Shep Hyken's Blog, page 195

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of February 8, 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.

3 Key Reasons Why Seamless Customer Experiences Influence Your Brand Image by Sven-Olof Husmark, M.Sc.
(Customer Think) For 90% of customers, one bad experience is all it takes for them to decide to abandon a brand. There is no question – we are living in the Age of the Consumer. As Forrester has observed, “the only sustainable competitive advantage is knowledge of and engagement of customers.” Fortunately, the tools exist for both of these imperatives. 

My Comment: Simplicity, efficiency and making the customer feel special… Three simple, but powerful concepts that make for a good “seamless” customer experience.  I think that most customers would agree!

6 Customer Service Facts for Every Business…you won’t be successful without them. by Steve DiGioia(Steve DiGioia) After all the money is spent, the seminars are attended and advice books read, what’s left?  Nothing more than real-world actionable “standards of a successful business” that are applicable to any industry.

My Comment: The title of this article indicates that these are six customer service “facts” for every business. I would call these “non-negotiable” tactics and strategies that every business should consider. These are simple reminders of what every business must do.

The Expert View: Top CX Trend for 2016 by marketforce(marketforce) With an exciting new year in customer experience dawning, we asked some of our experts for their top picks for CX trends in 2016.

My Comment: Seven experts weigh in with some short “predictions” on what the key trends and developments in CX are going to look like in 2016. (I’m honored to be included in this article).

2016: The Year of Customer Experience by Katy Keim

(Social Times) We need to set our sights not only on creating the best possible experience for our customers, but also, and more importantly, on helping to make their lives better through the products or services we offer. To accomplish this, we must be the eyes and ears of our customers — all the time.

My Comment: This short article will make you think about the trends in CX. Based on everyone trying to figure out how to take their CX to another level using digital, social, etc., one of my favorite lines in the article is this: “Old” does not mean “wrong.” Change is good, but sometimes no change is good.

I love you so much, I just couldn’t imagine living without you! by Craig McVoy

(Consort) At Consort we help companies to become ‘Love Brands’ by shaping their experience using our simple 7 step process. So let me give you a quick insight into those 7 steps to becoming a brand you just couldn’t live without!

My Comment: With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, I thought this would be an appropriate article to include in our “Top Five” roundup of great customer service and customer experience articles. Simple ideas that make sense.

Shep Hyken is a customer serv ice 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: Active Listening is the Key to a Successful Customer Experience

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague Richard R. Shapiro, talks about a skill that is crucial to a successful customer experience and increased loyalty, active listening. Pay attention to what customers are saying.  Take advantage of what you are seeing and hearing and then use what you’ve learned to surprise your customers with amazing and exceptional customer service. – Shep Hyken

One of the most useful business courses I ever took was about the practice of active listening. At the start of any conversation, active listening helps build a human connection by listening for, recognizing, and then acknowledging the other person’s underlying emotions.

Every individual who visits your store, contacts your call center, clicks on your website, or sends you an e-mail is in a specific emotional state at that moment. In order to build a human connection and bond, listen carefully and respond to that emotion before addressing the actual reason the customer has come to you.

For example, if someone is calling customer support because a new gadget isn’t working properly, that customer is likely to be annoyed or frustrated. The representative might say, “Mrs. Smith, I understand you are frustrated. Let’s see how I can help resolve this problem.” Once you’ve assured Mrs. Smith that you appreciate how she is feeling, a foundation has been laid for further conversation. Even if her problem is one that can’t be immediately remedied, she is much more likely to be grateful for your attempt to help, simply because you’ve acknowledged how she feels. If the representative misses the mark and identifies the wrong emotion, active listening will get you points for trying. Mrs. Smith will be quick to say, “No, I’m not angry. I’m just really annoyed.” Your interest in her emotional state gives room to respond, “Well, I’m very sorry you’re annoyed and probably disappointed. Let’s see what I can do to help you.” Active and present interest in her emotional well-being allows the conversation to continue.

The important thing to remember is this: it’s not enough to offer your full attention—the customer must feel it.

That is the definition of active listening and what it can achieve. When a customer’s underlying emotion is identified right off the bat, it is reassuring that he or she is seen as a person first and a customer second. A crucial step has been taken toward establishing trust through a meaningful dialogue.

