Shep Hyken's Blog, page 36
September 24, 2023
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of September 25, 2023
Each week, I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various 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.
Decoding CSAT: What It is and How to Calculate Your Score by Dorcas Adisa
(Sprout Social) In this article, we answer everything you need to know about customer satisfaction score (CSAT). We’ll discuss its importance and how to calculate it. Further, we’ll also share strategies to help you improve your CSAT score.
My Comment: The CSAT score, or “Customer Satisfaction” score, is a popular assessment that many companies use. Simply put, this survey tool helps measure the customer’s “satisfaction” with the company’s product or service. This comprehensive article covers the advantages of the survey and how to calculate the score correctly. Just when you think you understand CSAT, think again. You may learn something new from this article.
One Big Reason Costco Has Better Customer Service Than Other Stores by Dana George
(The Motley Fool Ascent) If you’re a Costco member who has dealt with the store’s customer service, chances are you’ve experienced a positive exchange. And that may be because Costco employees are happier overall. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure how another person feels, but everything — from providing customer service to helping members find what they’re looking for — seems to come easier to Costco employees. Is it possible that the primary reason Costco customer service enjoys such a strong reputation lies in its ability to bounce back from pandemic-related job losses?
My Comment: Costco is a big box retailer that is recognized for delivering an excellent customer experience that consistently garners high ratings and reviews from its customers (members). How do they do it? This article shares some of their methods, with an emphasis on how they staff their stores. Here’s a chance to learn from a customer service icon.
Do Your Customers Feel Honored? by Chip Bell
(Forbes) Honoring comes in countless forms. We honor with ceremony, ritual, and eloquent elocution. Awards, plaques, and decorations publicize our expressions. But honoring is bottom line about how a person is treated. In the words of Eliza Doolittle in the hit musical My Fair Lady, “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated.”
My Comment: Chip Bell is no stranger to this weekly roundup. He just released another article in Forbes about making your customers feel honored to do business with you. The first question that came to my mind is, “Shouldn’t we be the ones who are honored to do business with a customer?” Chip flips this around and suggests that if you are delivering a high enough level of customer experience, your customers will feel honored to be doing business with you.
How to Overcome Cross-Functional Collaboration Obstacles in CX by Kelechi Okeke
(CXService360) In the field of Customer Experience (CX) management, one of the most significant challenges that organizations face is ensuring that their CX initiatives run smoothly across various departments and teams. While cross-functional collaboration is essential for delivering exceptional customer experiences, it can also become a hindrance if not managed effectively.
My Comment: Even with the best intentions to deliver great CX, some companies fail to get everyone (and every department) in alignment. It takes cross-functional collaboration. Several years ago, I met the author, Kelechi Okeke, when I was at a speaking engagement in Nigeria. In addition to his writing and consulting in the CX space, Kelechi works for a company, so he’s speaking and writing from experience. His take on this problem is worth reading. He calls upon several other industry experts, myself included, to share their thoughts on how to get everyone on board without any cross-functional breakdowns.
Is the Customer Service Recession Ending? By John Dijulius
(The DiJulius Group) Since the middle of the pandemic, customer experience in nearly all industries has dropped to a two-decade low. Customers, patients, clients, tenants, guests, or whatever you may call the person buying your services and products have been frustrated during these tough times. Due to an unprecedented booming economy, leaders started taking shortcuts, solely focusing on sales and profit, reducing their hiring standards to fill positions, and expecting and demanding more of their employees including their customer service representatives, yet not investing in the employee culture and customer experience. All of this has caused employee burnout, low employee morale, high turnover, inconsistency including bad experiences along the customer journey, and customer attrition.
My Comment: Since the pandemic, many organizations have struggled to deliver a better customer service experience. I’ve never referred to this problem as a customer service recession, but it makes sense. In this article, customer service expert John DiJulius shares his take on why he believes a turn-around is coming soon.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
Decoding CSAT: What It is and How to Calculate Your Score by Dorcas Adisa
(Sprout Social) In this article, we answer everything you need to know about customer satisfaction score (CSAT). We’ll discuss its importance and how to calculate it. Further, we’ll also share strategies to help you improve your CSAT score.
My Comment: The CSAT score, or “Customer Satisfaction” score, is a popular assessment that many companies use. Simply put, this survey tool helps measure the customer’s “satisfaction” with the company’s product or service. This comprehensive article covers the advantages of the survey and how to calculate the score correctly. Just when you think you understand CSAT, think again. You may learn something new from this article.
One Big Reason Costco Has Better Customer Service Than Other Stores by Dana George
(The Motley Fool Ascent) If you’re a Costco member who has dealt with the store’s customer service, chances are you’ve experienced a positive exchange. And that may be because Costco employees are happier overall. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure how another person feels, but everything — from providing customer service to helping members find what they’re looking for — seems to come easier to Costco employees. Is it possible that the primary reason Costco customer service enjoys such a strong reputation lies in its ability to bounce back from pandemic-related job losses?
My Comment: Costco is a big box retailer that is recognized for delivering an excellent customer experience that consistently garners high ratings and reviews from its customers (members). How do they do it? This article shares some of their methods, with an emphasis on how they staff their stores. Here’s a chance to learn from a customer service icon.
Do Your Customers Feel Honored? by Chip Bell
(Forbes) Honoring comes in countless forms. We honor with ceremony, ritual, and eloquent elocution. Awards, plaques, and decorations publicize our expressions. But honoring is bottom line about how a person is treated. In the words of Eliza Doolittle in the hit musical My Fair Lady, “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated.”
My Comment: Chip Bell is no stranger to this weekly roundup. He just released another article in Forbes about making your customers feel honored to do business with you. The first question that came to my mind is, “Shouldn’t we be the ones who are honored to do business with a customer?” Chip flips this around and suggests that if you are delivering a high enough level of customer experience, your customers will feel honored to be doing business with you.
How to Overcome Cross-Functional Collaboration Obstacles in CX by Kelechi Okeke
(CXService360) In the field of Customer Experience (CX) management, one of the most significant challenges that organizations face is ensuring that their CX initiatives run smoothly across various departments and teams. While cross-functional collaboration is essential for delivering exceptional customer experiences, it can also become a hindrance if not managed effectively.
My Comment: Even with the best intentions to deliver great CX, some companies fail to get everyone (and every department) in alignment. It takes cross-functional collaboration. Several years ago, I met the author, Kelechi Okeke, when I was at a speaking engagement in Nigeria. In addition to his writing and consulting in the CX space, Kelechi works for a company, so he’s speaking and writing from experience. His take on this problem is worth reading. He calls upon several other industry experts, myself included, to share their thoughts on how to get everyone on board without any cross-functional breakdowns.
Is the Customer Service Recession Ending? By John Dijulius
(The DiJulius Group) Since the middle of the pandemic, customer experience in nearly all industries has dropped to a two-decade low. Customers, patients, clients, tenants, guests, or whatever you may call the person buying your services and products have been frustrated during these tough times. Due to an unprecedented booming economy, leaders started taking shortcuts, solely focusing on sales and profit, reducing their hiring standards to fill positions, and expecting and demanding more of their employees including their customer service representatives, yet not investing in the employee culture and customer experience. All of this has caused employee burnout, low employee morale, high turnover, inconsistency including bad experiences along the customer journey, and customer attrition.
