Shep Hyken's Blog, page 201

Guest Blog: How One Engaged Employee Can Create a Multitude of Flag-Waving Customers

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Eric Chester shares a Moment of Misery amazingly turned into a Moment of Magic! This is a great customer experience lesson we can all learn from. – Shep Hyken

It was midnight at the Omni Hotel in Amelia Island about 45 minutes from Jacksonville, Florida. Having just been dropped off by an Uber driver after a 4-hour flight from Denver I was dog-tired. I was scheduled to speak for a large conference of 600 C-level executives the next day at this high-end resort and had a 6am AV/sound check with the tech crew.

“Could your reservation be under another name?” asked Damon, the 20-something hotel employee after not finding a room reserved for Chester on his computer.

“Nope, it’s the only name my parents gave me,” was my somewhat snarky reply. “But since you obviously don’t have one for me, just give me any room you have and charge it to my card. I’ll make sure the group I’m presenting for adds it to their master account tomorrow morning.”

“And what group would that be, Mr. Chester?” Damon asked.

I gave him the client’s name and, after searching through his list of groups staying at the hotel looked up and muttered, “I’m very sorry. But we don’t have that group staying at our hotel.”

I was dumbfounded. There I stood 2,000 miles away from my home in the dead middle of the night, and it was becoming very clear to me that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. How could this possibly be happening? I thought to myself trying to remain calm. I had had this event on my calendar for 4 months! I thought my office had a signed contract for the date and had confirmed all the details.  And to make things worse, I remember that I had turned down another speaking engagement for the 27th several weeks earlier because it conflicted with the travel for this one.

I immediately called my assistant in Denver (now after 10p her time) and engaged her in a ‘highly spirited’ conversation as she searched frantically through her emails to try to find some documentation that would help me understand what had gone awry. Simultaneously, I plopped my laptop on the hotel check in counter and began madly surfing the client’s website for some information pertaining to this event. Within minutes, I found the client’s meeting announcement and suddenly, everything came into focus. I was at the Omni at 12:04 am on September 28th.  The meeting I was scheduled to keynote was being held at this Omni on the 28th…of October.

Damon was standing by watching all of this unfold. Sensing a meltdown on the horizon, he approached me and placed a room key in my hand. “Mr. Chester, this has obviously been a hard day for you. You don’t need a hotel bill to add to your troubles. You’re our guest tonight.” 

This turned out to be the second shock of the night, but in a good way.

You see, Damon didn’t ask me for my driver’s license. He didn’t even ask me for my credit card for incidentals. He simply handed me a key to a very nice room and then added, “I know you’ll have to get to the airport tomorrow to catch a flight. What time would you like a wake up call?”

“Well, I’m going to try to beg my way on to an earlier flight, Damon. And it won’t be easy. So I will need to get out of here around 5am.  It would be great if you’d make sure the phone in my room rings at 4:30am.” 

I warmly thanked him for his hospitality, and headed off to my room.

The wake up call came in 4 1/2 hours later.  I threw on my travel clothes and returned to the lobby of the Omni to see if I could get a cab or an Uber.  There in the lobby was Damon, smiling in front of the desk, waiting to greet me. He gave me a warm “Good Morning, Mr. Chester,” as he walked me out the front doors and into a limousine he had arranged to take me back to the airport. “Didn’t want you to have to incur another expense, Mr. Chester. This ride is on us. Travel safely back to Denver and we’ll see you again in 30 days.”

Astoundingly, Damon did all of this without ever asking permission of his manager or supervisor.

He didn’t have to. Instead, Damon acted as he would have if he owned the Omni.

ON POINT – There’s an immediate hit to your profits when you empower front line employees to make snap decisions like these, and they’re not always going to work to your advantage. That’s why most organizations are so stingy when granting autonomy.

However, when you: 1. train your people well, and then 2. trust them to make important decisions, and then 3. fully support them on those decisions whether they are right or wrong, you will create an army of smart-thinking, dedicated, loyal intrapreneurs.

And those are the kind of front line foot soldiers who can convert a one night stand into a wildly enthusiastic flag-waving customer for life.

Thanks, Damon.