In addition to demonstrating your active listening skills by acknowledging the customer’s emotions, you should also listen for key phrases that allow you to connect better with them. These include:

“This is my first time in your store.”
“I just moved into the neighborhood.”
“My friend suggested I might like your merchandise.”
“I have never used your website before.”
“This is the first time I’m calling your contact center.”

If you want to test your employees’ listening skills, these are the phrases that should always elicit a response appealing to the customer’s emotional state of mind. A representative who ignores the cue and doesn’t say, “Welcome to the neighborhood! “What brings you here today?” or “I understand this is the first time you are calling us; what can I do to help you?” has failed to show interest in the customer as a person and will likely also fail to develop any bonds that create loyal customers.

It’s nice to be in business, but it’s better to stay in business. The secret sauce is to create and build long term relationships in a brick, click or phone culture that keeps customers coming back forever. Each customer experience should demonstrate active listening skills that make the customer feel in control. This is a necessary step in the journey to sustain long term business growth.

If you’re interesting in developing a road map for long term loyalty, start here by downloading a free chapter of to The Endangered Customer: 8 Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business.

Richard R. Shapiro is Founder and President of The Center For Client Retention (TCFCR) and a leading authority in the area of customer satisfaction and loyalty.  For 27 years, Richard has spearheaded the research conducted with thousands of customers from Fortune 100 and 500 companies amassing the ingredients of customer loyalty and what drives repeat business.  His first book was The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business and The Endangered Customer: 8 Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business, is available on February 1

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article:

Top Ten Business Books From 2015

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Southwest Airlines Gives Us Another Lesson in Customer Loyalty

An Amazing Experience

My daughter came home from school to visit us over a recent holiday. She was flying on Southwest Airlines and checked a piece of luggage. When the suitcase showed up on the luggage carousel, we noticed the handle was damaged. Bummer! I’ve been through this before.

Not happy, I walked into the Southwest office. What I expected was a long line, followed by a less-than-enthusiastic employee, extensive paperwork to fill out, and then who knows how long it would take to get the luggage repaired. However, I was pleasantly surprised. After all, this was Southwest Airlines.

What I encountered was the opposite of what I expected. Only one person was ahead of me, and the Southwest employee had a great attitude. When it was finally my turn, just a minute or two later, I was given a choice. I could fill out some paperwork and arrange to have my luggage repaired, or Southwest would replace my luggage with a brand new piece; immediately – on the spot.

I wasn’t sure I heard the gentleman correctly. So, he took me into a room that was filled with all types of new luggage. He said to pick out the one that closely resembled my broken luggage. I did, and after a very short amount of paperwork to acknowledge the exchange, it was just a matter of transferring my daughter’s belongings into the new luggage before heading home.

This was an unexpected and amazing experience. What started out as a Moment of Misery™ turned into my favorite customer service experience: a Moment of Magic®. I’ve only had my luggage damaged twice in over thirty years of travel, and both times were far different than this recent hassle-free experience. I remember on both occasions, two somewhat apathetic employees (obviously not Southwest employees) who were just going through the motions of taking care of me as I filled out paperwork telling me who to take my luggage to and how to get reimbursed. Once again, Southwest Airlines figured it out.

There are at least a couple of lessons we can learn from this story:

First, Southwest Airlines has a reputation for being a friendly airline – perhaps the friendliest airline in the US. Competitive prices, free checked luggage, and friendly employees are what they are known for. It’s easy to be great when things go well. It’s when things don’t go well that can make or break a reputation. That’s when a good system has to be in place. That system, along with properly trained employees, can be the difference between losing and retaining a loyal customer.

Second, ideally, doing business with any company should be a hassle-free experience. Unfortunately, the airlines are subject to a number of potential problems, some of which are out of their control, such as weather or heavy air-traffic. But, some problems are in their control. In the case of damaged luggage, Southwest Airlines stepped up and took ownership of the problem. They know it’s going to happen, so as part of their system, they created the most customer-focused solution they could come up with.

I’ve written and talked about this before. Southwest Airlines may not be the airline for everyone, and they admit this. Some may not like their numbered boarding pass system that doesn’t allow for reserved seats. Some may not like that they don’t have meal service. But, Southwest is very clear about what they offer. It’s their brand promise. Simply put, the Southwest Airlines mission “is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.” They typically deliver on that promise. That’s what’s earned them intensely loyal customers. Nobody is perfect, but if more companies were as customer-focused as Southwest Airlines, I think we, as customers, would all be happier.

