Shep Hyken's Blog, page 69

Amazing Business Radio: Adrian Swinscoe

Experience Leadership

What it Takes to Deliver Great Experiences at All Levels

Shep Hyken interviews Adrian Swinscoe, CX thought leader, Forbes contributor, speaker, and best-selling author of Punk CX and Punk XL. They discuss what experience leadership means to the individual, the team, the organization, the customers, and beyond.

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:It’s no longer sufficient just to talk about customer experience in isolation. We have to start thinking about it holistically and ask, “What does it mean for the entire business?” There’s a lot of power in a place called the “gemba”, meaning the real place. In business, “gemba” is the place where value is created. Figure out where the gemba in your business is and ask yourself, “How can I go there? And, how often do I go there to understand what’s going on with my customers and my employees?On feedback… Psychologically, with a blank text box, people don’t know where to start or how to start. When you are asking for qualitative feedback, guide your customers by creating a fill-in-the-blank item. Lead with statements like, “Your experience would be better if we…”Some leaders and executives are suffering from the Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome. Even a reasonable person might reach a point where they, without realizing it, would treat customers in a way that they themselves wouldn’t find acceptable.All proceeds of Adrian’s book, Punk XL will go to Doctors Without Borders as an acknowledgment of the work that they have done for the last 50 years. How cool is that!Quotes:

“Are you treating your customers in a way that you don’t want to be treated?”

“When you are sending a customer survey, make it shorter. You are asking your customers to take the time to tell you what they think. Respect their time by keeping it as short as you possibly can.”

“Customers want personalization, and brands want to deliver it. But they don’t have a shared understanding of what it means. This is how organizations miss their targets.”

“Many people in organizations don’t really understand the extent of what service, help, and support teams do.”

“People that lead the service, support, and help functions must advocate, inform, and educate others in the organization about the scale and nature of their work. When you do that, people understand the impact and value that you bring.”

About:

Adrian Swinscoe has been growing and helping develop customer-focused large and small businesses for over 25 years. He is a CX thought leader, Forbes contributor, speaker, and best-selling author of Punk CX and Punk XL.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions … and more:

What is experience leadership?What does “gemba” mean in business?How do you collect qualitative feedback from your customers?What is the “Jekyll and Hyde Syndrome” in customer service?How can customer support agents advocate for themselves?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 2-14-2022

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.

Are You Asking the Right Customer Experience Questions? by Janelle Estes

(CMSWire) Today’s top companies rely heavily on human insight to guide their strategies and offerings. It’s these meaningful, actionable, high-quality customer perspectives that fuel unforgettable experiences and create brand loyalty. One of the most important parts of this process is making sure that you’re asking customers the right questions.

My Comment: I’m often asked about the best survey questions. I believe quantitative survey questions, such as NPS, CSAT, etc., can give you numbers but the verbatim answers that come with qualitative feedback questions (open-ended questions) can give you some incredible insights. But, are you asking the questions the right way? This article will give you a good start to understanding what makes for a good question that will get you the insights you need.

74 Percent of Consumers Believe Brand Loyalty is About Feeling Understood and Valued – Not Discounts and Loyalty Perks by Business Wire

(MarTech Series) Redpoint Global, a leading software provider that helps brands deliver revenue-generating, personalized customer experiences, today announced new research revealing trends in brand loyalty and implications around customer experience management.

My Comment: This short article has statistic in the title that should be reason enough to make you want to read it. The point is simple and well made: Chasing customers with low prices and discounts, is as the article points out, “… ultimately a race to the bottom in terms of cost.”

Winning Customer Loyalty With Real-time Refunds by Yael Barack

(The Paypers) In today’s fiercely competitive ecommerce landscape, successful merchants must also consider how they pay money out to customers. Returns are an unwelcome reality of selling online, with between 10% to 40% of purchases returned. But that doesn’t mean merchants can’t turn a negative into a positive.

My Comment: Our customer service research indicates that US consumers consider an easy return policy a reason to come back. Don’t miss the opportunity to create customer loyalty through an easy and hassle-free return policy. This article covers several important ways to deliver that return policy experience that fosters goodwill and gets customers to return again and again.

7 Customer Service Training Tips Every Manager Needs to Know by Justin Herrick

(Stella Connect) As a result of a high-performing customer service team, your brand will establish a reputation for quality service that keeps customers coming back. But if agents routinely fail to deliver satisfactory service interactions, customers will never return.