Eric Chester is an award-winning keynote speaker, thought leader, and bestselling author on employee engagement and the millennial mindset. His new book,  On Fire at Work: How Great Companies Ignite Passion in their People without Burning Them Out   releases nationwide on October 20th.

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

Is Danny Meyer Tipping Ban Risky For Customer Experience?

The post Guest Blog: How One Engaged Employee Can Create a Multitude of Flag-Waving Customers appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Amazing Business Radio Interview: Dawnna StLouis

October 29: Talks Innovation and Turning Best Practices on Its Head. 

Shep Hyken speaks with Dawnna St. Louis, Chief Innovation Evangelist, keynote speaker and leading innovation expert, about how to achieve an innovation trifecta. Dawnna explains what a real innovation is and what you need to pick the best innovation. You will also learn about disruptive innovators such as Donald Trump and reality TV. This conversation is fascinating and not to be missed.

Click here to listen.

“Best practices are trends that have already been set by someone else. It is your job as a leader in your organization to set your own trends.” –Dawnna St. Louis

The post Amazing Business Radio Interview: Dawnna StLouis appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Danny Meyer’s “No Tipping” Policy is a Lesson for Any Business by Shep Hyken

Restaurant Customer Experience

You’re out to dinner and your server is great. So you give a generous 20% tip. How would you feel if the server refused your tip? In other words, your server delivered an amazing customer experience, but did so because it’s part of their job, not because they are motivated by the hope of a larger tip.

This concept of not tipping for service at a restaurant isn’t new. In many countries around the world, this is common practice. However, in the U.S., tipping is the norm and expected. But there is a disruption to the status quo.

Danny Meyer, the extremely successful businessman and restaurateur, is going public in a big way with the no-tipping policy that is being rolled out in his Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) restaurants over the next year. In a public letter he wrote, “We believe hospitality is a team sport, and that it takes an entire team to provide you with the experiences you have come to expect from us. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues — our cooks, reservationists, and dishwashers to name a few — aren’t able to share in our guests’ generosity, even though their contributions are just as vital to the outcome of your experience at one of our restaurants.”

If you have an exceptional experience at a restaurant, you tip the server well and look forward to a repeat experience. If you have an exceptional service experience in a clothing store, you come back, and maybe you seek out the same sales person. If you are a manufacturer and have a good product that you deliver with exceptional service, you gain loyal customers and build market share in your industry. The customer may not leave a tip for the salesperson at a clothing store or the manufacturer, but the result is similar to that of the restaurant; repeat business and ultimately customer loyalty.

In addition, Danny Meyer’s philosophy recognizes all the people behind the scenes; those washing dishes and cooking, who add to the customer experience. If a cook doesn’t make a dish appealing to the guest, regardless of service, the guest will probably not come back. If a dishwasher doesn’t get the dishes fully clean, and a guest ends up with a dirty dish, the guest in unlikely to return, because even the best service won’t make up for the tainted reputation of being dirty, or potentially unhealthy.

Something I’ve stressed for years is that when it comes to great service, or hospitality, everyone is involved. Not just the front line. Every department, and everyone in every department, has some impact on the customer. USHG’s new “no tipping” policy is an acknowledgement of this very point.

Danny understands the full picture of what goes into a guest’s experience, his solution is to ensure that the servers, along with all of the other employees, are compensated fairly and properly. Raising wages for these employees will result in more pride in their work, which means they are more engaged, will work harder, and, ultimately, do what’s right for the customer.

Some of you are probably thinking, how will this impact the menu prices at Danny’s restaurants? Simple. They will go up. But without having to tip, the guest will be spending about the same amount they would normally spend.

I think that the guests will enjoy Danny’s decision as well. No pressure to tip. Just come in and enjoy the experience. Isn’t that what any business wants, for their customer to enjoy the experience? And guess what happens next? They come back!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

The post Danny Meyer’s “No Tipping” Policy is a Lesson for Any Business by Shep Hyken appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Danny Meyer’s “No Tipping” Policy is a Lesson for any Business by Shep Hyken

Restaurant Customer Experience

You’re out to dinner and your server is great. So you give a generous 20% tip. How would you feel if the server refused your tip? In other words, your server delivered an amazing customer experience, but did so because it’s part of their job, not because they are motivated by the hope of a larger tip.

