Shep Hyken's Blog, page 213

Guest Blog: Back to the Beginning – Building a Superior Customer Service Experience

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Kate Feather writes about the importance of hiring right. I believe that customer service starts with hiring the right people, as well as training and empowering them. – Shep Hyken

Imagine you’re back at the start. You don’t yet have a company, customers, the people, processes, and technology that you have today. You are setting out on a journey to build a company that is going to be known for delivering The Best Customer Service Ever. Where do you begin?

About People Problems

At PeopleMetrics, we’ve uncovered meaningful patterns in the Voice of the Customer data that we collect for clients. Some of these patterns are repeated across different sectors such as Retail Banking, Restaurants, Hospitality, B2B Distributors, Telco, and Luxury Service Providers.

Perhaps not surprisingly, customers who have experienced issues tend to be less engaged than customers for whom the experience is flawless. However, when we analyze our data, it becomes clear that people problems – those either created or exacerbated by a company’s employees – lead to the biggest decline in positive customer perceptions.

For example, in one Retail Bank we uncovered:

A 58-point gap in Customer Satisfaction between customers not experiencing a problem and those experiencing a people problem.
And a 21-point gap in Customer Satisfaction between customers experiencing a non-people problem versus those with a people problem.

For a wireless communications provider, we learned:

Nearly 7 in 10 customers citing issues with customer care representatives were considered Detractors, compared to 1 in 10 among those not experiencing such service issues.

Letting the Right Ones In

Since you know that people are the place to start, then it makes sense to focus on hiring the right people. By recruiting the right talent and empowering them to take customer-focused actions, you can build a great customer experience one hire at a time. Here are two examples of how starting with hiring has benefited high performers:

Nordstrom: Robert Spector, author of The Nordstrom Way to Customer Service Excellence, once asked Bruce Nordstrom, “If you don’t have a formalized training program, who trains your salespeople?” Mr. Nordstrom’s answer was: “their parents.” Nordstrom believes that you can’t train good salespeople to be nice, but you can train nice people to sell. It’s a simple philosophy that some would say is the foundation of their success.


Signature Flight Support: One of our clients, Signature Flight Support, is a Fixed Based Operator that provides fueling, maintenance and passenger services to private and business pilots and crew. After we helped them determine what their customers wanted, they changed their hiring process. They now include a service aptitude test to see whether candidates have the “service gene” in their DNA. (For more about Signature’s story and to hear President and COO Maria Sastre’s advice to others on this journey, watch our video here.)

Characteristics to Consider

So now you know that hiring is important, but what should you look for in candidates?

In 2010, PeopleMetrics started to identify and award Brand Ambassadors, the client-facing staff who receive high-levels of Recognition within our Voice of the Customer platform. Because they come from our diverse client base, Brand Ambassadors consist of tax accountants, call center reps, restaurant servers, account managers, and sales reps. But they share a common set of characteristics. Of course, your unique culture and values may dictate that other characteristics are important, but we’d suggest you consider this set:

Passion: A powerful belief that nothing is more meaningful than serving customers and resolving their issues. For Brand Ambassadors, delighting customers and clients is a source of pride and engagement.
Humility: A habit of sharing the kudos with those on the team. Customer service all-stars frequently refuse to be a one-man band or take the glory.
Empathy: The ability to imagine how the customer feels. Brand Ambassadors respond to situations from the customer’s point of view.
Ownership: A habit of taking responsibility for the customer. even if company structures dictate the customer is someone else’s problem. Brand Ambassadors have a high degree of conscientiousness and will go the extra mile to fix an issue or delight a customer.

The Wrap Up

So, the fact is, your company likely exists, with its own customers, people, processes, and technology. But that doesn’t mean you can’t start with people first as you journey toward The Best Customer Service Experience Ever. The evidence points to a need to start with people who care. Who have the right attitude. Who will go the extra mile for your customers.

And if you find those people, maybe your customers will go the extra mile for you too.

Kate Feather is Executive Vice President, Marketing for PeopleMetrics. She is happy to describe herself as “customer-obsessed.” She has more than 20 years of experience in organizational and customer research and consulting.  

Image Credits: Snapshot of Patti… by daveynin, CC BY 2.0

Elmo the bouncer by Lars Plougmann, CC BY-SA 2.0

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

March Madness Teamwork Lessons We Can Use In Business

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How to Empower Employees to Make Good Customer Decisions

Customer Focused

Empowered employees have the ability to make customer-focused decisions. They are trained well and then given permission to do what’s right for both the customer and the company.

