Shep Hyken's Blog, page 44
April 28, 2023
Guest Post: Customer Service Standards – Meet the Ones That Matter Most
This week, we feature an article by Marcelle Santos, a copywriter at TextExpander, a software that helps individuals and teams communicate efficiently and consistently with their customers. She shares why customer standards matter and how your organization can meet them.
Want to stand out from the competition? Raise your customer service standards. Chip R. Bell, a world-renowned authority on customer loyalty and service innovation, says that customer service standards impact a company’s success more than anything else1:
“The biggest differentiator is service, not product, proficiency, or price.” – Chip R. Bell
In this article, we’ll discuss the customer service standards customers value the most and how to meet them. Here’s what we’ll cover:
What are customer service standards?
Why customer service standards matter
Top customer service standards
How to meet top customer service standards
FAQs
References and further reading
What are customer service standards?
Customer service standards represent the quality of service that an organization strives for in all customer interactions, based on its values, mission, and vision. They can also be defined as an organization’s service expectations or objectives, or as guidelines for how to deliver customer service.
Those standards are embedded into every interaction you have with customers, from how you greet them to how you handle complaints.
The most universally adopted standards include responsiveness, transparency, accountability, empathy, over-delivery, availability, a positive attitude, omnipresence, a commitment to empowering customers, and the use of automation.
Why customer service standards matter
For organizations, customer service standards are key to delivering effective customer service. They establish a common understanding of how to treat customers and handle specific situations, which is helpful not only for training new hires but for guiding customer service professionals in their day-to-day.
These standards also help customers know what to expect in their interactions with organizations. Customers can use this information to decide whether they want to do business with a company or not.
Setting a standard for response time, for example, is useful to both support agents and customers.
“If both sides understand when they should expect a response, there’s less friction in the customer experience because agents have a clearer understanding of their workflow. So long as they meet the expectations they’ve established, customers will feel like they’re being treated fairly,” says customer service specialist Clint Fontanella2.
Top customer service standards
Earlier this year, HubSpot’s Service Blog conducted a survey of 100 consumers across the US to determine which standards were most important to them.
The top five standards, ranked in order of importance, were responsiveness, accountability, over-delivery, availability, and friendliness or a positive attitude3.
1. Responsiveness
As Alana Chinn notes in her summary of the survey’s findings, being responsive means more than simply responding (although that in itself is important and not always a given).
Responsiveness is also about being efficient and genuinely helpful: “A quick response is great, but you’ll want to follow that up with a speedy and thorough resolution to their request,” she wrote.
2. Accountability
Accountability involves acknowledging problems and taking responsibility for solving them.
We’ve already written about how important that is, especially in highly emotional customer service conversations. Angry customers want to feel heard. In most cases, they want validation, not an explanation — at least at the beginning of the interaction.
3. Over-delivery
Overdelivering means exceeding expectations. In customer service or support, that might look like this:
Giving customers more than just short-term, immediate solutions; anticipating their future needs.
Doing everything to solve customers’ problems and sometimes compensating them for their trouble.
Delighting customers
4. Availability
Availability is being there for customers when they need help. Setting clear expectations is essential here: customers need to know what companies’ operating hours are and when customer service teams are available.
Customer service representatives need to be as responsive as possible during publicly announced service hours.
5. Friendliness or a positive attitude
Customers expect to have positive interactions with customer service representatives and support agents. Empathy, kindness, and politeness matter, especially in situations where the customer is stressed. Because of this, it’s important to hire customer service professionals who embody those traits.
How to meet top customer service standards
Customer service professionals need strategies and tools to meet customer service excellence standards. Here are tips for raising the bar for quality service:
Responsiveness
Meeting this customer standard starts with setting team and individual goals. But a commitment to responsiveness isn’t enough: customer service professionals need the help of technology to achieve their goals.
Teams can improve responsiveness by adopting AI tools and omnichannel support; providing customers with self-service resources (such as a knowledge base or a community forum); and automating repetitive tasks2.
For automating repetitive writing (such as typing standard responses to FAQs) text expansion is one of the most effective solutions. Tools such as TextExpander help customer support teams leverage the power of text expansion to dramatically improve their response time.
Accountability
The most challenging customer interactions are the ones when saying the right thing matters most; they’re also the ones when customer service professionals find it difficult to decide what to say.
For these situations, it helps to have answers pre-prepared. Templates or canned replies not only serve as a starting point for handling complaints but also help ensure a consistent support experience for customers.
Most customer service software programs have a “Saved Replies” feature. “Saved Replies” help users quickly store, access, and pull up standard responses.
Text expansion software takes the idea of “Saved Replies” even further. For example, TextExpander allows users to create saved replies with fill-in-the-blank form fields and multiple-choice options — making it easier than ever to send standard responses that are still personalized.
Friendliness
Making a kind, empathetic impression helps any customer service interaction run more smoothly. When customer support agents include a personal, conversational greeting; a thank you to the customer for reaching out; or state that they’re happy to help, it makes customers feel supported and cared for4.
Text expansion software makes it easy for customer support professionals to communicate in a warm, friendly tone no matter how they’re feeling or what’s going on around them.
Marcelle Santos is a copywriter and blogger at copywriter at TextExpander. She writes about remote work and productivity.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Starbucks CEO Demonstrating Why C-Suite Needs To Leave The C-Suite
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Want to stand out from the competition? Raise your customer service standards. Chip R. Bell, a world-renowned authority on customer loyalty and service innovation, says that customer service standards impact a company’s success more than anything else1:
“The biggest differentiator is service, not product, proficiency, or price.” – Chip R. Bell
In this article, we’ll discuss the customer service standards customers value the most and how to meet them. Here’s what we’ll cover:
What are customer service standards?
Why customer service standards matter
Top customer service standards
How to meet top customer service standards
FAQs
References and further reading
What are customer service standards?
Customer service standards represent the quality of service that an organization strives for in all customer interactions, based on its values, mission, and vision. They can also be defined as an organization’s service expectations or objectives, or as guidelines for how to deliver customer service.
Those standards are embedded into every interaction you have with customers, from how you greet them to how you handle complaints.
The most universally adopted standards include responsiveness, transparency, accountability, empathy, over-delivery, availability, a positive attitude, omnipresence, a commitment to empowering customers, and the use of automation.
Why customer service standards matter
For organizations, customer service standards are key to delivering effective customer service. They establish a common understanding of how to treat customers and handle specific situations, which is helpful not only for training new hires but for guiding customer service professionals in their day-to-day.
These standards also help customers know what to expect in their interactions with organizations. Customers can use this information to decide whether they want to do business with a company or not.