This concept of not tipping for service at a restaurant isn’t new. In many countries around the world, this is common practice. However, in the U.S., tipping is the norm and expected. But there is a disruption to the status quo.

Danny Meyer, the extremely successful businessman and restaurateur, is going public in a big way with the no-tipping policy that is being rolled out in his Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) restaurants over the next year. In a public letter he wrote, “We believe hospitality is a team sport, and that it takes an entire team to provide you with the experiences you have come to expect from us. Unfortunately, many of our colleagues — our cooks, reservationists, and dishwashers to name a few — aren’t able to share in our guests’ generosity, even though their contributions are just as vital to the outcome of your experience at one of our restaurants.”

If you have an exceptional experience at a restaurant, you tip the server well and look forward to a repeat experience. If you have an exceptional service experience in a clothing store, you come back, and maybe you seek out the same sales person. If you are a manufacturer and have a good product that you deliver with exceptional service, you gain loyal customers and build market share in your industry. The customer may not leave a tip for the salesperson at a clothing store or the manufacturer, but the result is similar to that of the restaurant; repeat business and ultimately customer loyalty.

In addition, Danny Meyer’s philosophy recognizes all the people behind the scenes; those washing dishes and cooking, who add to the customer experience. If a cook doesn’t make a dish appealing to the guest, regardless of service, the guest will probably not come back. If a dishwasher doesn’t get the dishes fully clean, and a guest ends up with a dirty dish, the guest in unlikely to return, because even the best service won’t make up for the tainted reputation of being dirty, or potentially unhealthy.

Something I’ve stressed for years is that when it comes to great service, or hospitality, everyone is involved. Not just the front line. Every department, and everyone in every department, has some impact on the customer. USHG’s new “no tipping” policy is an acknowledgement of this very point.

Danny understands the full picture of what goes into a guest’s experience, his solution is to ensure that the servers, along with all of the other employees, are compensated fairly and properly. Raising wages for these employees will result in more pride in their work, which means they are more engaged, will work harder, and, ultimately, do what’s right for the customer.

Some of you are probably thinking, how will this impact the menu prices at Danny’s restaurants? Simple. They will go up. But without having to tip, the guest will be spending about the same amount they would normally spend.

I think that the guests will enjoy Danny’s decision as well. No pressure to tip. Just come in and enjoy the experience. Isn’t that what any business wants, for their customer to enjoy the experience? And guess what happens next? They come back!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

The post Danny Meyer’s “No Tipping” Policy is a Lesson for any Business by Shep Hyken appeared first on Shep Hyken.

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 26, 2015

TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BUSINESS ARTICLES

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.

Employee Engagement Is More Important Than the Customer by Sam Bahreini

(Entrepreneur) Problems don’t begin with customers. They start with you and your employees. When customers expect a fantastic experience but receive a third-rate one, you can lose them forever.

My Comment: This article is exactly what I strongly believe in. Take care of employees and they will take care of customers! And if you aren’t sure about that, consider this: What’s happening on the inside of your organization will be felt on the outside by the customer. You can’t treat employees one way and expect them to treat the customer differently. It’s incongruent.

A Great Customer Experience Isn’t Something You Can Script by John Abraham

(Center for Services Leadership) While there is a good reason to set standards for customer experience delivery, this example raises an important question about the best approach to take. When customer experience standards become too rigid and scripted, interactions that should feel personal can lose their authenticity — leaving customers with an awkward feeling at best.

My Comment: Customer service scripts should be guidelines. They are great for training and help create parameters for employees to follow. Every customer is different, and their approach to you is different as well. So if you like the concept scripts, then use them to train employees – as examples of what works. Then empower them to put their personal touch on the interactions they have with your customers.

Online Sellers’ Best Tips for Exceeding Customer Expectations by Lee Polevoi

(Avalara) So what are the best ways to go beyond what your customers expect? A recent survey of online sellers uncovered ideas you can apply to your own business.