I’ve preached this before, but this time I have a new spin on it. First, a review.

One of my favorite tools from my recent book Amaze Every Customer Every Time is that it takes one to say “yes” and two to say “no.” What that means is the employee has the ability to do what is necessary to take care of the customer without the typical manager’s approval. No more, “I’ll have to check with my manager to get this approved.” Instead, the employee has to check with a manager to say, “No” to the customer. The employees have been trained on what they can and can’t do for their customers.

There are obvious reasons one might have to say, “No” to a customer. Some of them don’t need management approval. It’s just common sense. For example, you may not carry an item the customer is asking for. That doesn’t preclude you from helping the customer find it elsewhere, but it is obvious that you and your company won’t be providing it. Perhaps what they are asking for is illegal. That’s pretty obvious.

More important than what employees can’t do, is what they can do. Sometimes customers will ask for something different. Or they have a complaint that may take a creative solution to resolve. It takes training for employees to understand what they can and can’t do. Once employees make good customer-focused decisions, they need positive feedback to reinforce that what they did was right. This creates confidence for the next opportunity. And a bad decision should become a teaching opportunity versus a belittling reprimand.

All this brings me to a conversation I recently had with Randi Busse, who wrote the book Turning Rants into Raves. In her book, she talks about four business drivers, which are revenue, retention, reputation, and referrals.

I thought these were the perfect “drivers” to help employees make good decisions, especially when the customer is making a special request. Knowing the answers to the following questions puts it all into perspective.

Revenue: Will a decision I’m making for the customer cost the company extra money? Most of the time, the correct answer is no. That said, sometimes it’s okay for it to cost extra. The employee needs to know how far they can go.


Retention: Will a decision I’m making for the customer cause them to want to continue to do business with us? Obviously, the correct answer is yes.


Reputation: Will a decision I’m making for the customer enhance the reputation of the company? The answer is yes.


Referrals: Will a decision I’m making for the customer make them want to refer the company? I hope so! Of course the answer should be yes.

These questions are a great start to help employees learn the secret to making good customer-focused decisions. I would add one more: Is it legal? The answer may be obvious, but some of our clients in the financial world deal with compliance issues that seem more of a nuisance than a law. Laws are laws.

Sure, there may be other questions to think about. Randi Busse’s four drivers set up four questions that help empower any employee to make good decisions and provide a better customer service experience.

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)

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5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of March 16, 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.

Making Customer Experience (CE) Preventive and Delightful by John Goodman

(Salesforce) There are four actions that will help you to enhance the CE, prevent problems and maximize the bottom line.

My Comment: This article has some great ideas to help prevent problems and delight customers. Love the first step, which is to eliminate anything that would be a bad customer experience. That starts with the customer journey map. Why don’t more companies do this! Everything from having a good system in place, to hiring and training the right people will lead to making the customer’s experience with you easy and “delightful.”

An Excellent Customer Experience Program Starts With an Excellent Survey by James M. Loy

(Loyalty360) Surveys are essential customer engagement tools. A good survey will offer valuable insights that can help brands hone in on what customers really need, want, and expect. Marketers rely on them to build brand loyalty and create meaningful customer experiences. The problem, however, is that too often surveys are ineffective. Any marketer that has ever attempted to use a survey that was too long, poorly constructed, misdirected, or outdated knows these pitfalls.

My Comment: The old adage in business goes something like this: You can’t manage what you can’t measure.  This is especially true in customer service and experience. How do you know if you’re being effective? Are complaints down? Or accolades up? Are there more repeat customers? Are they buying more each time they do business with you? How do you know unless you measure? This article makes the case and shares some ideas on how to create a survey to measure customer service.

The Reputation Economy: Are You Ready? by Daniel Burrus

(LinkedIn) You probably grew up getting lectures from your mom about the value of a good reputation. Well, as usual, Mom was right—and maybe more than she knew. Reputation is about to become a capital asset, and it’s going to be digital. I’m talking about the rise of the reputation economy.

My Comment: Your brand is your reputation. And that reputation is defined by your customers, not you! Today’s best marketing may be to simply manage the customer experience for a positive outcome. Do that well and your customers talk about you – to their friends, colleagues, family members, and thanks to social media, to the world. Every good reputation management strategy has a good customer service and experience strategy supporting it.