Setting a standard for response time, for example, is useful to both support agents and customers.
“If both sides understand when they should expect a response, there’s less friction in the customer experience because agents have a clearer understanding of their workflow. So long as they meet the expectations they’ve established, customers will feel like they’re being treated fairly,” says customer service specialist Clint Fontanella2.
Top customer service standards
Earlier this year, HubSpot’s Service Blog conducted a survey of 100 consumers across the US to determine which standards were most important to them.
The top five standards, ranked in order of importance, were responsiveness, accountability, over-delivery, availability, and friendliness or a positive attitude3.
1. Responsiveness
As Alana Chinn notes in her summary of the survey’s findings, being responsive means more than simply responding (although that in itself is important and not always a given).
Responsiveness is also about being efficient and genuinely helpful: “A quick response is great, but you’ll want to follow that up with a speedy and thorough resolution to their request,” she wrote.
2. Accountability
Accountability involves acknowledging problems and taking responsibility for solving them.
We’ve already written about how important that is, especially in highly emotional customer service conversations. Angry customers want to feel heard. In most cases, they want validation, not an explanation — at least at the beginning of the interaction.
3. Over-delivery
Overdelivering means exceeding expectations. In customer service or support, that might look like this:
Giving customers more than just short-term, immediate solutions; anticipating their future needs.
Doing everything to solve customers’ problems and sometimes compensating them for their trouble.
Delighting customers
4. Availability
Availability is being there for customers when they need help. Setting clear expectations is essential here: customers need to know what companies’ operating hours are and when customer service teams are available.
Customer service representatives need to be as responsive as possible during publicly announced service hours.
5. Friendliness or a positive attitude
Customers expect to have positive interactions with customer service representatives and support agents. Empathy, kindness, and politeness matter, especially in situations where the customer is stressed. Because of this, it’s important to hire customer service professionals who embody those traits.
How to meet top customer service standards
Customer service professionals need strategies and tools to meet customer service excellence standards. Here are tips for raising the bar for quality service:
Responsiveness
Meeting this customer standard starts with setting team and individual goals. But a commitment to responsiveness isn’t enough: customer service professionals need the help of technology to achieve their goals.
Teams can improve responsiveness by adopting AI tools and omnichannel support; providing customers with self-service resources (such as a knowledge base or a community forum); and automating repetitive tasks2.
For automating repetitive writing (such as typing standard responses to FAQs) text expansion is one of the most effective solutions. Tools such as TextExpander help customer support teams leverage the power of text expansion to dramatically improve their response time.
Accountability
The most challenging customer interactions are the ones when saying the right thing matters most; they’re also the ones when customer service professionals find it difficult to decide what to say.
For these situations, it helps to have answers pre-prepared. Templates or canned replies not only serve as a starting point for handling complaints but also help ensure a consistent support experience for customers.
Most customer service software programs have a “Saved Replies” feature. “Saved Replies” help users quickly store, access, and pull up standard responses.
Text expansion software takes the idea of “Saved Replies” even further. For example, TextExpander allows users to create saved replies with fill-in-the-blank form fields and multiple-choice options — making it easier than ever to send standard responses that are still personalized.
Friendliness
Making a kind, empathetic impression helps any customer service interaction run more smoothly. When customer support agents include a personal, conversational greeting; a thank you to the customer for reaching out; or state that they’re happy to help, it makes customers feel supported and cared for4.
Text expansion software makes it easy for customer support professionals to communicate in a warm, friendly tone no matter how they’re feeling or what’s going on around them.
Marcelle Santos is a copywriter and blogger at copywriter at TextExpander. She writes about remote work and productivity.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Starbucks CEO Demonstrating Why C-Suite Needs To Leave The C-Suite
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April 25, 2023
Act Like an Owner – Revisited!
One of my favorite concepts to cover in my customer service keynote speeches is to act like an owner. I originally wrote about this in 2011 and shared the story of an 18-year-old server at a pizza restaurant who took so much pride in his work that the guests thought he owned the restaurant. In preparing for an upcoming speech, I worked with Anthony Demangone, CMO of the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. We discussed the ownership concept and how everyone can act like an owner or leader. Anyone can be “that person” everyone admires and wants to emulate. He shared the remarkable story of Richard Montañez, a janitor at a Frito-Lay plant in California. Here’s the short version:
Act like an owner
One day Montañez heard Roger Enrico, the CEO of Frito-Lay, share an inspiring message: to “act like an owner.” Montañez took this message to heart, and for almost 10 years, while still working at the plant, tried to learn everything he could about Frito-Lay. One day he asked a Frito-Lay salesperson if he could spend a day and learn about the sales process.
The salesperson took Montañez to a Latino neighborhood where he noticed something that would eventually change his life. As he helped restock the shelves, he noticed that the Lay’s, Fritos and Ruffles were all plain – in other words, no spicy products. And right next to their display was a shelf of Mexican spices. Montañez wondered what Cheetos would taste like if dipped into chili powder and other spices, so he went home and made his own version of spicy Cheetos. He liked what he tasted and reached out to the Frito-Lay CEO to set up a meeting.
Somehow Montañez landed an appointment to meet with the CEO and other company executives. During the meeting, an executive asked, “How much market share do you think you can get?” Montañez nervously opened his arms wide and said, “This much!”
The Corporate Fairytale
The CEO smiled at Montañez and said, “Put the mop away. You’re coming with us.” The rest is a corporate fairytale come true. Montanez became an executive and worked his way up to VP of multicultural sales for PepsiCo America, the holding company for Frito-Lay.
I love this story for two reasons. First, it’s about an employee who took initiative and thought beyond the role he was hired to do, which was to be a janitor. He took such pride in his work and loved his job so much that he was willing to step out of his comfort zone and reach out to the CEO of a major company with his idea. And second, just as impressive is that Roger Enrico, then-CEO of Frito-Lay, imparted the inspiring “act like an owner” message and was willing to meet with Montañez!
So, are you an employee who’s willing to share your ideas with leadership? Or are you an executive who’s willing to listen? Not every idea will have a Richard Montañez fairy-tale ending, but every idea has potential. So, I encourage you to adopt and embrace the “act like an owner” mindset inside your organization.
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.
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April 24, 2023
The Positive Influence of Scarcity on Customer Experience with Mindy Weinstein
Top Takeaways:
When an organization makes customers feel special by getting something that appears to be hard to get, they endear customers to the company and make them feel connected to the brand.