My Comment: The goal of any business should be to not just meet expectations, but exceed them. Great article that focuses on exactly that. And even though the emphasis is on the online business model, these concepts are just as valid in a traditional brick-and-mortar business. Connecting with the “human touch” is applicable to any and every business!

Why Customer Gratitude Trumps Loyalty by Mark Bonchek

(Harvard Business Review) So what can marketers do with their loyalty programs to earn greater trust, commitment and advocacy?  The answer isn’t more sweepstakes, coupons, points, promotions or emails.   It takes a rethinking of what loyalty really means in a digital age.

My Comment: This is one of the best customer loyalty articles I’ve read in a long time. I’ve always felt that for a customer to be loyal to a company, the company must also be loyal to the customer. More than mutual admiration, there is also mutual appreciation. A true sense of gratitude endears the customer to the company – and the company to the customer. Gratitude is an emotion, which can potentially lead to loyalty.

Follow These 10 Customer Service Influencers on Twitter Now by Stephanie Jones

(PATLive) Here are our top 10 favorite customer service influencers you should be following on Twitter.

My Comment: There are some great experts who post great content and share articles on Twittter. Our friends at PATLive put together a list of the top ten customer service influencers on Twitter (And honored to be on the list – Thank you PATLive!). Check out the list and follow some of the experts mentioned. 

Shep Hyken is a customer serv ice expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or  www.hyken.com . For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to  www.thecustomerfocus.com . Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

The post 5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 26, 2015 appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Guest Blog: 3 Steps to Feedback Analysis That Drives Action in B2B

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Steve Bernstein writes about the importance of customer feedback to truly accelerate growth for the company. I have always believed that companies that track and measure their customer service have a competitive advantage.  – Shep Hyken

In “real life” if you have one happy customer and one unhappy customer, do you average them together to end up with a single “neutral” customer?

Most people would answer, “No.” Yet this sort of feedback analysis happens all the time. And then companies wonder why they are never able to “move the needle.”

Let’s take a step back. Since we know that happy and successful customers are more likely to renew, buy more, and tell their friends and colleagues, most companies run customer satisfaction surveys. It’s critical to understand not only the percentage of customers that are “happy” but to also know why or why not. This takes some careful planning and organization to collect data that drives action.

Armed with effective analysis and a powerful financial story, you can use voice of customer insight to truly accelerate growth for the company.

If want to elevate your value to the business then here are the 3 steps to pull that story together.

1. Ensure your analysis of feedback data is organized the same way the company goes to market. NEVER analyze in the aggregate. Companies don’t sell in the aggregate, they don’t market in the aggregate, and they don’t build products in the aggregate.

For example, most companies treat their top “strategic” customers (especially in B2B) very differently than smaller accounts. Therefore the experiences that “Tier 1” customers have is quite different than the rest, and so their needs, expectations, and results will be different.

Does your analysis combine apples + oranges to create these fictitious Orples?

If your company goes-to-market regionally, across different product lines and markets, and via different customer segments then ensure your analysis follows this model. Combining feedback results from all customers in one bucket is a kin to creating a strange hybrid fruit known as an Orple. I wonder what that would taste like…but I digress.

2. Critically important for B2B organizations: recognize that there really isn’t a “customer.” Instead, there are groups of people inside a company that collectively make decisions to buy from your firm. Those people come from different perspectives and also have different expectations. For example, an “end user” of your products and services” probably wants it to be easy to use, while the person who holds the budget (a “decision maker”) needs to realize (perceive) genuine value. And just like our orple fruit in step one, combining feedback results from different organizational roles only obfuscates the results.

If you don’t think you have “role” information for your customers, I guarantee that someone – probably the account team – knows who the people are inside the account that really make the buying decisions. Those are the most critical people from which to acquire feedback and act on what they are telling you. By engaging your account teams to help define the list, 2 critical outcomes will result:

Your account teams will be “bought in” to helping with follow-up. You’ll be acquiring feedback from the people that matter to them, and you’ll be able to provide them with account-level insight that will help them better improve relationships through tighter focus.
Your contact list will be from the people that matter most, and therefore will truly represent buying cycles. You’ll also be able to get that contact role data for your aggregate analysis

Of course, you could also ask the customer in your feedback questionnaire, but be careful how you position that with contacts you should already “know.” Remember that “surveys” are a touchpoint, and any bad experience can erode customer relationships.