My Comment: Customer service training is one of the most important types of training you can provide your employees – all of them! (Not just the front line!) That said, our friends at Stella Connect recently posted an article with seven tips on how to run a successful customer service training program. Even though the article focuses on customer support agents, some – and arguably all – of these tips apply to any employee.

Customer Experiences Beset With Bows – How to Celebrate and Delight Every Time by Joseph Michelli

(The Michelli Experience) Let’s assume you deliver a service instead of a product (e.g., accounting, legal services). How do you put a bow on those deliverables? For me, the box’s content is your core offering, and the box or bow is how you build excitement, nurture, and engage the sensory elements across critical moments in your client journey.

My Comment: Today is Valentine’s Day. I thought this would be a perfect addition to our Top Five Roundup. Joseph Michelli is one of my favorite customer experience experts and authors. In this article, he talks about the right to use “boxes and bows” in gifting your customers and employees. By the way, gifting is a power CX and marketing strategy, but that’s for another discussion. As mentioned in the article, Michelli was reminded of the “power of bows” when he wrote his excellent book about Mercedes-Benz titled Driven to Delight.

BONUSESTop 10 CX Podcasts: Hit Play by Chandni U

(Martechvibe) Martechvibe looks at some customer experience (CX) podcasts that have been helping leaders strengthen their brand-customer relationship. Business growth and customer experience (CX) have become synonymous today, wouldn’t you agree? The year 2022 is all about value-driven CX, and companies are continuously eyeing new technologies that can boost their customer strategies and business decisions.

My Comment: Do you listen to podcasts – specifically business podcasts focused on Customer Experience (CX)? If so, you’ll love this article that lists the top ten customer experience podcasts, and I’m honored that my show hit the number one spot. (Thank you MartechVibe!)

102 Customer Experience Experts Reveal Their CX Challenges and Actions by Clootrack

(Clootrack) We interviewed 102 CX experts from high-performing brands. They shared key customer experience challenges & ways to overcome them. Get the insights in this free CX Report!

My Comment: Our friends at Clootrack interviewed 102 customer experience experts to put together a very robust 65-page report that answers the question: What are the biggest challenges that brands face when they want to implement an exceptional customer experience? Experts from around the world weighed in. Note: The report is “gated,” so you’ll have to share your email address.

[image error]Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Go to The Customer Focus to learn more about our customer service training programs. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

 

 

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Guest Post: How to Improve Your Post-Purchase Customer Experience

This week we feature an article by Devin Pickell, Growth Marketer at Privy. He shares simple but effective ways to improve your post-purchase customer experience so your customers keep coming back for more.

Getting a customer to make their first purchase is not easy. Out of all the options available today, they decided to go with your brand. Maybe they read a handful of 5-star customer reviews, perhaps your product page really stuck out to them. Whatever led them to make that first purchase, you’re now able to retarget that customer to make repeat purchases. 

However, getting someone to buy your product, again and again, can be equally as difficult. If your post-purchase experience missed the mark, especially after the first purchase, you could lose out on return business. 

In this article, I’m going to discuss some simple but effective ways to improve your post-purchase experience so your customers keep coming back for more. 

Audit your order confirmation sequence

Did you know that transactional emails, like order and shipping confirmation emails, will have more than double the engagement of regular marketing emails?  

Your customers never want to feel like they’re being left in the dark on their orders, which is why auditing these emails and making them as efficient as possible can immediately improve your post-purchase experience. Follow my tips below when starting your audit: 

Automate your order confirmation emails to send as soon as possible. This should also include the necessary shipping information and a CTA button for customers to track their items. Send follow-up emails with shipping statuses. If there’s a delay in transit or items are arriving sooner than expected, your customers should be the first to know. Have a direct line of communication with your customer service team, whether that be by phone, email, or online chat. Ideally, you’d have this synced up with your customer service tool to track all customer interactions in a single space. 

After auditing your order confirmation sequence and ensuring customers have some peace of mind, you can dive deeper into some post-purchase strategies, such as upselling and cross-selling. 

Optimize your ‘Thank You’ page

A standard practice in e-commerce today is to lead your customers to a ‘Thank You’ page immediately after they check out. While most brands use this page for order confirmation, savvier brands use this as an opportunity to upsell and cross-sell relevant products their customers may be interested in but probably weren’t aware of. Below is an example of what this looks like: 

 

This is a great way to get your customers to add another item or two to their shopping cart while they’re still in buy mode. 