Our brains are wired in a certain way to react to scarcity. Businesses can use this in a positive way to emphasize value and communicate how working with them through their products or services is in their customers’ best interest.
Most people think of scarcity as FOMO(fear of missing out), but it is so much more than that. There are four types of scarcity:
Time-related scarcity – when products or services are available for only a set amount of time.
Supply-related scarcity – when a limited number of products are available or when companies want to create a feeling of exclusivity or uniqueness.
Demand-related scarcity – when customers are excited and want to make sure they can purchase a product before it is gone.
Limited edition – when there is a special or rare version of a product that customers love to collect.
When companies create a scarcity mindset and communicate it well to their customers, it creates a sense of control where the customer feels they have the power to decide when and why they want to buy.
When companies create a mindset of scarcity with products that customers enjoy (for example, limited edition sports or movie memorabilia), they show that they truly know their customers and how to engage with them.
Plus, Shep and Mindy talk about how successful companies use the scarcity mindset to create amazing customer experiences. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Scarcity creates community. When done right, incorporating scarcity can help brands create loyalty, excitement, and bond with their customers.”
“Using scarcity to build community, strengthen customer relationships, and create fun and excitement around your business can be done without spending a dime depending on how you position your message.”
“Informing people about your product’s scarcity is not just about drawing them in. It’s about letting your customers know that they are important, and you want to keep them in the loop on what’s happening.”
Mindy Weinstein is the author of The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions . She is a marketing instructor at Grand Canyon University and a program leader for The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School.
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:
What is scarcity in consumer behavior?
Does scarcity have a positive effect on businesses?
What is the benefit of scarcity to the consumer?
How does scarcity impact customer relationships?
How does scarcity create a community for your customers?
When an organization makes customers feel special by getting something that appears to be hard to get, they endear customers to the company and make them feel connected to the brand.
Our brains are wired in a certain way to react to scarcity. Businesses can use this in a positive way to emphasize value and communicate how working with them through their products or services is in their customers’ best interest.
Most people think of scarcity as FOMO(fear of missing out), but it is so much more than that. There are four types of scarcity:
Time-related scarcity – when products or services are available for only a set amount of time.
Supply-related scarcity – when a limited number of products are available or when companies want to create a feeling of exclusivity or uniqueness.
Demand-related scarcity – when customers are excited and want to make sure they can purchase a product before it is gone.
Limited edition – when there is a special or rare version of a product that customers love to collect.
When companies create a scarcity mindset and communicate it well to their customers, it creates a sense of control where the customer feels they have the power to decide when and why they want to buy.
When companies create a mindset of scarcity with products that customers enjoy (for example, limited edition sports or movie memorabilia), they show that they truly know their customers and how to engage with them.
Plus, Shep and Mindy talk about how successful companies use the scarcity mindset to create amazing customer experiences. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Scarcity creates community. When done right, incorporating scarcity can help brands create loyalty, excitement, and bond with their customers.”
“Using scarcity to build community, strengthen customer relationships, and create fun and excitement around your business can be done without spending a dime depending on how you position your message.”
“Informing people about your product’s scarcity is not just about drawing them in. It’s about letting your customers know that they are important, and you want to keep them in the loop on what’s happening.”
About:
Mindy Weinstein is the author of The Power of Scarcity: Leveraging Urgency and Demand to Influence Customer Decisions . She is a marketing instructor at Grand Canyon University and a program leader for The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia Business School.
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:
What is scarcity in consumer behavior?
Does scarcity have a positive effect on businesses?
What is the benefit of scarcity to the consumer?
How does scarcity impact customer relationships?
How does scarcity create a community for your customers?
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of April 24, 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.
Spring Cleaning For Business: How To Embrace It In Customer Experience by Dan Gingiss
(Dan Gingiss) Whether you have a Chief Experience Officer and official customer experience team or not, it’s important to periodically look at the entire customer journey from start to finish – from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.
My Comment: This is the perfect article to kick off this week’s Top Five. Winter is in our rearview mirror as we head into spring in many parts of the world, many people do their annual “spring cleaning” at home. Fellow customer experience expert, Dan Gingiss, takes this concept to the business world and recommends we start a CX Spring Cleaning Project with plenty of ideas on how to do so.
4 CFO Tips for Demystifying AI Hype by Jim Tyson
(CFO Dive) Innovation in AI has prompted talk of a coming technological leap as profound as the creation of the internet. It has also sparked anxiety. CFOs need to navigate past the hype and fear. Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have dazzled C-suite executives seeking to personalize marketing, juice sales, anticipate customer needs and identify unseen risks.
My Comment: I’m going to veer off the typical customer service and CX articles for this one. Perhaps the hottest news topic today (other than politics) is AI. There is excitement and concern around the capabilities and ethics of this powerful tool. This interesting article covers both sides and shares a C-Suite perspective on this technology that is quickly changing our world.
The Power of Authentic Branding: Connecting with Customers on a Deeper Level by Syed Balkhi
(CustomerThink) In today’s competitive marketplace, it is more important than ever to establish a connection with customers. This connection is possible through authentic branding i.e. creating an identity that resonates with customers and communicates your company’s core values. Branding allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors and show how committed you are to your customers.
My Comment: If we want our customers to keep coming back, we must do more than have a good sale. We must create an experience that connects with them on an emotional level. This author’s take on that experience is to focus on being authentic. Read this article, and you’ll learn five ways a brand can become authentic and influence its customers with an experience based on trust and values.
What’s the Difference Between a Restaurant Service Fee and a Tip? by Dave Roos
(HowStuffWorks) It’s a baffling time to eat out. Tipping used to be reserved for sit-down restaurants with waitstaffs, bussers and other workers whose livelihood was based in large part on tips. But today, not only is tipping an option everywhere — does the kid handing you a coffee at the drive-thru window deserve 10 percent, 15 percent or 20 percent? — but an increasing number of restaurants are also adding a service charge or service fee to the bill.
My Comment: Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about how tipping used to be for good customer service. Today, at least in the US, the concept of tipping is dramatically changing. While it used to be for good service, now it is an expectation, regardless of the quality of service. Some restaurants (and other businesses) are automatically adding it to a bill as a “service charge.” Others are suggesting an amount much larger than what the typical customer is used to.
As Inflation Bites, Loyalty Programs Are More Important Than Ever. Here’s How to Create One That’ll Stand the Test of Time by Colleen Murray
(Entrepreneur Media) Chances are your loyalty program is failing. While north of 80% percent of Americans are enrolled in them, most are used once or twice and then forgotten. Customers are finding that what’s intended as a perk has evolved into work. Points programs have become so freighted with varying rules, conditions and tiers that they’re too complex to navigate and too confusing to see the value.
