you know you could be waiting for days.

Counter and exceed these low expectations by being super responsive and keeping your promises.

Create Self Help Resources ASAP

This one is great because it requires very little manpower.

Like I’ve mentioned above:

Most customers don’t expect immediate help, but they do appreciate being able to find the answers to their own questions.

This is exactly why you should setup some form of self-help resources on your website as soon as possible. Below are 3 examples of great self-help resources that we’ve seen many companies (small and big) use.

Video tutorials

A company that does video tutorials very well is MacPhun Software. MacPhun offers photo-editing software that may be a little confusing to use for the novice photographer.

With the help of extensive video tutorials, MacPhun has been able to provide users with step-by-step tutorials on how to use their product without the need for coaching over the phone.

FAQ Databases

A couple companies that are known for their extensive database of FAQ articles are companies like WordPress and HostGator. Of course massive companies like this have more than enough manpower to create their own databases.

For small software companies, many help desk softwares like Zendesk or Groove allow you to do this very easily on your own.

As we’ve seen with many of our clients, creating an FAQ early on can help cut down customer support emails and calls drastically.

Community Forums

Community forums are a great resource for collecting common customer issues, cataloging them, and updating your FAQ database.

By assigning one of your employees to moderate your community forums, you can have a goldmine of new questions to add to your FAQ and another platform to provide help.

Spotify has done a great job of establishing a place where all users can ask questions or voice their concerns.

For smaller companies, there are some great WordPress plugins and software’s for creating online communities on your website like vBulletin, bbPress (by WordPress), and Vanilla Forums.

Sometimes It’s Not That Easy

Setting clear expectations and creating self-help resources is something every company needs to do, not just small software companies

But:

For certain products that are crucial to business function like web-hosting software, e-commerce, POS software, etc. it’s necessary to have some form of 24/7 support to make sure your customers can have the help they need in case of emergencies.

In this case there are some affordable options to providing support on all time zones such as:

Graveyard shifts

Hiring customer support employees with the sole task of taking care of support during off-hours is a perfectly feasible way to have immediate responses 24/7.

Virtual assistants

Hiring virtual assistants is a great and affordable way to provide support on all time zones.

Call centers

Hiring a firm that specializes in customer support is also a good option to provide 24/7 support without the stress of management.

Good luck everybody on your customer support journey!

Jack is a Minnesota native currently leading content marketing and customer acquisition at SupportYourApp in Kyiv, Ukraine. He writes about everything from customer support to startup growth on the SupportYourApp Blog.  SupportYourApp provides outsourced customer support solutions for Apple, Windows, and IoT software startups. Learn more by reaching out here.

For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com .

Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article: Customer Service Lessons To Learn From The Banking Industry

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