Another way to optimize your ‘Thank You’ page is by offering customers a 100% satisfaction guarantee message from your founder or CEO. See the example below from Relay Foods: 

A great post-purchase experience is all about reassuring your customers they made the right decision by choosing your brand. Messages like this are one of the best ways to instill customer confidence. 

Finally, you can use your Thank You page as an opportunity to keep customers engaged with your brand. There are a few ways to do this. The first way is to immediately send your customers a coupon after they’ve placed their order. In the example below, even just a 5-10% discount can be enough to drive repeat business. 

 The second way to build engagement using your ‘Thank You’ page is to present your rewards or loyalty program after checkout. Ask your customers to share something online, invite a friend to the app, or place X amount of more purchases to reach a milestone. All of the methods mentioned in this section are guaranteed to elevate your Thank You page. 

Send automated reorder follow-up emails 

Say you sell vitamins, shampoo, dog food, or any other item that will need replenishing after a month or so. Baking in automated reorder follow-up emails in your post-purchase experience is a great way to stay top of mind with your customers–and they may even appreciate the nudge. 

 When it comes to driving repeat purchases and building customer loyalty, sending follow-up emails as a helpful reminder when your customers need replenishment is an effective strategy. 

Bonus: Create a memorable unboxing experience

When shopping in person, you get to see and feel the item you’re buying firsthand. In e-commerce, these moments are delayed for days and sometimes weeks. What better way to take your post-purchase phase to the next level than by creating an unboxing experience that is memorable and will have your customers talking? 

Brands like Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh, and Foxtrot are all masters at providing high-quality unboxing experiences. What makes them so memorable is:  

Creative packaging design Product-use instructions Unique tidbits about the brand Durable, custom-built packaging Handwritten notes from the brand or other personalization Post-purchase is just the beginning

Imagine a customer’s first post-purchase experience as just the beginning of a potential long relationship with your brand. Don’t fumble the opportunity to make sure they’re informed, and make replenishing items with your brand as simple.

Devin Pickell is a Growth Marketer at Privy. He combines his skills in content marketing, SEO, data analysis, and marketing strategy to meet customers at the right moment in their journey.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Happy Customers Mean Happy Employees

 

 

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Use Relationship Data to Build Stronger Connections

First, I hope the word “data” doesn’t scare you off. We’re not going to discuss the typical customer data that might bore most people, although I’ll admit that I get excited and geek out about the data, stats, and facts that show trends in business. Today we’re going to talk about relationship data. 

First, understand that relationship data is information you have about a customer that you can’t get by looking at a spreadsheet that includes information about all your customers. Even looking at buying patterns, how much an individual customer spends and other numbers related to business are more about revenue over relationships. What you’re looking for from relationship data is the information you have about a customer that tells you what you need to know about them, and only them, compared to other customers. While some business numbers are important, there is more. 

There are two kinds of relationship data. One is focused on business numbers, as just mentioned, and the other is personal information. Let’s hit business first, mainly because this is what most people focus on anyway. 

Relationship data, as it applies to business, can be seen in some of the spreadsheets you look at related to a customer. Digging a little deeper, it can show you what products the customer buys – and what they don’t buy, which is actually more important than you think. So, if they aren’t buying something they should be buying, then you should market and sell that to them. That’s using the business relationship data to determine what you should be selling to your customers.  

The Nike Membership program is a great example of relationship data for business. A customer may buy running shoes. As a result, Nike will send them information about running shoes, which could include interesting stories and new product announcements. What they won’t do is promote other shoe categories. If a customer buys running shoes, why would they waste time with a basketball shoe promotion? The risk of spamming them with promotions that aren’t appropriate could cause the customer to disconnect. 

Then there is relationship data that is personal. This is what you know about the customer that you could only know if they shared information with you. Maybe it’s as simple as knowing the customer’s birthday. Or it could be something more personal, such as their children’s names. Using this the right way can earn relationship points and help ward off competitors who don’t have that personal relationship. 

In a perfect world, you’re able to take advantage of both personal and business relationship data. It’s where customers don’t see a business as just a vendor or a store. They feel connected – and maybe see it more as a friend and a partner. It all comes down to the relationship you have with your customer. The more you have, the greater potential to make that relationship stronger, bulletproofing you from your competition.   

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times, bestselling business author. For information on The Customer Focus customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXXI, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: Steve Peltzman

An Evolutionary Moment for CX

Building a Reactive and Predictive Customer Experience

Shep Hyken interviews Steve Peltzman head of FeedbackNow, Forrester’s AI-powered physical & digital solution. They discuss how companies can sense, analyze, and react to issues that affect customer experience.