My Comment: This excellent article recognizes that customer loyalty programs should be more than “discount programs,” offering discounts and perks in exchange for spending money. The author makes the case that for a loyalty program to work, it must appeal to the heart, values, and lifestyle of the customer and uses Apple and Disney as examples. Neither has a traditional loyalty program, yet they still get their customers to come back again and again.
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.
Spring Cleaning For Business: How To Embrace It In Customer Experience by Dan Gingiss
(Dan Gingiss) Whether you have a Chief Experience Officer and official customer experience team or not, it’s important to periodically look at the entire customer journey from start to finish – from onboarding to offboarding and everything in between.
My Comment: This is the perfect article to kick off this week’s Top Five. Winter is in our rearview mirror as we head into spring in many parts of the world, many people do their annual “spring cleaning” at home. Fellow customer experience expert, Dan Gingiss, takes this concept to the business world and recommends we start a CX Spring Cleaning Project with plenty of ideas on how to do so.
4 CFO Tips for Demystifying AI Hype by Jim Tyson
(CFO Dive) Innovation in AI has prompted talk of a coming technological leap as profound as the creation of the internet. It has also sparked anxiety. CFOs need to navigate past the hype and fear. Recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence have dazzled C-suite executives seeking to personalize marketing, juice sales, anticipate customer needs and identify unseen risks.
My Comment: I’m going to veer off the typical customer service and CX articles for this one. Perhaps the hottest news topic today (other than politics) is AI. There is excitement and concern around the capabilities and ethics of this powerful tool. This interesting article covers both sides and shares a C-Suite perspective on this technology that is quickly changing our world.
The Power of Authentic Branding: Connecting with Customers on a Deeper Level by Syed Balkhi
(CustomerThink) In today’s competitive marketplace, it is more important than ever to establish a connection with customers. This connection is possible through authentic branding i.e. creating an identity that resonates with customers and communicates your company’s core values. Branding allows you to differentiate yourself from your competitors and show how committed you are to your customers.
My Comment: If we want our customers to keep coming back, we must do more than have a good sale. We must create an experience that connects with them on an emotional level. This author’s take on that experience is to focus on being authentic. Read this article, and you’ll learn five ways a brand can become authentic and influence its customers with an experience based on trust and values.
What’s the Difference Between a Restaurant Service Fee and a Tip? by Dave Roos
(HowStuffWorks) It’s a baffling time to eat out. Tipping used to be reserved for sit-down restaurants with waitstaffs, bussers and other workers whose livelihood was based in large part on tips. But today, not only is tipping an option everywhere — does the kid handing you a coffee at the drive-thru window deserve 10 percent, 15 percent or 20 percent? — but an increasing number of restaurants are also adding a service charge or service fee to the bill.
My Comment: Just a few weeks ago, I wrote about how tipping used to be for good customer service. Today, at least in the US, the concept of tipping is dramatically changing. While it used to be for good service, now it is an expectation, regardless of the quality of service. Some restaurants (and other businesses) are automatically adding it to a bill as a “service charge.” Others are suggesting an amount much larger than what the typical customer is used to.
As Inflation Bites, Loyalty Programs Are More Important Than Ever. Here’s How to Create One That’ll Stand the Test of Time by Colleen Murray
(Entrepreneur Media) Chances are your loyalty program is failing. While north of 80% percent of Americans are enrolled in them, most are used once or twice and then forgotten. Customers are finding that what’s intended as a perk has evolved into work. Points programs have become so freighted with varying rules, conditions and tiers that they’re too complex to navigate and too confusing to see the value.
My Comment: This excellent article recognizes that customer loyalty programs should be more than “discount programs,” offering discounts and perks in exchange for spending money. The author makes the case that for a loyalty program to work, it must appeal to the heart, values, and lifestyle of the customer and uses Apple and Disney as examples. Neither has a traditional loyalty program, yet they still get their customers to come back again and again.
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.
April 21, 2023
Guest Post: Consistency in Customer Service – 3 Areas Where It’s a Must
This week, we feature an article by Josh Centers, Business Journalist at TextExpander. It is a platform that helps teams save time and eliminate repetitive typing with just a few keystrokes. He writes about how successful brands have built consistency and reliability into their customer service.
Consistency in customer service is key. Imagine pulling up to a McDonald’s drive-through, and instead of hearing, “Hi, welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order,” you were greeted with a gruff: “McDonald’s. What do ya want?”
You’d probably think twice before placing an order! You might even drive to another restaurant instead. Your customers are no different.
Top brands are built on consistent and reliable customer service. Your customers have to know what they can expect from your business, know they can rely on the information you provide, and know that you will follow through on what you promise. In short, consistent and reliable customer service is about trust.
Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose.
Let’s define exactly what it means to provide consistent and reliable customer service and explore how to maintain customer satisfaction.
Consistent and reliable customer service definition
Just what do we mean when we say “consistency in customer service?” McKinsey & Company provides a three-step comprehensive definition, which includes:
Customer-journey consistency: Simply put: are your rules and procedures consistent? No matter how many Google accounts you sign up for, the process is the same every time. If you pay FedEx for overnight shipping, you know that package will be there the next day.
Emotional consistency: Research has consistently shown that positive emotional experiences are key to maintaining customer satisfaction. Every interaction a customer has with your brand needs to have the same emotional tone. It’s why you’d probably drive away from a McDonald’s where you were greeted by, “McDonald’s. What do ya want?”
Communication consistency: Staying on brand is key. Dollar Tree shoppers would be offended if they spotted a $300 handbag in the store. Likewise, Versace shoppers would be equally insulted by a dollar bin. Once your customers have an idea of what to expect, you need to continue feeding their expectations.
The late comedian Mitch Hedberg had a joke that perfectly encapsulates the consistency issue:
“Every McDonald’s commercial ends the same way: Prices and participation may vary. I wanna open a McDonald’s and not participate in anything. I wanna be a stubborn McDonald’s owner. ‘Cheeseburgers? Nope! We got spaghetti, and blankets.’” – Mitch Hedberg
The idea of a contrarian McDonald’s that only serves spaghetti and blankets is funny, but it wouldn’t be as funny if you were on a long road trip and had to console cranky children who just wanted a Happy Meal. Consistency in customer service matters.
Consistency in customer service is boring…and that’s good!