The Symbiotic Relationship Between Customer Loyalty & Advocacy by Jim Williams

(Marketing Land) How can you turn your loyal customers into advocates? Columnist Jim Williams discusses best practices for advocate marketing.

My Comment: Customer loyalty means customers come back. Advocacy means they recommend. I refer to the customer advocates as evangelists. These are the coveted customers that will sing your praises to their colleagues, friends and family members.

Five Signs of Customer-Centric Leaders by Tal Shnall

(LinkedIn) Great leadership can transform your organization into a customer-centric company and it’s not complicated. But it’s requires consistent leadership attitudes and behaviors that serves both your external customers as well as your internal customers. It’s a win-win!

My Comment: The term “customer-centric” is becoming very popular, and rightfully so. Creating the customer-centric organization starts at the top with leadership. But it takes more than leadership defining the vision. It can’t be just lip-service. The leaders of an organization must make the vision come to life. The five signs in this article are a great start. If you’re in any type of leadership or management position, this article is for you.

Shep Hyken is a customer service 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

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Guest Blog: Three ways to improve your social media customer support

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Dilawar Syed writes about ways companies can create a standardized approach via social media platforms to improve social media support. Managing complaints on social media properly will result in showing the customer, their friends and potentially the rest of the world that the company stands behind their products and offers amazing customer service. – Shep Hyken

Companies that are truly customer-focused make it as easy as possible for people to interact with them. Today that often includes having a presence on social media. Though many companies have set up their social presence, not every company is using social media effectively. Too often brands focus their social media strategy on pushing content out and driving a particular narrative–paying less attention to what their customers have to say. A recent Brandwatch study found that 25 percent of the world’s biggest brands use social media solely as a broadcasting channel.

Yes, Twitter and Facebook are public forums and these are scary places to have customers air their grievances. But when supported correctly, they also represent a terrific opportunity for brands to engage in a dialogue with customers and build brand loyalty.

To help craft your social media strategy, here are three tips:

Set clear expectations with customers and internal stakeholders

Teams should develop a consistent vision and ensure all customer service agents are on the same page. How quickly are agents expected to respond to inbound tweets? What are support agents allowed to offer customers who complain? When and how should tweets be redirected to a different channel? Will your company establish a separate Twitter handle or Facebook account specifically for customer service? Will your company offer 24-hour social media support or will reps just respond to tweets during certain times throughout the day?

In the absence of explicit expectations, customers will assign their own and they may not be achievable. Establishing expectations and making them clear to customers will make stellar customer support easier from the offset. Support reps will be empowered and know what to expect when customers reach out for help.

Project authenticity and empathy

Consumers like to know that they are dealing with empathetic professionals, so don’t be afraid to add some personality to your social responses. Companies that hone their brand’s identity through their social media are often the most successful at retaining customers.

UPS builds personal connections by posting photos of the support team on its Facebook and Twitter feeds. This tactic shows customers that they are working with real people and helps place a face behind a tweet. This personal approach leads to friendlier interactions between support reps and customers, because it’s harder to be rude when customers feel like they are talking to real people. Another best practice is to ask support agents to add short signatures to their tweets. This way consumers know they aren’t just being tweeted at, they are being spoken to and by a support rep who cares.

Use technology that makes it easier to manage inbound requests

According to a recent survey by The Social Habit, 32 percent of social media users who contact a brand expect a response within 30 minutes and 42 percent expect a response within an hour. Your help desk can watch Twitter for you, create tickets automatically and alert you when a customer complains publicly, so you don’t need to staff someone to watch Twitter 24×7.

We’ve seen our own customers take advantage of this opportunity. Pearson, one of the biggest publishing houses and learning companies in the world, realized that authors and support agents needed access to the company’s social media channels so they could reach their customers wherever they go.

By utilizing the Freshdesk platform, Pearson made sure that every inbound customer complaint coming through their social channels was categorized, prioritized and assigned to the right support agent or author automatically, despite dealing with hundreds of publications and authors. Authors had direct access to Pearson’s social media sites to engage with consumers, allowing them to reach a far wider audience during important launch days. The platform allowed the team to carry their conversations with customers in Twitter and Facebook over to their support portal to directly engage with them all in one place.