Top Takeaways:Wherever customers go, something is different. COVID has caused customers to feel anxiety and a lack of control. Good companies recognize this and have stepped up and are doing something different.Throughout the pandemic, new expectations have been created. Companies have made things easier for their customers, who expect this same level of service to continue, even after the pandemic.

According to Forrester’s 2022 predictions, consumers will lean on brands that offer a sense of relief and immediate comfort. In 2022, consumers will turn to uplifting, pleasing products and experiences that offer a reprieve from the ongoing uncertainty.

Every advancement creates new complexity and awkwardness that every company has to adjust to. For example, in healthcare, practitioners need to master “Zoom-side manner” aside from the traditional bedside manner.Surveys can benefit future customers but they do not help present customers who are experiencing the inconvenience.

Per Forrester, more than 60% of customer experience professionals say their businesses lack closed-loop processes for CX feedback.

Use feedback and data to understand the breaking point where a customer becomes upset when the issue is not properly addressed. For example, if, on average, your customers are willing to stand in line for 5 minutes but they start to get upset at the 10-minute mark, open up a new line at 9 minutes.Quotes:

“COVID has brought consumers’ CX expectations up to unprecedented levels. Even as we recover, those expectations will largely remain. They want and seek control and comfort.”

“What has happened in the last couple of years is an evolutionary moment of customer experience in companies. You either have to adapt or be eaten.”

“Making big changes to your overall customer experience can seem daunting. Start small and start quickly.”

About:

Steve Peltzman is Forrester’s first Chief Business Technology Officer. He now leads FeedbackNow, Forrester’s AI-powered physical & digital solution to measure, analyze, predict, and act on customer feedback in real-time.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions … and more:

What is the future of CX post-pandemic?DO customer surveys still work?How did COVID-19 change customer expectations?How can organizations enable real-time customer experience improvements?Are all companies ready to make big changes in CX?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 2-7-2022

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.

9 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty by Ken Peterson

(CMSWire) This got me thinking about all the companies I’ve worked with and used over the years and what they actually did to earn my loyalty. I created this list and thought I’d share it with you.

My Comment: I love lists, and this is a good one, taking us back to some of the basics that will help build customer loyalty. You may be familiar with some, if not even all, of these tips. Still, it’s important to see them again and again. Pay attention to the last one, which is “Be your word.” It’s a nice take on being authentic.

The 7 Steps You Need To Improve Your Net Promoter Score by Adam Ramshaw

(Genroe) If you want to improve your Net Promoter Score you need more than a great NPS measurement process. You need to do something with the data.

My Comment: NPS (Net Promotor Score) is one of my favorite metrics. This article is by an expert who consults in the NPS world. He is able to communicate, with amazing clarity, on how to use NPS the right way. The survey question by itself is not enough. The magic is when you use the NPS question as a launching pad for a way to gather information, react to the information, and ultimately monetize the information.

What Does the Contact Center of 2030 Look Like? by Balto

(Balto) Balto CEO and founder Marc Bernstein ends every episode of Reimagining the Contact Center with the same question for his guest: “What does the contact center of 2030 look like?” Over 30 industry leaders — from customer experience speakers to contact center leaders — have shared their thoughts with Marc.

My Comment: What will the contact center look like in 2030? Balto went to 30 thought leaders in the customer service and CX space and asked their opinion. One thing was clear. Human-to-human interactions will still be here. Find out what else these experts had to say.

Eight Tips For Providing Excellent Customer Service by Saul Maslavi

(Forbes) What are the most important factors in providing excellent customer service? If you’re a business owner, this is a question you should be asking yourself. Customer satisfaction directly affects your bottom line, and if you want to increase sales or maintain your current customers, it’s critical that you understand what they care about most. Customer satisfaction is a significant factor in business success.

My Comment: Saul Maslavi is CEO of a company that designs prom dresses for more than 3,000 wholesale “partners” across the country. First, I appreciate that he uses the word “partner” to describe the relationship he has with his customers. That is an extra tip that I picked up, and that was just from reading his bio. The eight tips he shares are spot on. Number 5, which is about being honest when things go wrong, is especially important today with supply chain problems, employment difficulties, and inventory issues plaguing many businesses.

How to Deal With Angry Customers by Grant Olsen

(Foundr Magazine) You will never be able to please all of the people at the same time. There are simply too many diverse opinions, styles, situations, and personalities to ever enjoy a moment of agreement among your customers.