If consistency seems boring, that’s not a bad thing. Customer service guru Shep Hyken points out that boring can be good:
“It’s the same every time, never changing. Day in and day out, it’s always the same. Sound boring? It’s not when it comes to consistency in delivering customer service – especially if it’s good customer service. It should always be the same. The customer should be able to count on it.” – Shep Hyken
That boring predictability builds something money can’t buy: brand loyalty. And if you can provide a quality product, above-average customer service, and consistency, you can build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back. It’s hip to be square.
As Hyken says, “Consistency isn’t part-time. It’s all of the time.”
Maintain customer satisfaction in text-based communications
It’s fairly easy to stay consistent with text-based customer service teams—like email, online chat, and social media. You can give your team a script that they either memorize or copy and paste.
But that can be problematic for a couple of reasons:
Memory is a thorny thing. It’s easy to forget or get things mixed up, and then out goes consistency.
Juggling multiple documents and windows is cumbersome and inefficient.
Let’s talk about how TextExpander can solve for consistency and help your team maintain customer satisfaction. TextExpander lets you type a short thing to get a longer thing. We call that a Snippet.
Say you want to ensure that your customers are always greeted the exact same way. You can create a Snippet for that so that every time your team types sup.greet, the exact same greeting is expanded on the screen. Likewise, you can do the same for hold messages and farewells.
Try it for yourself.
Josh Centers is a tech journalist and book author. You can read his work in USA Today, Macworld, Wirecutter, and The Washington Post.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: How AI And ChatGPT Can Crush Customer Service
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Consistency in customer service is key. Imagine pulling up to a McDonald’s drive-through, and instead of hearing, “Hi, welcome to McDonald’s, may I take your order,” you were greeted with a gruff: “McDonald’s. What do ya want?”
You’d probably think twice before placing an order! You might even drive to another restaurant instead. Your customers are no different.
Top brands are built on consistent and reliable customer service. Your customers have to know what they can expect from your business, know they can rely on the information you provide, and know that you will follow through on what you promise. In short, consistent and reliable customer service is about trust.
Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose.
Let’s define exactly what it means to provide consistent and reliable customer service and explore how to maintain customer satisfaction.
Consistent and reliable customer service definition
Just what do we mean when we say “consistency in customer service?” McKinsey & Company provides a three-step comprehensive definition, which includes:
Customer-journey consistency: Simply put: are your rules and procedures consistent? No matter how many Google accounts you sign up for, the process is the same every time. If you pay FedEx for overnight shipping, you know that package will be there the next day.
Emotional consistency: Research has consistently shown that positive emotional experiences are key to maintaining customer satisfaction. Every interaction a customer has with your brand needs to have the same emotional tone. It’s why you’d probably drive away from a McDonald’s where you were greeted by, “McDonald’s. What do ya want?”
Communication consistency: Staying on brand is key. Dollar Tree shoppers would be offended if they spotted a $300 handbag in the store. Likewise, Versace shoppers would be equally insulted by a dollar bin. Once your customers have an idea of what to expect, you need to continue feeding their expectations.
The late comedian Mitch Hedberg had a joke that perfectly encapsulates the consistency issue:
“Every McDonald’s commercial ends the same way: Prices and participation may vary. I wanna open a McDonald’s and not participate in anything. I wanna be a stubborn McDonald’s owner. ‘Cheeseburgers? Nope! We got spaghetti, and blankets.’” – Mitch Hedberg
The idea of a contrarian McDonald’s that only serves spaghetti and blankets is funny, but it wouldn’t be as funny if you were on a long road trip and had to console cranky children who just wanted a Happy Meal. Consistency in customer service matters.
Consistency in customer service is boring…and that’s good!
If consistency seems boring, that’s not a bad thing. Customer service guru Shep Hyken points out that boring can be good:
“It’s the same every time, never changing. Day in and day out, it’s always the same. Sound boring? It’s not when it comes to consistency in delivering customer service – especially if it’s good customer service. It should always be the same. The customer should be able to count on it.” – Shep Hyken
That boring predictability builds something money can’t buy: brand loyalty. And if you can provide a quality product, above-average customer service, and consistency, you can build a loyal customer base that keeps coming back. It’s hip to be square.
As Hyken says, “Consistency isn’t part-time. It’s all of the time.”
Maintain customer satisfaction in text-based communications
It’s fairly easy to stay consistent with text-based customer service teams—like email, online chat, and social media. You can give your team a script that they either memorize or copy and paste.
But that can be problematic for a couple of reasons:
Memory is a thorny thing. It’s easy to forget or get things mixed up, and then out goes consistency.
Juggling multiple documents and windows is cumbersome and inefficient.
Let’s talk about how TextExpander can solve for consistency and help your team maintain customer satisfaction. TextExpander lets you type a short thing to get a longer thing. We call that a Snippet.
Say you want to ensure that your customers are always greeted the exact same way. You can create a Snippet for that so that every time your team types sup.greet, the exact same greeting is expanded on the screen. Likewise, you can do the same for hold messages and farewells.
Try it for yourself.
Josh Centers is a tech journalist and book author. You can read his work in USA Today, Macworld, Wirecutter, and The Washington Post.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: How AI And ChatGPT Can Crush Customer Service
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April 18, 2023
You Too Can Be As Good As Amazon…Maybe!
For a number of years, I’ve preached that our customers no longer compare us just to our direct competitors, but instead to the brands they enjoy doing business with the most. In other words, the ones that provide the best customer service and experience. In many of my customer service and CX keynote speeches, I’ll ask the audience to shout out the companies they love doing business with. Without fail, someone – usually many people – mentions Amazon. Amazon has educated its customer as to what a great experience looks like. It meets and exceeds consumer expectations, and now customers want, hope, and expect every company they do business with to be as good as Amazon.
I don’t care if you’re B2B or B2C, everyone you do business with is a consumer at some level. Even if you’re selling a big machine to a factory, there are still expectations that are shaped by retail experiences with customer-focused companies like Amazon. In the past, I’ve referred to this as the Amazonation of the world.
Here are three ways Amazon sets a high bar that customers love – and expect from you.
Super-Fast Delivery – In some cases, Amazon delivers in one or two hours, not one or two days. When you see how quickly you receive your order, you might be thinking, “Why can’t every company deliver that fast?” Most of us realize that Amazon has built its own shipping and distribution system. Still, it is setting a high bar. How fast do you deliver, return calls or do anything else that might get the customer to say, “You’re fast!”?
Free Shipping and/or Delivery – You might say, “Amazon provides free shipping,” which might then lead you to ask, “Why do I have to pay a shipping fee from other companies I do business with?” Actually, Amazon doesn’t provide free shipping. To get what appears to be free shipping, you have to pay $139 for an annual Prime membership. So, free is not really free. For some companies, what appears to be free is built into the price. Although it’s really not free, it’s about perceived value. So, what are you offering that makes customers feel as if they receive value, whether it’s free or not?