My Comment: Since the pandemic, many organizations have struggled to deliver a better customer service experience. I’ve never referred to this problem as a customer service recession, but it makes sense. In this article, customer service expert John DiJulius shares his take on why he believes a turn-around is coming soon.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
September 22, 2023
Guest Post: Trends of Customer Service in 2023
This week, we feature an article by Prabhjot Singh at Knowmax, a company that empowers customer experience teams to improve engagement through AI-powered knowledge management. He talks about the trends that customer service and experience professionals can expect for the remaining months of 2023.
In 2023, it’s clear that customer service remains a top priority for businesses across industries. The last three years have demonstrated the importance of strong customer support systems, as customers lean heavily on organizations for assistance in times of rapid change and uncertainty.
From the ongoing impact of COVID-19 to supply chain issues and global conflict, businesses are facing unrelenting pressure. But by prioritizing exceptional customer service, organizations can foster loyalty and drive growth in the years ahead.
This year, we’ll see a growing focus on the role of service in corporate strategies, with businesses incorporating new approaches and technologies to deliver the support their customers need. From AI-powered chatbots to hyper-personalization, and with the aid of knowledge-base management solutions, the future of customer service is bright and full of potential. Let’s explore the top trends to watch in the year ahead.
#1 Self-service
In 2023, self-service options will remain a top priority for customers. According to Zendesk, 69% of consumers prefer to settle their issues independently without assistance. Surprisingly, self-service options are provided by fewer than one-third of companies.
This trend has been steadily increasing in recent years, and it’s not going to slow down. Customers want the ability to find the answers they need quickly and easily, without having to pick up the phone or wait in a queue for assistance.
While self-service options will handle easier issues, call centers will still be necessary for more complex questions and problems. Implementing self-service features will allow customer service experts to focus on these more complicated issues, resulting in a better overall customer experience.
#2 Customer care
In today’s business landscape, customer care is crucial in protecting a company’s brand reputation. Service has become the main point of contact between a business and its customers, greatly affecting their perception of the brand. According to a global consumer survey, 60% of customers would buy more from a company that treats them better, while 62% believe businesses need to care more about them.
Customer care is not just a support function but a key brand loyalty and growth driver. With ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges, anything that strengthens a brand’s reputation in the eyes of its customers will be crucial in 2023. Brands that prioritize empathetic customer care and go the extra mile to treat customers better will have a natural advantage over their competitors.
#3 AI-powered chatbots
Customers now demand rapid, precise, and tailored responses from businesses. AI-powered chatbots are leading the charge in delivering a better customer experience. According to Emplifi, Three-quarters (75%) of customers emphasize the importance of brands providing fully self-service customer care options.
AI-powered chatbots are more efficient than traditional customer service methods and can be programmed to provide personalized experiences for each user. Unlike human agents, chatbots can operate 24/7, providing instant customer support anytime.
Chatbots can be utilized in various ways, such as helping customers find what they need, providing information on their accounts, and even notifying them about new products or services. Incorporating AI-powered chatbots into your customer service strategy can save time and resources and provide customers with a seamless and personalized experience.
#4 Interactive video chats: Faster issue resolution
More and more customer service teams are embracing online chat or live support, but did you know that live video interactions are also gaining popularity?
According to Salesforce, 52% of customer care teams utilize online chat or live help, compared to 81% of consumers. It underscores businesses’ need to offer many communication channels to meet client preferences.
With the switch-to-video feature, customers can seamlessly switch to a live video chat with a customer service representative without leaving their preferred channel.
This interactive feature provides a more personal touch to customer service and allows for faster issue resolution. Customers can get their questions answered and issues resolved without interrupting their workflow, making it especially useful in industries like tech support or healthcare. So, consider integrating interactive video chats into your strategy to elevate your customer service game in 2023.
#5 Automation in customer service
Automation is the future of customer service, and 80% of business executives think owners can use it to make any decision. It means that more organizations will adopt automated processes, leading to the removal of repetitive and mundane tasks for customer service representatives.
Introducing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) into the industry is a positive change for employees and customers. With AI, customer service agents can find answers quickly and suggest the best course of action for customers, enabling them to spend more time on complex queries and with customers.
This shift is not about removing responsibility from customer service representatives but rather about enhancing their capabilities and fulfilling their jobs. It ultimately leads to better employee retention and more satisfied customers who can solve their problems in minutes rather than days.
#6 Conversational experience
Consumers today expect natural, fluid interactions where they control the conversation and can seamlessly move between channels without repeating themselves. These expectations are becoming increasingly clear, as evidenced by Zendesk’s data showing that 72% of customers want immediate service, and 71% demand conversational experiences. However, businesses are struggling to catch up, with only 42% offering multiple support channels and 60% of consumers interacting with agents who lack context. It leads to customer dissatisfaction, missed opportunities, and lost revenue.
Customers want interactions that do not disrupt their current tasks, and 70% purchase more from companies offering seamless conversational experiences.
Businesses providing natural, seamless, and contextual interactions can build stronger relationships with their customers, drive customer loyalty, and increase revenue growth. Therefore, companies need to invest in developing conversational experiences that meet and exceed customer expectations.
Conclusion
Businesses in 2023 will continue to prioritize a Knowledge base for customer care, recognizing the importance of strong support systems in fostering customer loyalty and driving growth. Key trends in customer service for 2023 include a growing focus on self-service options, empathetic customer care, AI-powered chatbots, interactive video chats, and automation. By incorporating these trends into their customer service strategies, organizations can deliver exceptional customer experiences, save time and resources, and ultimately strengthen their brand reputation in the eyes of their customers.
Prabhjot Singh is a digital marketer at Knowmax, a company that empowers customer experience teams to improve engagement through AI-powered knowledge management.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Mastering Customer Centricity: Six Ways To Put Customer At Core Of Your Business
In 2023, it’s clear that customer service remains a top priority for businesses across industries. The last three years have demonstrated the importance of strong customer support systems, as customers lean heavily on organizations for assistance in times of rapid change and uncertainty.
From the ongoing impact of COVID-19 to supply chain issues and global conflict, businesses are facing unrelenting pressure. But by prioritizing exceptional customer service, organizations can foster loyalty and drive growth in the years ahead.
This year, we’ll see a growing focus on the role of service in corporate strategies, with businesses incorporating new approaches and technologies to deliver the support their customers need. From AI-powered chatbots to hyper-personalization, and with the aid of knowledge-base management solutions, the future of customer service is bright and full of potential. Let’s explore the top trends to watch in the year ahead.
#1 Self-service
In 2023, self-service options will remain a top priority for customers. According to Zendesk, 69% of consumers prefer to settle their issues independently without assistance. Surprisingly, self-service options are provided by fewer than one-third of companies.
This trend has been steadily increasing in recent years, and it’s not going to slow down. Customers want the ability to find the answers they need quickly and easily, without having to pick up the phone or wait in a queue for assistance.