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: Tom Eggemeier

Tom Eggemeier Shares Tips About Doing Business Internationally

Shep Hyken discusses business etiquette and the cultural differences of doing international business with Tom Eggemeier, President of Genesys, a customer experience software company, specializing in creating great customer service experiences. Doing business internationally can sometimes be tricky. Listen to Tom share some of his experiences and tips on how to conduct business internationally. After all, with the Internet, the world has become a much smaller place.

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

“Embrace the different culture, don’t think it’s strange, respect it, understand it, go with the flow.” – Tom Eggemeier

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of February 1, 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.

The 4 Most Important Customer Experience Metrics by Duff Anderson

(iPerceptions) Four of the most widely leveraged and useful customer experience metrics are Satisfaction, Net Promoter® Score, Visitor Intent, and Task Completion. In this post, I will share my 20+ years of hands on experience using these key metrics and the best ways to implement them to ensure accurate and consistent results.

My Comment: This is an excellent article on how to measure CX. The author focuses on three measurements that are worthy of consideration for just about any business; overall satisfaction, NPS, intent.

4 Must-Read Stats on the State of Customer Support in 2016 [New Research] by Jamie Edwards

(Kayako) The Customer Support State of the Profession Report 2016 surveyed 116 individuals, with respondents ranging from support agents to VPs of support and CEOs. The customer support profession is extremely varied in terms of salary, team sizes and responsibilities, which indicates that the support industry is evolving and changing regularly.

My Comment: This is an excellent white paper from Kayako on the state of the customer support profession. (It’s free, but you’ll have to sign up to receive it.) There are some stats and facts related to salaries, tenure, job satisfaction and challenges. It gets technical at times, but if you’re involved in customer support, you will want to read this.

Five ways to innovate retail customer service in 2016 by Chelsea Larsson

(Zendesk) Clothing that’s one-size-fits-all never really fits. The same goes for one-size-fits-all customer service solutions. Whether it’s live chat, voice support, or self-service, consumers have strong preferences for how they receive support. And they want retailers to provide a good fit.

My Comment: Zendesk has brought us a quick look at five strategies that will help you innovate service. While the focus is on retail, there is no reason that B2B wouldn’t benefit by adapting one or all of these to their customer service strategy. This is a short article, just an introduction to what Zendesk will be sharing about these concepts in the upcoming months. I’m looking forward to reading more.

Having A Servant’s Mentality in Customer Service by Jeffrey Hayzlett

(Huffington Post) Hard work is called that for a reason, because it’s hard. And I’ve gotten to where I am because I’ve done a lot of it. But it wasn’t all just me — I had a lot of help along the way. From people mentoring me, to advising me, to lending a helping hand, there have been a lot of people who have helped me to become who I am. But when your elevator ride reaches the top, it’s important to send the elevator back down for the next person.

My Comment: The servant mentality in customer service is a great concept. Jeffrey Hayzlett’s “Tell it like it is!” style makes a clear and bold statement: If you can’t or won’t serve, then don’t come to work.

50 Best Customer Service Blogs/Resources by Liad Stein

(nanorep) We’ve rounded up some of the best blogs and online resources in customer service from top executives and thought leaders, to help you reach your customer service goals in 2016.

My Comment: Liad Stein of nanorep  has done a great service for those interested in reading great articles, white papers and blog posts on customer service and customer experience. He has compiled the top 50 blogs and resources from industry experts and thought leaders. (I’m honored to have made the list. Thank you, Liad!) So when you’re ready to take your customer service and CX to the next level, this is an incredible list that you will refer back to again and again.

Shep Hyken is a customer serv ice 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: 5 Tips To Help Your Employees Sound Like Pros On The Phone

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Mark Hastings gives us great tips for telephone customer service. Having good telephone skills helps build stronger relationships with everyone. – Shep Hyken

We may be living in an omni-channel age, where customers have more options than ever to reach your company with questions, praise and complaints. However, despite the popularity of using social media as a customer service cudgel, most customers still say that the phone is their preferred method of contacting customer service. That means that your phone customer service reps need to be sharp, courteous and effective – traits that are difficult to come by as American workers spend less time on the phone themselves. My family has been in the 24/7 phone customer service business since 1948 and in the ensuing 68 years, we’ve picked up quite a few tricks to make telephone customer service as smooth as possible. I won’t share all of our secrets, but here are five tips you can use to help your customer service reps sound like pros on the phone.