A Sense of Control – Whether customers refer to this as a sense of being in control or something else, most people have a confident feeling about their Amazon transactions. I refer to it as feeling in control, even if you aren’t. Amazon’s frequent email communications give you confidence that the order has gone through, is out for delivery with tracking information available, and that it has arrived. This is an easy one to emulate. Just set up automated systems to inform customers of the progress of whatever they are buying from you.
You can wrap these three ideas into the concept of creating confidence. Customers can predict their Amazon experience with almost 100% accuracy. The consistency of Amazon getting it right, fast service, value in the Prime membership (which includes free shipping) and frequent communication updates fuel that confidence. And confidence turns into trust – which can turn into repeat business and even customer loyalty. That is what Amazon has mastered, and it’s something you and your organization can do, too!
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 experience keynotes and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
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April 17, 2023
Customer Service Lessons From the Healthcare Industry Any Business Can Use with Jennifer FitzPatrick
Top Takeaways:
We go to healthcare providers to address a big problem; our health. Some healthcare practitioners know how to treat symptoms and illnesses; however, they are falling short of making the patients feel like they are human beings with respect and dignity.
When patients receive great customer service from their healthcare providers, not only do they provide better reviews, fewer complaints, and malpractice claims, but they also have better clinical outcomes.
Patients are not just comparing their healthcare providers with other healthcare providers. They compare their experiences in the healthcare world with the best customer service they received from anyone in other industries.
Healthcare must recognize younger generations of employees (GenZ and Millennials) are expressing themselves differently than GenX or Boomers. Instead of focusing on external factors like the color of someone’s hair or whether they have tattoos or piercings, identify the top qualities that truly matter to your patient’s care. Are they compassionate, intelligent, kind, and reliable?
Nobody wants to engage with the healthcare system. On a pain scale of zero to 10, most patients come in because they are at a seven or higher. Find ways to make the experience less painful for them, like setting the right expectations, providing updates, and not making them repeat the same information over and over again when it is not necessary.
Plus, Shep and Jennifer discuss what is more important in choosing a healthcare provider, expertise or bedside manner. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Good customer service and patient experience make clinical outcomes better.”
“Train your people to do the right thing for your patients or customers, don’t assume they know. Make sure that anybody who comes into contact with the patient and the patient’s family members, from doctors to billing and housekeeping, are properly trained on customer service.”
“The stakes of good customer experience are much higher in health care than in other industries. It can be life and death.”
“Ask your patients how you can make their experience better. You may not be able to provide exactly what they are asking for, but you can get a little closer to de-escalating their complaints or helping them feel less stressed.”
How does patient experience impact clinical outcomes?
How can providing a positive patient experience improve patient satisfaction and loyalty?
Why is customer service training important in the healthcare industry?
How can healthcare providers take care of difficult patients?
What is the best way to de-escalate patient complaints?
We go to healthcare providers to address a big problem; our health. Some healthcare practitioners know how to treat symptoms and illnesses; however, they are falling short of making the patients feel like they are human beings with respect and dignity.
When patients receive great customer service from their healthcare providers, not only do they provide better reviews, fewer complaints, and malpractice claims, but they also have better clinical outcomes.
Patients are not just comparing their healthcare providers with other healthcare providers. They compare their experiences in the healthcare world with the best customer service they received from anyone in other industries.
Healthcare must recognize younger generations of employees (GenZ and Millennials) are expressing themselves differently than GenX or Boomers. Instead of focusing on external factors like the color of someone’s hair or whether they have tattoos or piercings, identify the top qualities that truly matter to your patient’s care. Are they compassionate, intelligent, kind, and reliable?
Nobody wants to engage with the healthcare system. On a pain scale of zero to 10, most patients come in because they are at a seven or higher. Find ways to make the experience less painful for them, like setting the right expectations, providing updates, and not making them repeat the same information over and over again when it is not necessary.
Plus, Shep and Jennifer discuss what is more important in choosing a healthcare provider, expertise or bedside manner. Tune in!
Quotes:
“Good customer service and patient experience make clinical outcomes better.”
“Train your people to do the right thing for your patients or customers, don’t assume they know. Make sure that anybody who comes into contact with the patient and the patient’s family members, from doctors to billing and housekeeping, are properly trained on customer service.”
“The stakes of good customer experience are much higher in health care than in other industries. It can be life and death.”
“Ask your patients how you can make their experience better. You may not be able to provide exactly what they are asking for, but you can get a little closer to de-escalating their complaints or helping them feel less stressed.”
About:
Jennifer L. FitzPatrick is the author of Reimagining Customer Service in Healthcare. As the founder of Jenerations Health Education, Jennifer helps organizations develop happier healthcare customers.
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 patient experience impact clinical outcomes?
How can providing a positive patient experience improve patient satisfaction and loyalty?
Why is customer service training important in the healthcare industry?
How can healthcare providers take care of difficult patients?
What is the best way to de-escalate patient complaints?
April 16, 2023
Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of April 17, 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.
A New Opportunity for Brands to Build Trust, Authenticity and Customer Loyalty by Tom Idle
(Sustainable Brands) COVID-19 changed everything — especially how people think about their local communities. In all corners of the world, local people, businesses and community groups suddenly became incredibly important as we all navigated the restrictions imposed by the virus. Lockdowns fostered a sense of belonging; we all felt much more connected to where we live and much more likely to support local companies, look after our neighbors, and promote our local identity.
My Comment: Localism is not a new strategy, but it’s an important one that impacts the customer’s experience. The idea is that a company, brand, or retailer focuses on the local community. That may show up in who is hired, the products they sell, and more. Consider that Ace Hardware won’t sell snow shovels in Miami, and Mcdonald’s changes the menu based on the local culture. Even the big brands recognize the power of being local. Read this article to learn more.
How to Incentivize Customer Loyalty in 2023 by BOSS Editorial
(BOSS Magazine) Despite having an abundance of options, customers still generally prefer to give their money to the same handful of brands. Loyalty and trust will always be important factors in the average customer’s buying decisions. Businesses simply have to keep up with the latest retention strategies.
My Comment: Here are six great tips on creating customer loyalty. The first tip has an interesting take on understanding what truly motivates your customers. I also like the second tip’s reminder to focus on the relationship over the sale. If you manage the relationship right, the money will follow.