While self-service options will handle easier issues, call centers will still be necessary for more complex questions and problems. Implementing self-service features will allow customer service experts to focus on these more complicated issues, resulting in a better overall customer experience.
#2 Customer care
In today’s business landscape, customer care is crucial in protecting a company’s brand reputation. Service has become the main point of contact between a business and its customers, greatly affecting their perception of the brand. According to a global consumer survey, 60% of customers would buy more from a company that treats them better, while 62% believe businesses need to care more about them.
Customer care is not just a support function but a key brand loyalty and growth driver. With ongoing economic and geopolitical challenges, anything that strengthens a brand’s reputation in the eyes of its customers will be crucial in 2023. Brands that prioritize empathetic customer care and go the extra mile to treat customers better will have a natural advantage over their competitors.
#3 AI-powered chatbots
Customers now demand rapid, precise, and tailored responses from businesses. AI-powered chatbots are leading the charge in delivering a better customer experience. According to Emplifi, Three-quarters (75%) of customers emphasize the importance of brands providing fully self-service customer care options.
AI-powered chatbots are more efficient than traditional customer service methods and can be programmed to provide personalized experiences for each user. Unlike human agents, chatbots can operate 24/7, providing instant customer support anytime.
Chatbots can be utilized in various ways, such as helping customers find what they need, providing information on their accounts, and even notifying them about new products or services. Incorporating AI-powered chatbots into your customer service strategy can save time and resources and provide customers with a seamless and personalized experience.
#4 Interactive video chats: Faster issue resolution
More and more customer service teams are embracing online chat or live support, but did you know that live video interactions are also gaining popularity?
According to Salesforce, 52% of customer care teams utilize online chat or live help, compared to 81% of consumers. It underscores businesses’ need to offer many communication channels to meet client preferences.
With the switch-to-video feature, customers can seamlessly switch to a live video chat with a customer service representative without leaving their preferred channel.
This interactive feature provides a more personal touch to customer service and allows for faster issue resolution. Customers can get their questions answered and issues resolved without interrupting their workflow, making it especially useful in industries like tech support or healthcare. So, consider integrating interactive video chats into your strategy to elevate your customer service game in 2023.
#5 Automation in customer service
Automation is the future of customer service, and 80% of business executives think owners can use it to make any decision. It means that more organizations will adopt automated processes, leading to the removal of repetitive and mundane tasks for customer service representatives.
Introducing robots and artificial intelligence (AI) into the industry is a positive change for employees and customers. With AI, customer service agents can find answers quickly and suggest the best course of action for customers, enabling them to spend more time on complex queries and with customers.
This shift is not about removing responsibility from customer service representatives but rather about enhancing their capabilities and fulfilling their jobs. It ultimately leads to better employee retention and more satisfied customers who can solve their problems in minutes rather than days.
#6 Conversational experience
Consumers today expect natural, fluid interactions where they control the conversation and can seamlessly move between channels without repeating themselves. These expectations are becoming increasingly clear, as evidenced by Zendesk’s data showing that 72% of customers want immediate service, and 71% demand conversational experiences. However, businesses are struggling to catch up, with only 42% offering multiple support channels and 60% of consumers interacting with agents who lack context. It leads to customer dissatisfaction, missed opportunities, and lost revenue.
Customers want interactions that do not disrupt their current tasks, and 70% purchase more from companies offering seamless conversational experiences.
Businesses providing natural, seamless, and contextual interactions can build stronger relationships with their customers, drive customer loyalty, and increase revenue growth. Therefore, companies need to invest in developing conversational experiences that meet and exceed customer expectations.
Conclusion
Businesses in 2023 will continue to prioritize a Knowledge base for customer care, recognizing the importance of strong support systems in fostering customer loyalty and driving growth. Key trends in customer service for 2023 include a growing focus on self-service options, empathetic customer care, AI-powered chatbots, interactive video chats, and automation. By incorporating these trends into their customer service strategies, organizations can deliver exceptional customer experiences, save time and resources, and ultimately strengthen their brand reputation in the eyes of their customers.
Prabhjot Singh is a digital marketer at Knowmax, a company that empowers customer experience teams to improve engagement through AI-powered knowledge management.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Mastering Customer Centricity: Six Ways To Put Customer At Core Of Your Business
September 19, 2023
Playing to Win in Customer Service
One of the more enjoyable activities in my life is playing hockey. When I’m in town – not out speaking at conferences – I lace up the skates several times a week to play in a friendly hockey game. In close games, when my team is up by one or two goals, I remember my school days when our coaches encouraged us to continue playing to score, even when we were winning, versus switching to more defensive play to prevent the other team from scoring. So, what does this have to do with business, specifically customer service and CX? Plenty!
In any team sport, the goal is to win. In the customer service world, we should create a “game plan” to deliver an experience that is perfect, never requiring a customer to reach out to us because of problems. Consider what Jeff Bezos of Amazon said many years ago: “The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.” That’s a perfect example of playing to win.
But that doesn’t always work. Bezos quickly discovered that as perfect as Amazon might be, once the package left the warehouse, control was in the hands of delivery companies such as the USPS, FedEx, or UPS. If there was a delivery problem, even if it wasn’t Amazon’s fault, the customer still called Amazon.
That’s where Amazon learned to play great defense, typically managing complaints or issues so well that the company has earned a reputation for amazing customer service. And they still play to win. They continue to open more distribution sites and grow their fleet of airplanes and vehicles to manage the entire experience, so they don’t have to rely on outside vendors as much. And as perfect as they try to be, there will still be problems, so a good defense, as in a good customer service experience, supports the effort to win.
While we can’t all be Amazon, we can play a similar game. We need defense, which is the ability to respond to our customers’ questions, problems, needs, and complaints in a way that renews confidence for them to continue doing business with us. However, we must also play to win, which means continuously improving the customer experience, including eliminating or mitigating any of those customer issues.
In the customer service world, playing to win in customer service means eliminating the reasons customers call us for problems and complaints. Playing defense is focusing on being good at handling our customers’ problems or complaints. We need to be good at both.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
September 18, 2023
Boosting Customer Satisfaction with Quick and Consistent Responses
Top Takeaways:
In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect timely responses across various communication channels. Whether it’s email, phone calls, or social media, consistent and efficient interaction is essential to meet customer expectations.
Speaking of customers expecting quick and timely responses, if they wanted to wait, they would have waited to make ask their question or make their request in the first place. Businesses should value their customers’ time and demonstrate respect by delivering quick and consistent responses. This not only helps in acquiring new clients but also strengthens customer loyalty and fosters long-term relationships.
Email remains a dominant channel for B2B communication. Companies across different industries should customize their response speed based on the preferences of their customers. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and understanding industry-specific expectations is essential to succeed.
Consistency is crucial in providing an outstanding customer experience. It is not enough to respond quickly at the beginning of the customer relationship. You must always respond quickly. Maintaining consistent response times builds trust and sets proper expectations.
Finding the right balance between speed and quality is essential. While quick response times are important, businesses should also ensure that their responses are accurate, helpful, and provide value to the customer.