Creating a standardized, friendly approach through service platforms will help organizations improve their social media support. Customers will start to receive the kind of thoughtful, organized and instantaneous service they have come to expect. Brands that listen to their customers and respond to them in the channels they are present in and care about, will see improved customer retention and satisfaction.

Dilawar Syed is President of Freshdesk. Freshdesk is a cloud-based customer support platform that was founded with the mission of enabling companies of all sizes to provide great customer service. Thier goal is simple: make it easy for brands to talk to their customers and make it easy for users to get in touch with businesses.

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

David Vs. Goliath: Why Haven’t Big Box Retailers Chased All the Small Guys Out of Town?

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Predictive Consumption Transforms Excellent Customer Service into Effortless Customer Service

Effortless Experience

Here is a fascinating new and hot concept in customer service: Predictive Consumption.

I was working with my friends at SAP on an upcoming article and webinar, and we were discussing the concept of moving away from excellent customer service to effortless customer service.

What are customers looking for in the world of customer service? They want an easy, hassle-free, pleasant experience.

For example, if a customer has a problem or question, a good service interaction should require a minimal amount of effort to resolve the issue, for both the customer and the service agent. What customers are looking for is a solution that is resolved quickly and as easily as possible, or should I say, as effortlessly as possible.

Maybe the customer calls a company and the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software recognizes the customer’s phone number. This allows the agent to get all of the information necessary to start taking care of the customer before the conversation begins, rather than the customer having to share his or her account number, last four numbers of their social security number, and mother’s maiden name. As an example, whenever I call American Airlines from my mobile or office phone, their system always recognizes my number and when the agent comes on to help they greet me by name. They know what flights I’m booked on and they are ready to deal with my question or problem almost immediately.

Another effortless customer service example is audio recognition, which is software that can recognize a customer’s voice. In just a short sentence or two, which can take place during a short verbal interaction when the customer service rep greets the customer, the software is able to confirm and identify the customer’s voice print. Again, not having to put the customer through the drill of answering traditional security questions creates a more streamlined and effortless process that enhances the customer’s experience.

How easy do you make it for a customer to connect with you? Does your website have a phone number, easily found, on every page? When the customer calls, is the wait time minimal? When they contact you via email, is the response within minutes – and not hours? How easy is it to return or exchange an item?

I think you get the idea. You want your customer service to be effortless.

The concept of Predictable Consumption takes effortless customer service to the next level. As a most basic example, think what would happen if your grocery store knew you were about to run out of your favorite cereal and, without having to call them, it was delivered to your doorstep. Or you may work at a warehouse and the chemical company that delivers cleaning supplies shows up just as you are about to reorder. It doesn’t take a crystal ball. This is done through analytics that are tracked to the individual customer’s buying patterns.

This concept will become hot. It will also allow companies to create a subscription based model, where customers make ongoing payments via credit card or through automatic bank transfers, to get their products delivered just in time – before they ever have to pick up the phone or go online to place an order. The less effort a customer goes through to do business with you, the better.

Shep Hyken is a customer service 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

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

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5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of March 9, 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.

Shared Feelings in the Sharing Economy by Nanette Brown

(ICC/DecisionServices) In the sharing economy (per NY Times columnist Thomas Friedman), companies like Uber, Lyft, Feastly, AirBnB, and Rover let you turn an under-used asset (for example, your guest room or the passenger seat in your car) into a revenue stream, or let you procure access to assets and services offered by other individuals. While regulators and economists struggle with the financial impacts of the sharing economy, individuals are also struggling to find their way in this brave new world.

My Comment: It makes sense that the customer would choose if they wanted to (or not to) do business with a company. It’s an interesting switch that the business would rate customers, and as a result choose if the company should do business with them. This article may focus on Uber, as the drivers get to rate their customers. Not sure that I agree that the drivers get to make the decision, but that’s not the point. The point is the concept: rating customers and determining if they are worth doing business with. A bad customer can cause damage to the morale of the employees – and more.

Who’s next? A customer service lesson from your local barbershop by Meredith Sain

(Desk) I grew up in a small town. A really small town where neighbors were friends, families were close-knit, and hugs were easy to come by. My dad owned a local barber shop, the kind you see in old movies – cash only, hot shaves, and men laughing heartily at jokes – and before that, my grandfather owned the shop. Same scene, different time. For generations, customers have jumped out of their seats when their barber yelled, “who’s next?” (no appointments here!). Many years have passed and the same families, the same loyal customers still visit my dad’s shop. Growing up in the family business, I learned a lot about customer service.