8 Tips To Improve Customer Service at Your Business by Noah Miller
(Tech Times) Customer service can build stronger relationships with customers and increase loyalty. People are also more likely to recommend brands that offer good customer service. Along with that, it can be a way to turn a negative into a positive. If a customer contacts you with a complaint, it is an opportunity to earn their appreciation.
My Comment: Here’s another list, this time focusing on general customer service ideas. Two of these ideas stand out. The first one is about “Setting Standards.” We all know what good service looks like. Have we defined it as a standard or benchmark? If not, setting the standard will help employees understand your customer service expectations. The fifth tip reminds us not just to train our people but to retrain our people. I’ve always said, training isn’t something you did. It’s something you do!
by Rob Jensen
(CustomerThink) When creating and designing a customer advisory board (CAB) initiative, one aspect that tends to get overlooked or undervalued by CAB managers and executive sponsors is the creation of the program theme.
My Comment: If you don’t have a Customer Advisory Board (CAB), then this article may give you the incentive to create one. Imagine some of your best customers meeting with you to help you understand how to best take care of them – and other customers. This is a powerful concept!
The 10 Pillars of EX (Employee Experience) by Call Centre Helper
(Call Centre Helper) Engaged, happy employees are less likely to leave, can be your best advocates, and more. Employee Experience (EX) is the foundation of this, so we asked our Consultants Panel what it takes to get EX right.
My Comment: We wrap up this week with a focus on the EX (Employee Experience.) If you have anyone who works in customer support, be it one or two people in the office or a full-blown customer support center, this is a must-read article. CallCenter Helper asked ten customer service experts to help create “Ten Pillars.” There is something here for every type of business.
Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Learn more about our customer service training programs and connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
A New Opportunity for Brands to Build Trust, Authenticity and Customer Loyalty by Tom Idle
(Sustainable Brands) COVID-19 changed everything — especially how people think about their local communities. In all corners of the world, local people, businesses and community groups suddenly became incredibly important as we all navigated the restrictions imposed by the virus. Lockdowns fostered a sense of belonging; we all felt much more connected to where we live and much more likely to support local companies, look after our neighbors, and promote our local identity.
My Comment: Localism is not a new strategy, but it’s an important one that impacts the customer’s experience. The idea is that a company, brand, or retailer focuses on the local community. That may show up in who is hired, the products they sell, and more. Consider that Ace Hardware won’t sell snow shovels in Miami, and Mcdonald’s changes the menu based on the local culture. Even the big brands recognize the power of being local. Read this article to learn more.
How to Incentivize Customer Loyalty in 2023 by BOSS Editorial
(BOSS Magazine) Despite having an abundance of options, customers still generally prefer to give their money to the same handful of brands. Loyalty and trust will always be important factors in the average customer’s buying decisions. Businesses simply have to keep up with the latest retention strategies.
My Comment: Here are six great tips on creating customer loyalty. The first tip has an interesting take on understanding what truly motivates your customers. I also like the second tip’s reminder to focus on the relationship over the sale. If you manage the relationship right, the money will follow.
8 Tips To Improve Customer Service at Your Business by Noah Miller
(Tech Times) Customer service can build stronger relationships with customers and increase loyalty. People are also more likely to recommend brands that offer good customer service. Along with that, it can be a way to turn a negative into a positive. If a customer contacts you with a complaint, it is an opportunity to earn their appreciation.
My Comment: Here’s another list, this time focusing on general customer service ideas. Two of these ideas stand out. The first one is about “Setting Standards.” We all know what good service looks like. Have we defined it as a standard or benchmark? If not, setting the standard will help employees understand your customer service expectations. The fifth tip reminds us not just to train our people but to retrain our people. I’ve always said, training isn’t something you did. It’s something you do!
by Rob Jensen
(CustomerThink) When creating and designing a customer advisory board (CAB) initiative, one aspect that tends to get overlooked or undervalued by CAB managers and executive sponsors is the creation of the program theme.
My Comment: If you don’t have a Customer Advisory Board (CAB), then this article may give you the incentive to create one. Imagine some of your best customers meeting with you to help you understand how to best take care of them – and other customers. This is a powerful concept!
The 10 Pillars of EX (Employee Experience) by Call Centre Helper
(Call Centre Helper) Engaged, happy employees are less likely to leave, can be your best advocates, and more. Employee Experience (EX) is the foundation of this, so we asked our Consultants Panel what it takes to get EX right.
My Comment: We wrap up this week with a focus on the EX (Employee Experience.) If you have anyone who works in customer support, be it one or two people in the office or a full-blown customer support center, this is a must-read article. CallCenter Helper asked ten customer service experts to help create “Ten Pillars.” There is something here for every type of business.
Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Learn more about our customer service training programs and connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
April 14, 2023
Guest Post: Customer Contact Agent Satisfaction in a Flexible World
This week, we feature an article by Nicole Kyle, Managing Director and Co-Founder of CMP Research. She shares how leaders can keep contact center agents happy and engaged in the changing work environment that now includes hybrid and remote work setups.
Customer contact agents hold one of the most important keys to the success of any business in the palms of their hands – customer satisfaction. However, with the shift to hybrid and remote work environments, how do contact center leaders keep their agents happy and engaged?
CMP Research shows that by addressing the most pressing concerns in this flexible workplace, not only can leaders boost job satisfaction, but they can also reduce attrition costs, which on average costs customer contact organizations nearly $600,000 annually – more than twice as much as organizations with strong agent retention strategies. Plus, it’s been proven in recent studies that 59% of satisfied agents are overperforming on CSAT and are also 2.5 times more likely to stay in their roles.
Let’s explore the key factors that are necessary to improve agent experiences and create a satisfying flexible work environment that motivates agents as well as creates a sense of community:
The Growing Challenge of Agent Engagement and Retention
Almost half of customer contact agents report not feeling satisfied in their current positions. And even more than that – 65% of customer service agents plan on leaving their roles in the next two years.
Bye Bye Bye: Poor Managers, Lack of Flexibility, and Lack of Career Development are the Three Leading Reasons Agents Leave Their Jobs
In a flexible and sometimes remote workforce, managers are challenged now more than ever to help their agents find satisfaction in their jobs. They need to create a successful manager-direct report dynamic to make that happen and encourage employees to find happiness in their roles. After all, agents who are satisfied with their managers are 2.3 times more likely to be satisfied with their position and experience overall.
Agents Want Flexibility that Works
Agents overwhelmingly want flexibility and are seeking it in the following areas:
Where agents work (in-office or at home)
The day’s agents work
The hours agents work
Work type
While flexible scheduling is an amazing perk for customer agents, it can cause headaches for some companies. However, by not embracing flexibility, agents can be deterred from joining new companies, as only 17% of agents prefer to work on-site every day, while 44% prefer some variation of hybrid work.