Timetoreply has a special offer for Amazing Business Radio listeners! Get one month of their email analytics and performance optimization software for free.
Plus, Shep and Howard discuss how to create a positive experience even when delivering less-than-ideal news to your customers. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Speed makes one of the highest impacts in increasing customer satisfaction whether you’re looking to win clients or retain the ones you already have.”
“Valuing your customers’ time is what it’s all about. Just as everyone values their own time, businesses should do the same. We must empower our teams to consistently prioritize and value the time of prospects and customers and set clear expectations for exceptional service.”
“Understand what experiences you want your customers to have and design your organization to deliver that.”
“People are time-poor. Being proactive by using live data to anticipate what a customer needs or wants to know more about is just expected these days.”
Howard Moodycliffe is the CEO of Timetoreply, an email response management and analytics software that helps companies empower teams, delight customers, and boost revenue.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio .
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does speed impact customer satisfaction and loyalty?
How important is consistency in delivering fast responses to customers?
Why is it essential for businesses to value their customers’ time?
What are some strategies for optimizing email response time?
How can businesses determine the right response time for different channels?
In today’s fast-paced world, customers expect timely responses across various communication channels. Whether it’s email, phone calls, or social media, consistent and efficient interaction is essential to meet customer expectations.
Speaking of customers expecting quick and timely responses, if they wanted to wait, they would have waited to make ask their question or make their request in the first place. Businesses should value their customers’ time and demonstrate respect by delivering quick and consistent responses. This not only helps in acquiring new clients but also strengthens customer loyalty and fosters long-term relationships.
Email remains a dominant channel for B2B communication. Companies across different industries should customize their response speed based on the preferences of their customers. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and understanding industry-specific expectations is essential to succeed.
Consistency is crucial in providing an outstanding customer experience. It is not enough to respond quickly at the beginning of the customer relationship. You must always respond quickly. Maintaining consistent response times builds trust and sets proper expectations.
Finding the right balance between speed and quality is essential. While quick response times are important, businesses should also ensure that their responses are accurate, helpful, and provide value to the customer.
Timetoreply has a special offer for Amazing Business Radio listeners! Get one month of their email analytics and performance optimization software for free.
Plus, Shep and Howard discuss how to create a positive experience even when delivering less-than-ideal news to your customers. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Speed makes one of the highest impacts in increasing customer satisfaction whether you’re looking to win clients or retain the ones you already have.”
“Valuing your customers’ time is what it’s all about. Just as everyone values their own time, businesses should do the same. We must empower our teams to consistently prioritize and value the time of prospects and customers and set clear expectations for exceptional service.”
“Understand what experiences you want your customers to have and design your organization to deliver that.”
“People are time-poor. Being proactive by using live data to anticipate what a customer needs or wants to know more about is just expected these days.”
About:
Howard Moodycliffe is the CEO of Timetoreply, an email response management and analytics software that helps companies empower teams, delight customers, and boost revenue.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio .
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How does speed impact customer satisfaction and loyalty?
How important is consistency in delivering fast responses to customers?
Why is it essential for businesses to value their customers’ time?
What are some strategies for optimizing email response time?
How can businesses determine the right response time for different channels?
September 17, 2023
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of September 18, 2023
Each week, I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various 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.
Price vs. Value: Brands Should Add Benefits When They Charge More by Dan Gingiss
(Dan Gingiss) The price vs. value conundrum is alive and well with companies and their customers. Businesses will tend to raise prices when they can, especially in an inflationary economy. But do they also increase the value of their products for consumers?
My Comment: Dan Gingiss is back with another excellent article, this time about price versus value. My annual customer experience research found that almost half of American consumers will pay more for value in the form of a great service experience. Price becomes more important to customers when value is missing. Gingiss covers that and more as he demystifies the price versus value conundrum.
7 Ways Companies Are Using Generative AI in Customer Experience by Leila Hawkins
(CX Network) As tech revolutions go, it is still very early days for generative AI, however its power to analyze data and produce content faster than a human means many companies are already harnessing its potential to improve customer service and drive engagement and promotional activities.
My Comment: Every week, I’ve been finding a good article about using AI and ChatGPT. This has some interesting mini-case studies showcasing how different brands use AI and related technologies for digital assistants, travel needs, marketing, and more.
Should Your Brand Embrace Social Issues? Here’s What to Consider by Christopher Tompkins
(Entrepreneur Media) With the digital landscape evolving at a rapid pace, consumers are not focusing their search strictly on products and services – they are also seeking to connect with brands that share their values and support social causes. As a result, many businesses find themselves asking a crucial question: “Should we embrace social issues and integrate them into our brand identity?”
My Comment: Should a brand actively support a social issue? And if they do, how will the customer respond? According to this author, the answers to these questions are positive. And this also impacts the employee experience. Both consumers and employees enjoy doing business with or working for the company or brand that stands for something!
10 CEOs Customer Experience Leaders Who Work On The Front Lines by Blake Morgan
(Forbes) Customer-obsessed leaders are foundational to a strong customer experience strategy. But being customer-obsessed requires leaders to know and interact with their customers. The best customer experience heroes are the CEOs who step outside their offices to work on the front lines and interact with customers and employees.
My Comment: Blake Morgan is a fellow customer experience expert who has been featured in this roundup a number of times. I love this article because it shows the power of a leader (CEO, President, etc.) who spends time “on the front line” of their business. The CEO of Starbucks spends one day a month as a barista. The CEO of Airbnb rents out his home once a month to customers. The CEO of Zapier spends time each week in the contact center working through support calls. These executives stay in touch with their customers by spending time with their customers – and you should, too!
Five Surprising Ways to Unearth UX Differentiators by Andy Ingle
(MyCustomer.com) From brand differentiation and customer loyalty, to cost savings and having an innovative edge, unearthing differentiators can ultimately drive growth, instill customer loyalty, and increase revenue. Yet how exactly can businesses unearth these sought-after differentiators?
My Comment: How do you use UX (User Experience) to set yourself apart from the competition? Here are five ways to do that. Some of them are common, but there are a couple that you probably haven’t thought about before. It’s a quick three-minute read that will give you some ideas on how you can create a better user experience.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
Price vs. Value: Brands Should Add Benefits When They Charge More by Dan Gingiss
(Dan Gingiss) The price vs. value conundrum is alive and well with companies and their customers. Businesses will tend to raise prices when they can, especially in an inflationary economy. But do they also increase the value of their products for consumers?
My Comment: Dan Gingiss is back with another excellent article, this time about price versus value. My annual customer experience research found that almost half of American consumers will pay more for value in the form of a great service experience. Price becomes more important to customers when value is missing. Gingiss covers that and more as he demystifies the price versus value conundrum.
7 Ways Companies Are Using Generative AI in Customer Experience by Leila Hawkins
(CX Network) As tech revolutions go, it is still very early days for generative AI, however its power to analyze data and produce content faster than a human means many companies are already harnessing its potential to improve customer service and drive engagement and promotional activities.