Exercise Call Control

If you work with telephone systems, you may be familiar with call control as a process relating to how calls are routed. On the customer service side, call control refers to how your rep sets the tone of each interaction. At the beginning of the call, find out what the customer’s needs are and set out a clear path for how to meet those needs. Try to ask open-ended questions. Take everything one step at a time and don’t allow yourself to get flustered or distracted. You can’t control the attitude of the person on the other end of the line, so the best way to make them happy is to get them the information they need as quickly as possible!

Scripts Are For Actors

Phone scripts may be tempting as a quality control mechanism, but they don’t exactly make your customer feel valued and important. The advantage to talking to a human being on the phone, as opposed to a robot, is that another person has autonomy and can actually solve problems – rather than just passing them on. According to a recent study, 57% of customers feel that customer service reps are clueless. Train your customer service reps to diagnose and solve problems and you’ll make your customers happy and free up management from having to constantly tag in on phone calls.

Use Old Fashioned Manners

One of the oldest charm tricks in the book is asking for and using someone’s name. Even if your rep already has the customer name on a computer in front of them, asking the caller their name reminds them that there’s another person on the line and sets the stage for a more human interaction. Please, thank you, yes sir and yes ma’am go a long way, as well.

Be Smooth

“Um,” “uh” and “you know” don’t instill much confidence in consumers. These filler words can make your customer service reps seem unprofessional and they make calls take longer. Normally, you don’t think about using these common vocal tics, which is why one of the best ways to get rid of them is simply by being aware. During training, have your reps take a mock call and then listen back to it, counting all the times they use filler words. Simple awareness goes a long way toward resolving the issue. From there, train your reps to speak complete thoughts and then rest and compose their next thought. Brief pauses are less noticeable than filler words and the pauses give your customer opportunities to give you more information.

Invest In Your Reps

Customer service reps get a bad rap, but it’s usually because they don’t get a lot of support. Typically, customer service reps get some basic training and are thrown into the fire. This doesn’t make much sense – especially when a customer service experience could be the difference between a sale and the customer telling all of their friends to never do business with you again. If your phone customer service is going to be your business’ primary point of contact for the majority of your customers, you want it to be a sales tool. Take the time to give your customer service reps a level of training that will allow them to resolve customer issues. You’ll get a nice return on that time spent when your customers start talking up your customer service to their family and friends.

Telephone customer service isn’t easy, and the fact that people think it is can be a major hindrance to your business. Use these tips to create a more pleasant, efficient and effective customer service experience.

Mark Hastings is the CEO of Hastings Humans , an Austin, TX based 24/7 call center that’s been providing around-the-clock customer service for businesses of all size since 1948.

For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com . Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article:

How To Set Yourself Up For Customer Success With The Need For Speed

 

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The Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: A Customer Service Story

Your Brand

Don’t you just hate it when you are talking to someone in a store or on a customer support call and the person says, “I’m sorry, that’s not my department.”? Well, here’s an extreme example of that situation.

I was at a restaurant. My water glass was empty. There was a server walking by with a full pitcher of water. I asked him, “Excuse me, can you please fill my water glass?” He answered, “I’m sorry, you’re not in my station.”

What just happened? He had the pitcher of water. He was walking right by me. All he had to do was pour the water. But, because he was not my regular server, he made a choice not to take care of me. The problem is that regardless of the tables he was assigned to serve that night, he still represented the restaurant. And, he just tainted the experience for the rest of the evening.

Here is another example, with a happier ending. One of our Shepard Letter subscribers, Tina Farmer, shared this with us.

Tina was driving home to St. Louis from Indianapolis when she decided to stop at McDonalds for breakfast. She drove up to the drive-through window and ordered coffee and two Egg McMuffins without any meat. For those that might not know, the Egg McMuffin is an egg sandwich with an egg, cheese and a slice of Canadian bacon. McDonalds caters to vegetarians and even has a special key on the ordering system and cash register that states: “No Canadian Bacon.”

Tina looked at the receipt, which indicated the order was correct, and drove off. Once on the highway, she opened her Egg McMuffin to find a sausage patty had been substituted for the Canadian bacon. In other words, it had meat. She was disappointed and hungry. Then she saw a sign advertising another McDonald’s at the next exit and decided to try her luck at this location. Rather than go through the drive-through lane, she went inside to place her order. She explained what happened and showed the young man working the counter her receipt. He was friendly, sympathetic and apologetic, and without hesitation gave Tina two meatless McMuffins – and didn’t charge her for them.