3. Now that you can perform proper analysis on your feedback data, make sure that you are telling a financial story wherever possible. Business leaders don’t want to hear about statistics, they want to hear about money. Stop score watching and instead focus on driving legitimate improvement by isolating the variables per items 1 and 2, and then tying the data to financials.

Consider these examples – which is more likely to get a CEO’s attention?

“Our Net Promoter Score (NPS) is +22 overall, a 5 point drop form last year… we better do something.” CEO replies, “Is that 5-point drop statistically significant?” Uh oh… now you’re taking away precious executive time defending your analysis, and not driving action (i.e. results!).
Alternatively, consider this example: “We received feedback from 82% of our total revenue. Our strategic accounts, which are 72% of our revenue overall, are represented well within the respondents. Our analysis shows that 13% (or $23M) of our Annual Recurring Revenue is at risk (from low-scoring and silent accounts, which are generally far more likely to churn). We also find that there is an up-sell potential with 17% of our strategic accounts (accounts that love us and spending less than peer accounts), which amounts to $28M. There are several areas that are causing this churn. Shall we go into discussing those areas?”

If you can’t tell a story like this then you’re likely wasting time presenting data to leadership, which is unlikely to “move the needle.” If you want to increase your own personal value, invest in doing things that will accelerate growth by giving people decision-ready evidence. And if you don’t have, go get it. Partner with your Sales team to get the right contact list and drive responses from everyone that interacts with your company. And partner with your Finance organization to get appropriate revenue data (such as MRR or CLV) so you can tie the feedback with financials. You’ll need those partnerships anyway to drive the right change after the fact, so might as well enlist them up front to be a part of the solution.

With these three steps, feedback can be a powerful leading indicator that accelerates growth. Unfortunately, most companies fail to produce this analysis and end up doing more of the same instead of striving for improvement. Which story are you telling…? Are you a score-watcher, or a business-accelerator?

Steve Bernstein is a B2B customer experience expert with 20+ years of experience in developing leading strategies with hands-on execution. He is the Founder of Waypoint Group and creator of TopBox, a SaaS voice of customer engine for B2B companies. His goal is to transform the way B2B companies measure and improve customer success with strategic metrics and tangible ROI.

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

If A Company Buys Your Influence, Does It Earn Your Loyalty?

 

The post Guest Blog: 3 Steps to Feedback Analysis That Drives Action in B2B appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Four Customer Service Lessons In Turning Chaos into Harmony by Shep Hyken

Customer Care

What started out as a customer service Moment of Misery™ turned into a Moment of Magic®.

I was headed to Lagos, Nigeria to do a customer service speech at a public event. My client, who is from Lagos, arranged a flight with Delta Airlines. The flight would take us from St. Louis to Atlanta, then to Lagos. Unfortunately, the plane from St. Louis had a mechanical issue and wouldn’t get us to Atlanta in time.

I pride myself in showing up on time, actually early, and I was determined to get to Lagos for my presentation. This is where I saw some amazing people who worked with Delta Airlines and the St. Louis airport, move into action.

The Delta gate agent was empathetic and helpful, however Delta had no solution. I mentioned the only way I could make the connection in Atlanta was a private jet. She thought I was joking. I wasn’t. It really was the only option, so we worked fast.

We headed to the general information booth to help us with our quest, however it was all new to her. I started Google searching private charters in St. Louis. As I found companies she wrote down the phone numbers. She was truly excited to be helping with this “project.” She started documenting everything so next time a passenger needed this, it would be accessible for her and everyone else.

However with contacting all the private charters we encountered our next problem, you can’t just jump on a private plane. It takes two to three hours to get a plane ready. If we were to make our flight to Atlanta we needed that plane in an hour.

My client was still discussing alternative flights with Delta; when I asked a simple question, “Why do we keep looking at Atlanta?” We didn’t need to fly out of Atlanta. We didn’t need to fly non-stop to Lagos. We didn’t need to fly on Delta. This flexibility allowed us options.