My Comment: Every week, I’ve been finding a good article about using AI and ChatGPT. This has some interesting mini-case studies showcasing how different brands use AI and related technologies for digital assistants, travel needs, marketing, and more.
Should Your Brand Embrace Social Issues? Here’s What to Consider by Christopher Tompkins
(Entrepreneur Media) With the digital landscape evolving at a rapid pace, consumers are not focusing their search strictly on products and services – they are also seeking to connect with brands that share their values and support social causes. As a result, many businesses find themselves asking a crucial question: “Should we embrace social issues and integrate them into our brand identity?”
My Comment: Should a brand actively support a social issue? And if they do, how will the customer respond? According to this author, the answers to these questions are positive. And this also impacts the employee experience. Both consumers and employees enjoy doing business with or working for the company or brand that stands for something!
10 CEOs Customer Experience Leaders Who Work On The Front Lines by Blake Morgan
(Forbes) Customer-obsessed leaders are foundational to a strong customer experience strategy. But being customer-obsessed requires leaders to know and interact with their customers. The best customer experience heroes are the CEOs who step outside their offices to work on the front lines and interact with customers and employees.
My Comment: Blake Morgan is a fellow customer experience expert who has been featured in this roundup a number of times. I love this article because it shows the power of a leader (CEO, President, etc.) who spends time “on the front line” of their business. The CEO of Starbucks spends one day a month as a barista. The CEO of Airbnb rents out his home once a month to customers. The CEO of Zapier spends time each week in the contact center working through support calls. These executives stay in touch with their customers by spending time with their customers – and you should, too!
Five Surprising Ways to Unearth UX Differentiators by Andy Ingle
(MyCustomer.com) From brand differentiation and customer loyalty, to cost savings and having an innovative edge, unearthing differentiators can ultimately drive growth, instill customer loyalty, and increase revenue. Yet how exactly can businesses unearth these sought-after differentiators?
My Comment: How do you use UX (User Experience) to set yourself apart from the competition? Here are five ways to do that. Some of them are common, but there are a couple that you probably haven’t thought about before. It’s a quick three-minute read that will give you some ideas on how you can create a better user experience.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
September 15, 2023
Guest Post: 5 Ways to Provide Outstanding Customer Experience With Email Marketing
This week, we feature an article by Maria Fintanidou, a copywriter for Moosend, an email marketing automation software. She writes about using email marketing to improve customer service and experience throughout the entire customer journey.
With the variety of online products and services, customer expectations are constantly growing. Consumers expect brands to offer them memorable and meaningful experiences. And this doesn´t just impact initial interactions but contributes to customer retention, too. To keep new and current customers engaged, no business should leave out one of the most important pieces of the customer experience puzzle: email marketing. This blog post will focus on the most effective ways to leverage email marketing to enhance the customer experience throughout the entire customer journey.
5 Ways to Deliver Excellent Customer Experience With Email Marketing
With email marketing, brands establish trusting and personal relationships with their subscribers. Your company’s email list is populated with consumers already interested in what you offer. That’s why regular and relevant email communication with your recipients is the key for your business to stay top of mind. So, let’s move ahead to discover how you can get the desired result through targeted email marketing campaigns.
The fine art of personalized emails
One of the most convert-driving factors of email marketing is personalization. The segmentation and personalization options provided by reputable email newsletter software empower you to provide customized experiences to every reader. Based on data like their demographics or shopping and browsing behavior, you can craft personalized email content that addresses their specific needs and solves their pain points.
Customers expect brands to know their preferences and create customized emails that serve them best. From the email subject line to the visual components and copy, you should target your email content to each reader to increase their engagement. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that personalized emails deliver outstanding results in crucial email marketing metrics, such as open or click-through rates.
Let recipients adjust their email preferences
Personalizing email communication doesn’t end with list segmentation and customized email content. It’s all about your email marketing revolving around your subscribers’ needs. Therefore, it’s vital that you let them choose their email preferences, meaning what they receive from you and how often. To do so, you should develop a preference center for readers to pick their preferred way of email communication.
Also, you should always include an ‘update your email preferences’ option in your emails. This process does much more than ensure you don’t overwhelm readers with irrelevant emails. It’s an effective way to decrease your email unsubscribe rate. More often than not, subscribers don’t want entirely out of your email content; they just need to adjust their preferences to fit their needs. Last but not least, remember that your readers’ preferences keep evolving. So, now and then, send them a survey to collect updated information and ask them for feedback on improving your customer experience.
Provide valuable email content
As marketers and business owners, our all-time favorite objective is boosting sales. However, there are little things that customers hate more than sales marketing material that’s centered around the brand instead of them. Sure, some of your email campaigns will be promotional, presenting your products and services. But ideally, you must dispatch valuable email content, too – whether it’s to educate or entertain your readers.
Savvy marketing professionals use their emails to provide recipients with helpful how-to guides, exciting blog posts, timely industry tips, or engaging videos. This way, they prevent subscribers from seeking answers to their questions from competitive brands. This type of email content shows your customers that you care about their needs and want to help them improve their daily lives, even if it doesn’t translate into sales every single time. Trust us when we say it’s the road to customer loyalty.
Being accessible matters
Many brands investing in email marketing forget that email is a two-way line of communication. We’re all after increased recipient engagement and conversion rate in our email marketing efforts. However, subscribers want to know they can reach out to their favorite brands easily and without friction points. Keeping your email channel open goes a long way in offering exceptional customer service. That’s why you should provide readers with email support directly from your emails to solve their issues right then and there.
When a subscriber takes the time to communicate with your business via email, it´s imperative that someone will be there to address their query as immediately and efficiently as possible. Many subscribers prefer to send their questions and complaints through email to save time from contacting a customer support representative. Giving them such an option boosts their perception of your business and demonstrates that you have a customer-centric approach.
Send thank-you emails
Surprisingly enough, not every company sends their customers thank-you emails after they put in an order. Perhaps it’s because they think they don’t have to do so. But that’s far from the truth since thank-you emails bring back impressive results in terms of open and click-through compared to other dedicated emails:
Customers genuinely appreciate it when you go into the trouble of dispatching a thank-you email after they’ve purchased a product or service from you. It’s the equivalent of the experience and interpersonal relationship they would get if they entered a physical store. This personal touch in their interactions with your brand makes them feel appreciated. And there’s no need to exaggerate with this type of email; any short, heart-warming, and genuine thank you note will do the trick.
Final Words
Delivering an outstanding customer experience with email marketing is all about creating meaningful and personal connections with your subscribers. Focus on catering your email campaigns to your readers’ interests to keep them engaged throughout the customer journey. Whatever the strategies you employ to power up your email marketing game, always remember the number one rule for delivering exceptional customer experiences through emails: put your recipients’ and their needs front and center. It’s a bulletproof way to turn them into loyal customers and keep them coming back for more!