Maybe the McDonalds were owned by the same people, or maybe they weren’t. It doesn’t matter. One covered for the other’s mistake. And the way they went about it was text-book perfect. The employee at the second McDonalds didn’t make excuses. He only apologized, smiled and took care of the customer. He was not only representing his McDonalds. He was representing all McDonalds.

There’s an old saying: A rising tide lifts all boats. I’m sure the first McDonald’s errant order was an innocent mistake. When the employee at the second McDonald’s took care of Tina, he became a McDonald’s brand ambassador. He restored Tina’s faith in all of the McDonald’s restaurants. And that is what this is all about.

You represent your brand. You represent all of the people you work with. When you do a good job, the customer says, “I like doing business with them.” Yet it was just you! So be the one that raises the tide – the one that lifts “all boats.”

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: Denise Lee Yohn

January 25: Denise Lee Yohn on How To Get Your Brand In-line With Your Customers

Shep discusses seven brand strategies with Denise Lee Yohn, consultant, speaker, and author on brand-building. This show shares tips from her best-selling book “What Great Brands Do: The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest.”  These are amazing ideas you can use to help make your business successful.

 

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

“If you are going to chase a sale, make sure it’s the right sale for you.” – Denise Lee Yohn

 

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 25, 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.

Blended Retail Will Drive Beyond Showrooming by Dan Bachrach

(Greg Verdino) Showrooming customers want a convenient experience that includes digital resources such as coupons, check-ins, online price comparisons, and a wide range of transparent product information.

My Comment: I enjoyed this article. Showrooming is when a customer goes into a store, looks at merchandise and then goes and makes the purchase with an online retailer. Well, it doesn’t matter if it is B2C or B2B, some form of showrooming is taking place. Customers are researching and then surprising the places they do business with by purchasing elsewhere. The goal is to get out of the commodity trap and prove value. That may be how you create the purchasing experience. Blending onsite sales with websites and alternative or multiple options to purchase are a good start.

13 Ways To Calculate The True Cost of Customer Service by Jeff Toister

(Jeff Toister) Here are 13 ways you can calculate the true cost of customer service.

My Comment: Customer service doesn’t cost. It pays. Unless it’s bad customer service. Great article about the cost behind customer service.

Five Top Tips for Providing 5-star Service by Doug Sandler

(Nice Guy) Regardless of whether you provide a product or a service the customer experience can be affected in many ways.  The habits that you create today will have a lasting impression on the customer journey as they come in contact with your brand, dozens or even hundreds of times. Here are five top  tips for providing 5-star service.

My Comment: This short but excellent article has five great reminders of what just about any company in any industry can do to take their customer service to the Five Star level!

Emerging Trends in Customer Experience for 2016 by Laura Manes, Amye Parker

(Chain Store Age) Here are ways retailers will take their customer experience to the next level.

My Comment: These trends are great reminders for what it will take to deliver an amazing customer experience. While retail is the focus, a trend like “personalization” applies to every business. These are what our customers want and what all businesses need to consider for their customer experience strategy.

How To Leave A Lasting First Impression On Your New Customers by Len Markidan

(Groove) Your customers’ first experience with you can determine whether they become loyal customers or fast churners.

My Comment: Excellent article on the  customer’s “First Impression.” It’s one of the most important “Moments of Truth” that a customer will have. It sets the tone for what’s to follow. It is the first step toward getting the customer to want to come back the next time, which is the beginning of a longer and potentially loyal relationship.

Shep Hyken is a customer serv ice 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 to Keep your Customers Loyal Beyond 2016

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post my colleague, Paul Johns writes about how much the customer has changed and the importance of empathy and being human are to customer loyalty. Employees must understand the human side of customer service in order to promote loyalty. – Shep Hyken

If  you are looking for advice about ‘what to expect in 2016’ or ‘the top trends in 2016,’ you’ve clicked on the wrong article. Constant advancements in technology has conditioned us to think in much shorter cycles, focusing on the short game for retention, loyalty and service. If we consider the human condition and what drives all of us as consumers, I think clearer solutions present themselves not only for 2016, but well beyond into the fullness of the Age of Convenience.

The loyal customer known in ‘days of old’ is almost completely obsolete. Finding the same brand loyalty of even 15 years ago, is almost the same as discovering an Atari console. Resist the urge to tilt your head and say aloud, “they still make you?” The reason is simple, your customers’ browser is their infinitely stocked, price comparison, mega digital shopping center. Shoppers have never been so educated, savvy and ready to steal a deal. Decision points have shifted and brands are competing on a new frontier – customer experience and relation efficiency.