Ultimately we found a flight departing from New York that would stop in London, where we would change planes and make it to Lagos in time for the event. So, instead of trying to get to Atlanta by that evening, we bought ourselves the extra time to get a private jet ready. Ultimately we made it there in time for the speaking engagement.

So, here are the lessons.

1. Be calm. This goes for both employees and customers. We all remained calm, which allowed the Delta people to concentrate on solutions versus spending time calming an upset customer. Before you can help a customer, the customer must be in the right frame of mind to be helped. In this instance, we were all calm. One of the Delta employees mentioned how most passengers are angry and upset when there were flight delays, and she appreciated our patience and understanding.

2. Listen to your customers. The Delta team – yes I’m calling them a team as there were three people who stepped up to help us – were willing to listen to my suggestions. I fly 60-70 trips a year. Sometimes I think that I know the airline schedules better than the airline personnel. Our collective knowledge and experience allowed us to come up with alternative routes to consider. Which takes us to the next idea, which is extremely important…

3. Be flexible. Flexibility is a game changer. Until we agreed that we didn’t have to go to Atlanta, we didn’t have a solution. Being open to alternatives can be the difference between success and failure.

4. Constantly learn and improve. Going back to the woman at the information booth, she had never been asked to find a private jet service. She stated that she was going to make sure everyone knew what to do the next time a customer had this special request. Without her realizing it, she was practicing continuous improvement, and more important, she was documenting the process for the future.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

The post Four Customer Service Lessons In Turning Chaos into Harmony by Shep Hyken appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Four Customer Service Lessons In Turning Chaos into Harmony

Customer Care

What started out as a customer service Moment of Misery™ turned into a Moment of Magic®.

I was headed to Lagos, Nigeria to do a customer service speech at a public event. My client, who is from Lagos, arranged a flight with Delta Airlines. The flight would take us from St. Louis to Atlanta, then to Lagos. Unfortunately, the plane from St. Louis had a mechanical issue and wouldn’t get us to Atlanta in time.

I pride myself in showing up on time, actually early, and I was determined to get to Lagos for my presentation. This is where I saw some amazing people who worked with Delta Airlines and the St. Louis airport, move into action.

The Delta gate agent was empathetic and helpful, however Delta had no solution. I mentioned the only way I could make the connection in Atlanta was a private jet. She thought I was joking. I wasn’t. It really was the only option, so we worked fast.

We headed to the general information booth to help us with our quest, however it was all new to her. I started Google searching private charters in St. Louis. As I found companies she wrote down the phone numbers. She was truly excited to be helping with this “project.” She started documenting everything so next time a passenger needed this, it would be accessible for her and everyone else.

However with contacting all the private charters we encountered our next problem, you can’t just jump on a private plane. It takes two to three hours to get a plane ready. If we were to make our flight to Atlanta we needed that plane in an hour.

My client was still discussing alternative flights with Delta; when I asked a simple question, “Why do we keep looking at Atlanta?” We didn’t need to fly out of Atlanta. We didn’t need to fly non-stop to Lagos. We didn’t need to fly on Delta. This flexibility allowed us options.

Ultimately we found a flight departing from New York that would stop in London, where we would change planes and make it to Lagos in time for the event. So, instead of trying to get to Atlanta by that evening, we bought ourselves the extra time to get a private jet ready. Ultimately we made it there in time for the speaking engagement.

So, here are the lessons.

1. Be calm. This goes for both employees and customers. We all remained calm, which allowed the Delta people to concentrate on solutions versus spending time calming an upset customer. Before you can help a customer, the customer must be in the right frame of mind to be helped. In this instance, we were all calm. One of the Delta employees mentioned how most passengers are angry and upset when there were flight delays, and she appreciated our patience and understanding.

2. Listen to your customers. The Delta team – yes I’m calling them a team as there were three people who stepped up to help us – were willing to listen to my suggestions. I fly 60-70 trips a year. Sometimes I think that I know the airline schedules better than the airline personnel. Our collective knowledge and experience allowed us to come up with alternative routes to consider. Which takes us to the next idea, which is extremely important…

3. Be flexible. Flexibility is a game changer. Until we agreed that we didn’t have to go to Atlanta, we didn’t have a solution. Being open to alternatives can be the difference between success and failure.