Maria Fintanidou works as a copywriter for email marketing automation software Moosend, having created the Help Articles (FAQs) and overseen the platform’s translations in Greek and Spanish. She loves exploring new cultures and ways of thinking through traveling, reading, and language learning.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Creating A Culture That Attracts And Keeps The Best Employees
With the variety of online products and services, customer expectations are constantly growing. Consumers expect brands to offer them memorable and meaningful experiences. And this doesn´t just impact initial interactions but contributes to customer retention, too. To keep new and current customers engaged, no business should leave out one of the most important pieces of the customer experience puzzle: email marketing. This blog post will focus on the most effective ways to leverage email marketing to enhance the customer experience throughout the entire customer journey.
5 Ways to Deliver Excellent Customer Experience With Email Marketing
With email marketing, brands establish trusting and personal relationships with their subscribers. Your company’s email list is populated with consumers already interested in what you offer. That’s why regular and relevant email communication with your recipients is the key for your business to stay top of mind. So, let’s move ahead to discover how you can get the desired result through targeted email marketing campaigns.
The fine art of personalized emails
One of the most convert-driving factors of email marketing is personalization. The segmentation and personalization options provided by reputable email newsletter software empower you to provide customized experiences to every reader. Based on data like their demographics or shopping and browsing behavior, you can craft personalized email content that addresses their specific needs and solves their pain points.
Customers expect brands to know their preferences and create customized emails that serve them best. From the email subject line to the visual components and copy, you should target your email content to each reader to increase their engagement. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that personalized emails deliver outstanding results in crucial email marketing metrics, such as open or click-through rates.
Let recipients adjust their email preferences
Personalizing email communication doesn’t end with list segmentation and customized email content. It’s all about your email marketing revolving around your subscribers’ needs. Therefore, it’s vital that you let them choose their email preferences, meaning what they receive from you and how often. To do so, you should develop a preference center for readers to pick their preferred way of email communication.
Also, you should always include an ‘update your email preferences’ option in your emails. This process does much more than ensure you don’t overwhelm readers with irrelevant emails. It’s an effective way to decrease your email unsubscribe rate. More often than not, subscribers don’t want entirely out of your email content; they just need to adjust their preferences to fit their needs. Last but not least, remember that your readers’ preferences keep evolving. So, now and then, send them a survey to collect updated information and ask them for feedback on improving your customer experience.
Provide valuable email content
As marketers and business owners, our all-time favorite objective is boosting sales. However, there are little things that customers hate more than sales marketing material that’s centered around the brand instead of them. Sure, some of your email campaigns will be promotional, presenting your products and services. But ideally, you must dispatch valuable email content, too – whether it’s to educate or entertain your readers.
Savvy marketing professionals use their emails to provide recipients with helpful how-to guides, exciting blog posts, timely industry tips, or engaging videos. This way, they prevent subscribers from seeking answers to their questions from competitive brands. This type of email content shows your customers that you care about their needs and want to help them improve their daily lives, even if it doesn’t translate into sales every single time. Trust us when we say it’s the road to customer loyalty.
Being accessible matters
Many brands investing in email marketing forget that email is a two-way line of communication. We’re all after increased recipient engagement and conversion rate in our email marketing efforts. However, subscribers want to know they can reach out to their favorite brands easily and without friction points. Keeping your email channel open goes a long way in offering exceptional customer service. That’s why you should provide readers with email support directly from your emails to solve their issues right then and there.
When a subscriber takes the time to communicate with your business via email, it´s imperative that someone will be there to address their query as immediately and efficiently as possible. Many subscribers prefer to send their questions and complaints through email to save time from contacting a customer support representative. Giving them such an option boosts their perception of your business and demonstrates that you have a customer-centric approach.
Send thank-you emails
Surprisingly enough, not every company sends their customers thank-you emails after they put in an order. Perhaps it’s because they think they don’t have to do so. But that’s far from the truth since thank-you emails bring back impressive results in terms of open and click-through compared to other dedicated emails:
Customers genuinely appreciate it when you go into the trouble of dispatching a thank-you email after they’ve purchased a product or service from you. It’s the equivalent of the experience and interpersonal relationship they would get if they entered a physical store. This personal touch in their interactions with your brand makes them feel appreciated. And there’s no need to exaggerate with this type of email; any short, heart-warming, and genuine thank you note will do the trick.
Final Words
Delivering an outstanding customer experience with email marketing is all about creating meaningful and personal connections with your subscribers. Focus on catering your email campaigns to your readers’ interests to keep them engaged throughout the customer journey. Whatever the strategies you employ to power up your email marketing game, always remember the number one rule for delivering exceptional customer experiences through emails: put your recipients’ and their needs front and center. It’s a bulletproof way to turn them into loyal customers and keep them coming back for more!
Maria Fintanidou works as a copywriter for email marketing automation software Moosend, having created the Help Articles (FAQs) and overseen the platform’s translations in Greek and Spanish. She loves exploring new cultures and ways of thinking through traveling, reading, and language learning.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Creating A Culture That Attracts And Keeps The Best Employees
September 13, 2023
The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Experience
Every once in a while, someone will ask, “What’s the difference between customer service and customer experience?”My answer used to be easy. Customer service really drove the customer experience. That was during a time when the main way customers interacted with the companies they did business with was with people-to-people interactions. A customer could visit a store or business. Or a customer could call a phone number to ask a question, resolve a complaint, etc. It was all about delivering great customer service, which was 90% of the customer experience.
Today my answer is changing, as the customer’s experience goes far beyond delivering great customer service. Due to new and amazing technology, smart companies are interacting with their customers in ways never before imagined. Multiple social media channels allow companies to communicate with customers the way they want and like to communicate. Gamification (I love that word) allows for interactions that get customers to engage in some of the most fascinating ways.
Some examples: Home Shopping Network has a game arcade featured on their website that features a number of interactive games, including a daily jigsaw puzzle that customers can solve. When they do, they discover the new “deal” or special promotion.
Coca-Cola has an app that allows you to buy someone a Coke on the other side of the planet. The lucky recipient’s Coke machine has a video camera which allows the gift-giver to watch the expression of the person when they find out their drink is free. How much fun is that!
Television shows allow you to pull out your computer, smartphone, iPad, etc., and interact during the TV show. Sometimes comments from Twitter, Facebook, etc., can be seen on a “feed” at the bottom or the side of the screen.
All of this takes customer experience from the customer service department to the marketing department. So, what does that mean to you and me?
Customer service is still as important as ever. However, it is no longer the sole focus of the customer experience. Now, the customer experience brings a company new ways of deepening its customer relationships through really cool technological breakthroughs. It’s changing the way we do business. Still, just as the way we’ve always conducted business, no matter how cool and fun the technology is, if there is a problem, complaint or question, we must be able to deliver the outstanding customer service that our customers have always expected.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
(Copyright ©MMXII, Shep Hyken)
September 12, 2023
Doing More Than Expected (Even When It’s Not in Your Job Description)
As customers, we appreciate it when someone we’re doing business with does more than we expect. Even if we don’t consciously recognize it when it’s happening, the value of that “something extra” makes us enjoy the experience and want to come back. The same thing happens with employees inside an organization. You can usually find someone who seems to be doing more than expected – something that’s not in their job description.