The bar of expectation for mobile-minded customers is consistently being raised by the ever evolving technology that accommodates their desire for speed and ease. Anything less than instantaneous answers and connection feels like a lifetime to our generation of multi-tasking, multi-screened consumers.

Speed and efficiency aren’t the only game changers for customer loyalty. Consumers are more and more likely to view customer service as a “true test” of how much a brand values them. So is this service with a smile? Or give me what I need already? Perhaps it’s a combination of both.

Last year, Micah Solomon published an article in Forbes which really resonated with me then. Ever thought about how the Jetsons got customer service right? Check out excerpt from Micah:

“This is a solid model for dividing your operations. If someone can do the job more efficiently or effectively than a machine ca n, then a human should be doing it (cardiac surgery and watercolor painting both fall in this category). And if a person can do the job more warmly than a machine, assign that task as well to the warm-blooded. Otherwise, leave it to the machines.” — Micah Solomon, Forbes

What Micah is eluding to is a smarter humanity. The digital customer service revolution has made one mistake – over engineering and dehumanizing service engagements. Self-service is a beautiful thing and there are plenty of stats supporting your customers’ desire to serve themselves, but if you make it completely impossible to have a shred of humanity in your customer relationships, you’re doomed.

5 Ways to Beat the Epidemic of Disloyalty 

Here are a few tips I believe will make a difference in the loyalty of your customer base, not only in 2016 but for good.

1. Humanize your brand engagements 

I must have uttered term “Humanity at Scale” no less than fifty times over the past two months. When your customers reach out to you for help, they want to talk to a person who can help them, not a robot, not an automated list, but a real live person, who speaks their language, empathizes with them and even has a personality. Technology is what needs to be in place to make this humanity scalable. If your social customer care solution is promoting canned responses, automation or unable to filter through social noise properly –  you’re doing it wrong.

2. Kill the Script 

Ever had a mindless conversation with a service agent where you could practically hear the script’s pages flipping in the background? I bet it wasn’t the highlight of your day. The reality is that your agents will face many repetitive issues that require the same response. However, when faced with a more complex issue or a situation requiring a more delicate touch, your agents need to put down that script and become fellow human beings. Help your customers find the answers they need like a trusted friend, not a heartless automaton void of logic or compassion.

3. Mature social media customer interactions

If you didn’t chuckle at this headline, then go ahead and let it out now. I know. Social has a reputation for being the channel that your customers spill their gut wrenching kvetching sessions or brands propose disproportionately generous solutions in order to save face in the social/viral sphere. Well it’s time to grow up. Your customers have, and social channels have as well.

With new products such as Facebook Messenger for Business, your customer conversations on social are becoming more intimate, personalized and meaningful. Instead of public berating and constant crisis aversion, your can communicate with your customers on a channel that is reserved for the most meaningful connections in their lives.

Watch Messenger in Action

4. Don’t break the thread 

If you do not have a properly organized, perfectly engineered CRM that integrates all customer engagements into one thread, you are showing up to every conversation clueless and ill-equipped to solve your customers’ issues. Loyalty grows from trust. Build trust by remembering who your customers are and putting their queries immediately into context for faster resolution and less friction in every engagement.

5. Proactive service 

One of my favorite use cases for a brand using social media for pro-active customer service is Audi. When a future customer on Twitter expressed their desire to purchase a new car, Audi immediately responded, gave outstanding service and managed to sell a car through proactive engagement on Twitter.

Instagram is one of the best channels to provide proactive customer service. Follow your audience’s hashtags like fluffy little breadcrumbs leading you to your new audience, bigger opportunities and a chance to give your brand a real personality. Not only can it bring sales, but it will lift your brand identity in the eyes of your audience and humanize your engagements.

Humanity at scale is new standard of social customer service. Your customers can smell a fake a mile away and are exhausted by dealing with automation that misses the mark. Make this year and every year hereafter a year of empathy and resolution for your valued customers.

Paul Johns is the CMO of Conversocial. He has served as CMO for a variety of young technology startups, bringing them public by defining company strategy and developing advocacy, as well as growing each business through product development, channel marketing, partnerships and acquisitions.

For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors go to customerserviceblog.com . Read Shep’s latest Forbes Article:

Walt Disney’s Wisdom: 10 Customer Service Lessons

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