My Comment: Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That’s what came to mind as I read this article about how a barber can build a loyal following by doing more than just giving exceptional customer service, but by caring. That message came through loud and clear.

How A Great Company Culture Helps With Customer Loyalty by Jacob Shriar

(OfficeVibe) Loyal customers come from having amazing experiences with your company. Those amazing experiences come from employees that are engaged and willing to go that extra mile.

My Comment: The culture of a company is its destiny. If the culture isn’t customer focused, customers will experience inconsistency depending on who they interact with. Inconsistency leads to a lack of confidence, which leads to a lack of loyalty. When it comes to customer service, it really starts with the top leadership pushing the service culture through the company.

The 5-Star Approach To Turning A Customer Experience Around by Cheryl Conner

(Forbes) No matter who you are, every entrepreneur has had an unhappy customer or follower, at least now and then. Today I invite you to meet Jonathan Sprinkles, communicator, keynote speaker, author, and self-described “Connection Coach.”

My Comment: Whenever the customer has a complaint, the goal should not to be just to fix the problem. It should also be to restore confidence. This “Five Star” approach will do the job. The fifth step – or star – is about accountability, which may be the most important step.

How to increase your competitive edge through customer experience by Jim Iyoob

(LinkedIn) Here are tips that can help you create a competitive advantage by offering superior customer service.

My Comment: Great info about the customer experience. As much as it is about the customer, it is also about employees. I love that this article included “Satisfy Your Employees” as one of the strategies.

Shep Hyken is a customer service 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

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Guest Blog: Top 5 Reasons Customers Helping Customers is the Future of Customer Support

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Manuel Grenacher shares his top 5 reasons customers helping customers if the future of customer support. I agree and wrote about the idea of customers helping themselves and answering their own questions. – Shep Hyken

More and more companies are turning to collaborative consumption practices to boost their customer support. Call it crowd sourcing, or crowd service; companies are increasingly recognizing that their own customers or brand advocates can be some of their most enthusiastic and efficient means of support for other customers.

Online forums, in which customers can seek out support for their products with other customers is common practice now. However, companies including Switzerland’s largest mobile operator Swisscom, Vodafone Germany, and DHL in Sweden are exploring this in the physical world by setting up platforms that let their brand advocates or enthusiasts offer their help to other customers. The additional help isn’t meant as a replacement of a company’s service obligations, and it isn’t a foisting off of support responsibilities. Rather, it extends support to products, or encourages knowledge sharing to make the most of them.

So, here are our top 5 reasons we believe that customers helping customers is the future of customer support:

Ability to Offer Extra Support Beyond a Company’s Obligations

Consumers, today, have heightened expectations of customer service. A company’s brand can take a negative hit even when support for a product is not necessarily in their remit. Take for instance, building a piece of flat pack furniture. Every consumer knows this is the deal: the price of the flat pack is cheaper since you are required to build it. But not every customer has the time or inclination to do so. Why not offer an additional channel that lets them quickly and easily find someone who can do it for them, at a price they can agree on?

Support Customers 24/7

Consumers increasingly expect around-the-clock access to support and quick resolutions to their issues. On the positive side, they are not afraid to help themselves, nor, as it turns out are they afraid of asking help from other consumers or offering that help to others. As the success of Uber, Airbnb and Lyft show consumers are increasingly comfortable with the idea of getting help or using the assets of another consumer. Companies can use their own customer enthusiasts to provide additional support at times most convenient to the customer.

Help Your Customers Get the Most Out of Your Products

Feature-laden products are becoming more complex — and commonplace — than ever. We’re not just talking of the typical high tech products such as computers, mobile phones, and digiboxes. Daily items including thermostats, smoke alarms, and even the humble iron are being packed with more features; and increasingly connected to the Internet. Their proper use and set can be difficult and time consuming. Customers can help other customers set these products up and make the most of them.

Sell More Products

Companies that have established ways for their customers to help one another have found this has stimulated sales. In the UK, big box home improvement chain B&Q runs the popular community tool-sharing platform “Streetclub”. Consumers get together, discuss DIY plans, help one another with jobs, and share tools. Did the shared tools mean a loss of sales to B&Q? No, it didn’t. In fact, sharing tools needed for one-off jobs meant consumers were willing to spend on the materials rather than putting the job off.