The other night I was at a restaurant that had an outside patio. It looked like it was going to rain, so we opted to eat inside. About 20 minutes later, the sky opened up, and it didn’t just rain. It stormed. The wind blew over the tables and chairs, and one of the umbrellas blew onto the street. Without hesitation, our server, who was dressed neatly in black slacks, a dress shirt and a tie, ran outside in the pouring rain and moved the umbrella and all the tables and chairs into a covered area of the patio. He came back drenched. As he walked through the restaurant, all the customers who had been watching him through the window gave him an enthusiastic round of applause. I also noticed that the manager thanked him for being the “hero of the moment.”
When our server had dried off and returned to our table, I had to ask him, “When you applied to the job, was moving patio furniture in the rain included in the job description?” We laughed, and he smiled and said, “I just do what it takes.”
I loved that answer.
How many employees do what it takes? This comes in many forms, from working a little later when needed, coming to the office over the weekend if necessary or doing anything outside of a typical job description. By the way, I’m not suggesting employees should not be appropriately compensated for their hard work. They should be. And there’s nothing wrong if employees do only what you hired them to do, especially if they’re really good at it. You don’t want to lose them, so don’t expect them to do more and don’t be upset when they don’t. If you expected more, that should have been discussed and agreed upon when you hired them.
The point is you’ll find people willing to go above what’s expected and those who won’t. As a customer, which employee would you want to do business with? As an employer, which employee would you prefer to be taking care of your customers?
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
September 11, 2023
Understanding the “Why” Behind Your Net Promoter Score (NPS) with Jason Barro
Top Takeaways:
Net Promoter Score (NPS) evaluates customer sentiment and allows companies to compare their data with competitors. It helps identify areas where organizations may be falling short and prompts them to revise their current strategies for improvement.
To improve customer experience, companies need to break down the customer journey into smaller episodes or touchpoints. By identifying which episodes create promoters (satisfied customers) or detractors (unsatisfied customers), companies can focus on improving specific aspects of the customer experience.
Customers don’t just compare you to other companies within your industry. They compare you to the best experience they have ever had. It is crucial to examine why certain companies perform better than others. By analyzing what makes them successful, businesses can identify areas where they can improve and work towards closing the gap.
Having a great product is important, but it can be overshadowed and rejected if accompanied by poor customer service. Likewise, even the best service may only temporarily excite a customer if the product fails to meet their expectations. Companies need to achieve a balance between product quality and customer experience.
Plus, Shep and Jason talk about the NPS leaders in various industries, including automotive, groceries, airlines, and more. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Happier customers are more valuable to the business. They buy more, stay longer, and bring their friends into your business.”
“If everybody is making their customers generally unhappy, new players will enter and create new ways of meeting customers’ needs. When they create this new way in an industry with a lot of headroom, they will win.”
“If there’s a new way of solving a need that is dramatically easier, dramatically nicer, and dramatically more reliable, even if we are not trying it ourselves, we will eventually run into someone who is. We will hear about their experience, and it will start to impact how we behave.”
“If you run a business, you need clarity on where you actually stand with your customers, why you stand there, and how much it’s worth to be better.”
Jason Barro is a leader in Bain’s Customer Strategy and Marketing practice. He is the lead partner and founder of NPS Prism ®, a customer experience and benchmarking service that provides businesses with actionable insights to build loyalty and grow sales.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio .
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can customer service levels impact customer behavior?
How can businesses improve customer experiences by analyzing their customers’ journeys?
What is the relationship between product quality and customer service in driving customer satisfaction?
What are the key factors that contribute to customer loyalty and growth?
How can organizations use data and insights from NPS to enhance their customer experience?
Net Promoter Score (NPS) evaluates customer sentiment and allows companies to compare their data with competitors. It helps identify areas where organizations may be falling short and prompts them to revise their current strategies for improvement.
To improve customer experience, companies need to break down the customer journey into smaller episodes or touchpoints. By identifying which episodes create promoters (satisfied customers) or detractors (unsatisfied customers), companies can focus on improving specific aspects of the customer experience.
Customers don’t just compare you to other companies within your industry. They compare you to the best experience they have ever had. It is crucial to examine why certain companies perform better than others. By analyzing what makes them successful, businesses can identify areas where they can improve and work towards closing the gap.
Having a great product is important, but it can be overshadowed and rejected if accompanied by poor customer service. Likewise, even the best service may only temporarily excite a customer if the product fails to meet their expectations. Companies need to achieve a balance between product quality and customer experience.
Plus, Shep and Jason talk about the NPS leaders in various industries, including automotive, groceries, airlines, and more. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Happier customers are more valuable to the business. They buy more, stay longer, and bring their friends into your business.”
“If everybody is making their customers generally unhappy, new players will enter and create new ways of meeting customers’ needs. When they create this new way in an industry with a lot of headroom, they will win.”
“If there’s a new way of solving a need that is dramatically easier, dramatically nicer, and dramatically more reliable, even if we are not trying it ourselves, we will eventually run into someone who is. We will hear about their experience, and it will start to impact how we behave.”
“If you run a business, you need clarity on where you actually stand with your customers, why you stand there, and how much it’s worth to be better.”
About:
Jason Barro is a leader in Bain’s Customer Strategy and Marketing practice. He is the lead partner and founder of NPS Prism ®, a customer experience and benchmarking service that provides businesses with actionable insights to build loyalty and grow sales.
Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio .
This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions and more:
How can customer service levels impact customer behavior?
How can businesses improve customer experiences by analyzing their customers’ journeys?
What is the relationship between product quality and customer service in driving customer satisfaction?
What are the key factors that contribute to customer loyalty and growth?
How can organizations use data and insights from NPS to enhance their customer experience?
September 10, 2023
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of September 11, 2023
Each week, I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various 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.
How the ‘Zero Consumer’ is Inspiring Innovative Visual Imagery for Retail Success by Peter McCall
(Total Retail) Consumers’ shopping expectations have skyrocketed. They effortlessly navigate through online channels, apps and websites to find the right product. They demand fast shipping, easy returns, sustainability and more, showing little loyalty and appreciation. According to McKinsey, these are today’s ‘Zero Consumers.’
My Comment: I had heard about the “Zero Consumer” but wasn’t 100% sure what it meant until I read this article. There is a segment of customers that are savvy shoppers that demand a low price, fast shipping, easy returns, and appreciation. They quickly switch from one brand to another if these needs aren’t met. These are what McKinsey refers to as the “Zero Consumer.” I’m intrigued by the article as it claims that one way to attract and retain these customers is through visual imagery.
How To Strengthen Customer Retention After Virality by Angus Knights
(Spiceworks News & Insights) A viral moment quickly leads new and returning shoppers to the brand’s site to check out the product(s) they have seen in action from their favorite creators or influencers on social media. For some small brands, a viral moment can be game-changing for putting their brand on the map, and for larger retailers, it can draw attention to a new product line to significantly boost sales. A viral moment may only last for a few hours up to a few weeks as people share the branded content with their friends and network, continuing to build traction.
My Comment: If a post goes “viral” and brings a lot of attention to a company or brand, there is an opportunity for customer acquisition. That’s always welcome, but an unexpected increase in business can cause customer service and CX issues if the company or brand is not prepared. Managing the positive impact of a viral moment is key to getting those new customers to come back.