4. Constantly learn and improve. Going back to the woman at the information booth, she had never been asked to find a private jet service. She stated that she was going to make sure everyone knew what to do the next time a customer had this special request. Without her realizing it, she was practicing continuous improvement, and more important, she was documenting the process for the future.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

The post Four Customer Service Lessons In Turning Chaos into Harmony appeared first on Shep Hyken.

Amazing Business Radio Interview: Eric Chester

October 20: Eric Chester Talks about Being On Fire At Work!

Shep Hyken interviews Eric Chester, best selling business author, on how great companies ignite passion in their people without burning them out. No matter what type of business you have, or how big or small it is, you need to pay close attention to what Eric says. He shares his seven cultural pillars that drive employee performance. These include compensation, alignment, atmosphere, growth, acknowledgement, autonomy and growth. He interviewed dozens of executives in top performing companies and brought us back actionable ideas that will help inspire you and the people you work with. Eric released his latest book, “On Fire at Work: How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People Without Burning Them Out“.

Click here to listen.

“When you train people well, you trust them to make decisions.” –Eric Chester

The post Amazing Business Radio Interview: Eric Chester appeared first on Shep Hyken.

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 19, 2015

TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BUSINESS ARTICLES

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.

50 Important Customer Experience Stats for Business Leaders by Vala Afshar

(Huffington Post) I completely agree with Bova’s thesis, but do all business leaders fully recognize and understand the importance of customer experience? Most recent CEO surveys position ‘customer experience’ as one of the top business priorities but talk is cheap.

My Comment: My friend Val Afshar interviewed Esteban Kolsky is the founder and principal of thinkJar, who shared 50 important stats – with some insights included – that are important to any company that wants to focus on the customer experience – and what company doesn’t!

5 Upcoming Marketing Strategies for 2015 and Beyond – What it means for Business Owners by Jack Dawson

(Tech Cocktail) For businesses looking to maintain their brand equity and competitive edge, staying current on up and coming marketing strategies is critical, five of which are discussed in the following paragraphs.

My Comment: If customer service is the new marketing, then here are five great marketing strategies that prove it. I like all five, but am partial to the fourth strategy, which is about content marketing. This is powerful. Offering customers valuable content adds to the overall customer experience.

13 Shocking Customer Service Statistics by Tricia Morris

(CustomerThink)  Treat yourself to the 13 shocking customer service statistics below to encourage bigger and better buy-in for your 2016 customer service initiatives:

My Comment: Here are some powerful stats and facts from our friends at Parature. They are general stats and many seem to be focused on the retail world, but don’t let that stop you from reading this article. Even if the numbers don’t match up with your industry’s numbers, the concept behind the numbers do. And be sure to download the full report.

What 5 Celebrity Entrepreneurs Can Teach You about Customer Experience by Tom Huston

(The CX Report) In the world of business, no matter what market you enter, it can be tough to succeed without some key differentiators to help your company stand out from the crowd.

My Comment: In this fun article we learn how five celebrities create a better customer experience. While most of us aren’t celebrities, our brands are recognized by our customers. Brand awareness is a good start to becoming a celebrity (sort of) in our own industry. I’m sure there’s something in this article that you’ll find useful.

4 Steps For Creating Happy Customer Experiences by Doron Reuveni

(readwrite) Here are four steps for creating a smarter strategy that can help you boost your customer experience.

My Comment: Another short list, but a good one to give you some ideas on creating a better customer service experience. Some common sense that’s not always so common!

BONUS

On Hold For All Eternity by Ron Colman

(YouTube) If you’ve ever been frustrated with automated voicemail systems and being on hold forever, you’ll find this cartoon video funny. It pokes fun at bad, impersonal customer service.

My Comment: Not an article, but a cartoon video. This was just something fun we found from Ron Coleman who created a cartoon about being put on hold – for an eternity!

Shep Hyken is a customer serv ice expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or  www.hyken.com . For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to  www.thecustomerfocus.com . Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

The post 5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 19, 2015 appeared first on Shep Hyken.