Minding the Manager Agent Trust Gap
How can you build trust with co-workers you may have never met in person? Gaining visibility into individual agent working patterns is critical to establishing trust, and there are certain strategies managers can employ to enhance this across a flexible team.
Career Development Can Happen Anywhere
It’s no longer the case that contact agents have to be on-site to better support agent development. 71% of work-from-home agents are equally or more engaged in their workspace, while on the opposite side of the spectrum, fully on-site agents have the lowest satisfaction when it comes to career development.
Giving managers the support they need to lead flexible teams, creating a flexible work environment that works for agents, and giving them the opportunity for career development are necessary to empower today’s customer contact professionals, boost customer satisfaction, and enable long-term success for companies across industries. For more insights and solutions to these pressing issues, work with CMP Research, and consider attending Customer Contact Week Las Vegas from June 19 -22. Celebrating 25 years of connecting CX leaders, CCW is the premier customer contact event of 2023, featuring cutting-edge content, expert insights, and innovative solutions that will elevate your customer strategy.
Nicole Kyle is CMP’s Managing Director and Co-Founder of CMP Research. She is named as LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity and the co-creator and co-host of the I Also Want Money podcast.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: An Often Invisible Trend Impacting All Business
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Customer contact agents hold one of the most important keys to the success of any business in the palms of their hands – customer satisfaction. However, with the shift to hybrid and remote work environments, how do contact center leaders keep their agents happy and engaged?
CMP Research shows that by addressing the most pressing concerns in this flexible workplace, not only can leaders boost job satisfaction, but they can also reduce attrition costs, which on average costs customer contact organizations nearly $600,000 annually – more than twice as much as organizations with strong agent retention strategies. Plus, it’s been proven in recent studies that 59% of satisfied agents are overperforming on CSAT and are also 2.5 times more likely to stay in their roles.
Let’s explore the key factors that are necessary to improve agent experiences and create a satisfying flexible work environment that motivates agents as well as creates a sense of community:
The Growing Challenge of Agent Engagement and Retention
Almost half of customer contact agents report not feeling satisfied in their current positions. And even more than that – 65% of customer service agents plan on leaving their roles in the next two years.
Bye Bye Bye: Poor Managers, Lack of Flexibility, and Lack of Career Development are the Three Leading Reasons Agents Leave Their Jobs
In a flexible and sometimes remote workforce, managers are challenged now more than ever to help their agents find satisfaction in their jobs. They need to create a successful manager-direct report dynamic to make that happen and encourage employees to find happiness in their roles. After all, agents who are satisfied with their managers are 2.3 times more likely to be satisfied with their position and experience overall.
Agents Want Flexibility that Works
Agents overwhelmingly want flexibility and are seeking it in the following areas:
Where agents work (in-office or at home)
The day’s agents work
The hours agents work
Work type
While flexible scheduling is an amazing perk for customer agents, it can cause headaches for some companies. However, by not embracing flexibility, agents can be deterred from joining new companies, as only 17% of agents prefer to work on-site every day, while 44% prefer some variation of hybrid work.
Minding the Manager Agent Trust Gap
How can you build trust with co-workers you may have never met in person? Gaining visibility into individual agent working patterns is critical to establishing trust, and there are certain strategies managers can employ to enhance this across a flexible team.
Career Development Can Happen Anywhere
It’s no longer the case that contact agents have to be on-site to better support agent development. 71% of work-from-home agents are equally or more engaged in their workspace, while on the opposite side of the spectrum, fully on-site agents have the lowest satisfaction when it comes to career development.
Giving managers the support they need to lead flexible teams, creating a flexible work environment that works for agents, and giving them the opportunity for career development are necessary to empower today’s customer contact professionals, boost customer satisfaction, and enable long-term success for companies across industries. For more insights and solutions to these pressing issues, work with CMP Research, and consider attending Customer Contact Week Las Vegas from June 19 -22. Celebrating 25 years of connecting CX leaders, CCW is the premier customer contact event of 2023, featuring cutting-edge content, expert insights, and innovative solutions that will elevate your customer strategy.
Nicole Kyle is CMP’s Managing Director and Co-Founder of CMP Research. She is named as LinkedIn Top Voice in Gender Equity and the co-creator and co-host of the I Also Want Money podcast.
For more articles from Shep Hyken and his guest contributors, go to customerserviceblog.com.
Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: An Often Invisible Trend Impacting All Business
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April 11, 2023
Customer Service Is a Team Sport
The other day I was having breakfast with 11 of my friends. The server came over, introduced herself, and said, “I’ll be taking care of you.” She took our orders, and a few minutes later, a different server dropped off three of our meals. Then, two more servers brought a few more meals a moment later, and another server showed up just after that with the rest of our meals. It wasn’t until after all the meals were served that our original server came over to ask if everything tasted great. Was it this server’s job to simply take our orders and let others do the work? No!
I observed all of the people who brought us our meals. They also had other tables to attend to. And, I noticed that our server was dropping food off at different tables.
Different restaurants may have different processes, but in this one, the food is prepared, plated and set on a counter with heat lamps. Once the food is ready, it doesn’t matter whose table the food is for, whoever is available to take the hot food out immediately becomes responsible for the meal.
I liked what I was seeing. The employees recognized that customer service is a team sport. It’s everyone’s job to make sure the customers leave happy.
Unfortunately, I’ve also witnessed the opposite at a restaurant. The food is set out on the counter, but the server responsible for it is busy taking care of another table. So, the food just sits there while other employees ignore it – because it’s not for one of “their guests.” Talk about a lack of team spirit!
Another example of this lack of team spirit is something I once saw at an airport. A baggage handler was driving a load of bags out to an airplane, and one of them fell off. I watched as numerous other baggage handlers drove by it. They would slow down, look at the bag sitting there by itself on the tarmac and then drive away. At least a half-dozen employees drove by the bag and did nothing. I’m pretty sure that the passenger arrived at their destination and was disappointed when their luggage didn’t show up at the baggage carousel.
The point of these examples is that everyone must take care of the customer, regardless of who the customer “belongs” to. If they see that something isn’t right, they shouldn’t just ignore it like the baggage handlers did.
Lately, I’ve resurrected a concept I used to cover in keynote speeches: every employee has at least two jobs. The first is to do the job they were hired to do. The second is to take care of the customer. When all employees understand that, the customer will most certainly have a better experience.
Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Get more information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken
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