Reward Your Brand Advocates

Your brand advocates are one of your most valuable resources. Giving them an outlet to help others — and to be paid for it — allows them to champion your products and be rewarded for it at the same time.

Manuel Grenacher is a tech serial entrepreneur from Switzerland. While completing his degree in computer sciences at the University of Applied Sciences in Windisch, he founded Coresystems – a software company offering mobile field service solutions. In 2013, Grenacher founded Mila, a marketplace that enables users to find, book and rate services in their neighborhood. The start-up has raised $ 3.22 million in private capital, and partnered with telecommunication provider Swisscom and Vodafone Germany to provide local tech support from customers to customers.

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

The Corporate Version of Live Long and Prosper: A Tribute to Leonard Nimoy (1931-2015)

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How to Think In Tough Customer Service Situations

Customer Complaint

It’s not if we will ever get a customer complaint. It’s when we’ll get that complaint. And some are worse than others.

Recently I attended an amazing speech delivered by Dr. Jason Selk . It was based on his concept that he calls The Relentless Solution Focus or RSF. This is a concept he teaches professional athletes and high-performing business people. It’s about having the right mindset to mentally turn a problem around.

As he shared his ideas, I couldn’t help but think how powerful this concept would work in very tough customer service situations. Here is the background and commentary on Dr. Selk’s concept:

First, there is something Dr. Selk calls the Expectancy Theory, which is that what you focus on expands. He used the example of when a baseball player strikes out. If all the athlete thinks about is the strike-out as he or she walks onto the field, that negative thought can start to expand and consume the mind. That negative thought could jeopardize the next play. It applies in business as well. If a customer is upset or angry, you can’t let the negative energy affect you. Don’t take it personally. Don’t let their anger cause you to lose control.

Next is to recognize that you need to engage in RSF. This happens anytime you experience a negative emotion. You ask yourself the RSF question which is, “What is the one thing I can do – or do differently – that can make this situation better?” This one thing may solve the issue, or just get you an inch further. The key is that any positive movement toward resolving the problem or complaint, however small, is what you’re after.

Can you see how this applies to almost any customer service situations? Sometimes customers will be upset to the point that you feel there is nothing you can do to make them happy. From experience, there is always something you can do. The key is to start with something small. The RSF “One Thing” question is perfect. There has to be something that you can do. The worst case, it may be asking for a little time to sort things out. This gives the parties involved the opportunity to cool off and calm down. At the same time it gives the person trying to solve the customer’s problem a little time to come up with a solution that might make the customer happy.

This is such a simple process, but don’t let its simplicity make you think it’s not powerful. Write down the RSF question and post it somewhere you can see it. The next time you’re in a tough situation, where you feel frustrated, upset or even angry, ask yourself that question. All you’re looking for is for anything positive, regardless of how small, to move you toward a solution.

Shep Hyken is a customer service 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

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)

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5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of March 2, 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.

#CaringCounts: Caring for customers by Chris Muise

(Halifax Citizen) We’ve all had those days where things just aren’t going our way, or something’s got us in a bad mood, or for whatever reason, we might need a pick-me-up — a little surprise to make us smile. On those days, wouldn’t it be great if some thoughtful person appeared on your doorstep with a cup of coffee, just for you?

My Comment: This is a great story and has a heartwarming example of how a business can do good for those in need. I’ve always felt that community service should be part of the value that companies bring to their customers and their community.

10 Traits of a Great Front Desk Agent by Rupesh Patel

(LinkedIn) Working the front of house at a hotel is a tough job. I know, I’ve had my share of working desk shifts..(remember doing 3 shifts in a row? – not fun!). Guest service agents are on their feet for most of an 8 hour shift and have to deal with demanding guests. And many times, how they react can make or break our hotel’s reputation.

My Comment: What do the best hotels and restaurants do to take care of their guests? A hospitality mentality is appropriate for virtually any business.  Here are a some ideas that not only work for the front desk agent, but just about anyone who interacts with customers in any business.

Getting Back To Customer Service Basics In A Digitally Connected Era by Alicia Fiorletta

(Retail Touchpoints) For as long as retail has existed, so has customer service. One would argue that the two go hand-in-hand, and that a retailer cannot continue to exist — let alone excel — without exemplary customer service.