How to Make Loyalty a New Business Line for your Brand? by Jubin Mehta
(The Wise Marketer) Brands really care about customer loyalty but more often than not, the understanding and execution have to go beyond a basic loyalty program. In the last couple of years, there has been a radical shift in this with brands foraying into loyalty with full force. The aviation industry has always been a front-runner but brands in other industries are also catching up. For instance, Lufthansa just introduced NFTs in its loyalty program which speaks about how in tune it is with the times. On the other hand, McDonald’s had its loyalty program in 12 countries, but it really went all in with Loyalty only in 2021 with the launch in the US.
My Comment: I wouldn’t have thought customer loyalty is a line of business, but after reading this article, I’m on board with the concept. Once you read this article, you may find yourself thinking about how you can capitalize on this version of loyalty. And here’s another term to consider: generative loyalty. You’ll have to read the article to find out more.
Gartner’s Three Technologies That Will Transform Customer Service and Support by 2028 by destinationCRM
(destinationCRM) Generative artificial intelligence, digital customer service, and conversational user interfaces (CUIs) will transform customer service and support by 2028, according to research firm Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Customer Service and Support Technologies, 2023 report .
My Comment: This brief article includes the three technologies that will positively impact businesses and create a better customer experience. These three game-changers are generative artificial intelligence, conversational user interfaces, and digital customer service. You may have already experienced one or all of these technologies, but today is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you see what’s coming soon. (The future is happening today!)
4 Ways to Show You’re Dedicated to Customer Happiness by Mike Szczesny
(destinationCRM) If there is any reason for being committed to customer happiness, it directly correlates to your happiness. The more happy your customers are, the more your business will be successful. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done. In a perfect world, our products would speak for themselves, and all you would have to do is sell them. But no. The human element is a huge part of customer happiness. So how can you become dedicated to customer happiness and watch your sales take off? Here’s how.
My Comment: This short article includes four common sense ideas that every business, regardless of size, industry, B2B or B2C, etc., must practice. I could briefly share all four, but here’s one to consider: honesty. Would you ever want to do business with a company or brand you couldn’t trust? Of course not! Every company needs to practice honesty. And that goes the same for the other three ideas in this short but powerful article.
BONUS
Brittany’s Favorite Customer Experience Books by Brittany Hodak
(Brittany Hodak) If you loved Brittany Hodak’s Creating Superfans, you will enjoy these amazing books on improving customer experience!
My Comment: Brittany Hodak is one of the newer “stars” of the customer service and experience world. Just two weeks ago, I featured her in the Top Five roundup with a fantastic article about what CX lessons we can learn from Taylor Swift. This week, she featured a list of excellent customer service books separated into categories. Full disclosure: She featured two of my books, but regardless, I would have shared the list.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
How the ‘Zero Consumer’ is Inspiring Innovative Visual Imagery for Retail Success by Peter McCall
(Total Retail) Consumers’ shopping expectations have skyrocketed. They effortlessly navigate through online channels, apps and websites to find the right product. They demand fast shipping, easy returns, sustainability and more, showing little loyalty and appreciation. According to McKinsey, these are today’s ‘Zero Consumers.’
My Comment: I had heard about the “Zero Consumer” but wasn’t 100% sure what it meant until I read this article. There is a segment of customers that are savvy shoppers that demand a low price, fast shipping, easy returns, and appreciation. They quickly switch from one brand to another if these needs aren’t met. These are what McKinsey refers to as the “Zero Consumer.” I’m intrigued by the article as it claims that one way to attract and retain these customers is through visual imagery.
How To Strengthen Customer Retention After Virality by Angus Knights
(Spiceworks News & Insights) A viral moment quickly leads new and returning shoppers to the brand’s site to check out the product(s) they have seen in action from their favorite creators or influencers on social media. For some small brands, a viral moment can be game-changing for putting their brand on the map, and for larger retailers, it can draw attention to a new product line to significantly boost sales. A viral moment may only last for a few hours up to a few weeks as people share the branded content with their friends and network, continuing to build traction.
My Comment: If a post goes “viral” and brings a lot of attention to a company or brand, there is an opportunity for customer acquisition. That’s always welcome, but an unexpected increase in business can cause customer service and CX issues if the company or brand is not prepared. Managing the positive impact of a viral moment is key to getting those new customers to come back.
How to Make Loyalty a New Business Line for your Brand? by Jubin Mehta
(The Wise Marketer) Brands really care about customer loyalty but more often than not, the understanding and execution have to go beyond a basic loyalty program. In the last couple of years, there has been a radical shift in this with brands foraying into loyalty with full force. The aviation industry has always been a front-runner but brands in other industries are also catching up. For instance, Lufthansa just introduced NFTs in its loyalty program which speaks about how in tune it is with the times. On the other hand, McDonald’s had its loyalty program in 12 countries, but it really went all in with Loyalty only in 2021 with the launch in the US.
My Comment: I wouldn’t have thought customer loyalty is a line of business, but after reading this article, I’m on board with the concept. Once you read this article, you may find yourself thinking about how you can capitalize on this version of loyalty. And here’s another term to consider: generative loyalty. You’ll have to read the article to find out more.
Gartner’s Three Technologies That Will Transform Customer Service and Support by 2028 by destinationCRM
(destinationCRM) Generative artificial intelligence, digital customer service, and conversational user interfaces (CUIs) will transform customer service and support by 2028, according to research firm Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Customer Service and Support Technologies, 2023 report .
My Comment: This brief article includes the three technologies that will positively impact businesses and create a better customer experience. These three game-changers are generative artificial intelligence, conversational user interfaces, and digital customer service. You may have already experienced one or all of these technologies, but today is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you see what’s coming soon. (The future is happening today!)
4 Ways to Show You’re Dedicated to Customer Happiness by Mike Szczesny
(destinationCRM) If there is any reason for being committed to customer happiness, it directly correlates to your happiness. The more happy your customers are, the more your business will be successful. Of course, this is a lot easier said than done. In a perfect world, our products would speak for themselves, and all you would have to do is sell them. But no. The human element is a huge part of customer happiness. So how can you become dedicated to customer happiness and watch your sales take off? Here’s how.
My Comment: This short article includes four common sense ideas that every business, regardless of size, industry, B2B or B2C, etc., must practice. I could briefly share all four, but here’s one to consider: honesty. Would you ever want to do business with a company or brand you couldn’t trust? Of course not! Every company needs to practice honesty. And that goes the same for the other three ideas in this short but powerful article.
BONUS
Brittany’s Favorite Customer Experience Books by Brittany Hodak
(Brittany Hodak) If you loved Brittany Hodak’s Creating Superfans, you will enjoy these amazing books on improving customer experience!
My Comment: Brittany Hodak is one of the newer “stars” of the customer service and experience world. Just two weeks ago, I featured her in the Top Five roundup with a fantastic article about what CX lessons we can learn from Taylor Swift. This week, she featured a list of excellent customer service books separated into categories. Full disclosure: She featured two of my books, but regardless, I would have shared the list.
Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