My Comment: The basics of customer service should be a part of every type of customer service solution from traditional to the latest digital technology. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the phone, delivering service via instant chat, providing a self-service solution, responding on social channels like Twitter, etc., the basics apply.  It doesn’t matter what channel it is, as long as they are customer-focused and make it easy for the customer to do business with you.

How-To Content: The Customer Service Secret Weapon by Rieva Lesonsky

(Small Business Trends) Is how-to content part of your small business’s content marketing strategy? If you aren’t creating content that shows customers how to do something, you’re missing out on a big opportunity to provide customer service in a format that customers increasingly want.

My Comment: Creating value-added “how to” content endears a customer to the company. It doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in, share ideas to enhance the experience of using your products and/or services. Provide ideas that show how your products and services can save money, make life easier, save time, and more. If you’re not already providing content to your customers, your missing a great opportunity to deliver more value.

Question for the IRS? Hold, please. by Jonnelle Marte

(Washington Post) Taxpayer advocate Nina Olson warned last month that IRS customer service would suffer because of the budget cuts hitting the agency. She was right.

My Comment: This article may report on the low level of service the IRS provides. While interesting, there is a lesson here. Look at the stats. Would any customer want to do business with any company with these stats. I doubt it.  In the case of the IRS, the government wants compliance, which means everyone pays their taxes. Then make it easier to do business with them.

Shep Hyken is a customer service 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

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Guest Blog: Business Greatness Requires Something ‘Extra’ – Here’s How to Do It

This week on our Friends on Friday guest blog post, my colleague Susan Solovic shares a restaurant experience demonstrating how attention to details and building relationships are crucial for achieving Amazing customer service. – Shep Hyken

When I’m in New York there’s a restaurant that’s almost like my kitchen, I eat there so often. Once I casually mentioned how much I enjoy the Italian soup, pasta e fagioli. The next time I came in to eat, the owner stopped by my table to tell me they had made the soup for me.

Do you know how special I felt and how impressed I was with the level of customer service at this restaurant? It was off the chart.

There’s an old Creole word they use in New Orleans, “lagniappe.” It’s that special extra that a business owner throws in without your asking. You’ve probably experienced it and if you have, you know that sometimes we remember the lagniappe better than we remember the actual item we were originally shopping for.

Rise above expectations

The special batch of soup and the New Orleans lagniappe are both examples of business owners going “above and beyond” the minimum requirement to satisfy a commercial transaction. When I walked into the restaurant that evening, I wasn’t expecting my favorite soup and that made my dining experience go beyond expectations – literally in this case.

What is your company’s lagniappe? How do you exceed expectations?

Let’s quickly unpack the simple things the restaurant owner does right. It may help you find ways to go beyond your customer’s routine expectations.

First, the restaurant owner engaged me. We had a conversation, a dialog. It went beyond the standard pleasantries of “How are you this evening?” or “Is everything fine here?” A real dialog took place.

Second, the owner heard what I said and acted on it. Knowing how overworked restaurant owners are, I suspect that he quickly got pasta e fagioli scheduled for the next day’s menu; the probability of forgetting or becoming distracted is huge. In any case, he saw a way to please a customer and he didn’t let it slip away.

Separating good from great

Other good – but not great – owners would have heard my remark, replied with some comment and then moved on to the next thing. I suppose we should be glad that most business owners are satisfied with being good; it opens up greatness for the rest of us. However, we need to seize the opportunities that allow us to demonstrate why we are great and show our customers what makes us better than the folks who are satisfied with good.

Finally, the owner “closed the loop” with me by telling me that they had made the soup with me in mind. Heck, maybe my next visit just happened to be on the day when they usually make a pot of pasta e fagioli! The important thing is that the owner remembered and took the time to engage me again.

Recalling details about your customers is critically important, they let you develop a relationship that is deeper than the typical business relationship. That quality can often be the deciding factor when people are making choices about who they want to work with or who they recommend to their friends and business associates.

“Ask for Mary, she’ll treat you right.”

Are there any sweeter words in business?

 A woman of many talents, Susan Wilson Solovic is THE Small Business Expert, an award-winning entrepreneur, media personality,  New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon top 100 bestselling author, sought-after keynote speaker and attorney.

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

Your Customers Are Not Always Right, But They Are Always The Customer

The post Guest Blog: Business Greatness Requires Something ‘Extra’ – Here’s How to Do It appeared first on Shep Hyken.