My Comment: This excellent article shares some great stats and facts to support what happens when you do or don’t handle your angry customers. These nine tips will help calm the customer down and get them back on your side. I’ve always said that a complaint handled well can create a stronger relationship than if there was never something to complain about. (That doesn’t mean you should upset a customer on purpose!)

[image error]Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Go to The Customer Focus to learn more about our customer service training programs. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

 

 

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Guest Post: Importance of a Single Source of Truth for Customer Service

This week we feature an article by Sowmya Juttukonda, content developer & digital media strategist at Knowmax, a knowledge management system to enhance customer service. She shares the advantages of a single source of truth for customer service.

A single source of truth organizes information models and related data schema so that each data element can be altered or mastered in a single location.  

Deployment of a single source of truth architecture in current enterprise settings is critical in our time to prevent the danger of retrieving obsolete and erroneous information due to de-normalized or duplicate data pieces.

What does it mean to have a single source of truth? 

The term “single source of truth,” or single source of truth, is used in knowledge management to refer to a credible source of information that everyone can rely on. It’s everything in one place, on one platform, and it’s all managed by the best authority. In other words, it is known as the ‘brain’ of the company, containing all of the company’s operations, procedures, and intellectual property.  

Any revised or new material is promptly pushed out to the entire network so that members have instantaneous access to firms that use the single source of truth technique of knowledge management. Employees rarely take information offline into locations where it cannot be monitored. Therefore complications are unlikely. 

The advantages of a single source of truth:Your Information

You can manage the knowledge sharing using the single source of truth platform to put out changes and avoid the problem of out-of-date reference materials and cheat sheets. Due to strict governance, only authorized members can develop, modify, approve, and publish updates on a single source of truth platform.  

Because they are no longer dealing with issues related to obsolete data, contact center employees gain confidence in their single source of truth platform. Duplicate records and version control issues are no longer an issue with a single source of truth. A single source of truth provides a complete audit trail with the ability to access prior versions.  

The consumer experience (CX) and the employee experience (EX) are instantaneously raised when reliable, accurate, and timely information from a single source of truth is communicated across platforms.  

A single source of truth boosts efficiency significant

A knowledge base software for customer support keeps up-to-date, accurate information in one central location that’s easy to find. A single source of truth is not geographically confined like a database because it is cloud-based. With their browser, users can get up-to-date information from any location. 

A single source of truth solves the problem of gaining access to critical data appropriately stored with a single source of standardized, relevant data from across the organization. Data from production, customer service, and sales and marketing can all be used to inform corporate leaders as they make strategic decisions. 

Employees can quickly and easily locate the knowledge they need with a single source of truth, promoting communication, cooperation, and production. 

Process of creating a single source of truthDetermine your data requirements 

At this point, many firms learn how to locate data requirements. They must be able to identify, characterize, and explain all of the data pieces they require and contain cleaning, formatting, and standardization processes. They must understand how different applications can access and use the entire data

Analyzing data 

Businesses can use data analysis to locate and map data sources and determine domain standards. It also determines how the data can be represented by mapping the source data items to their objectives

Designing for integration 

Pulling data from various sources is greatly aided by interior design. It’s more than just data retrieval; it’s also helpful in matching and merging different processes. It makes decisions based on the information gathered. It aids in the creation of complete extraction and transformation processes for obtaining vital consumer information

Development of integration 

It’s all about figuring out how to extract and manipulate data in integration development. It implements the logic created during the design stage, which is when a single source of truth occurs

Validate and verify 

After you’ve completed the organizing stage, you’ll need to double-check that the data meets the reception and qualification standards. It verifies incoming data and allows each user to test the solution before implementation. 

Create a solution and implement it 

A single source of truth will provide you with numerous advantages. You can concentrate on effectively leveraging the single source of truth to improve various elements of your company.   

When all of the requirements are verified and validated, the single source of truth is deployed, making all of the data available for organizations to use through customer data extraction and application coupling.  

Importance of a single source of truth in customer serviceIntelligent and experienced retailers deliver seamless omnichannel support. Customers are frequently frustrated by gaps in these relevant commerce experiences. Some businesses find creating a unified commerce experience challenging because each channel evolved separately throughout time with various technology, systems, and databases. The best solution to this problem is to bring all of the data into a single source of truth with unified data that can be accessed by each channel in real-time and used to create experiences that are consistent with each customer’s shopping history, media, location, preferences, and other factors. For a successful consumer relationship, increased personalization is necessary. Customer data is unified, allowing for a single-point view of overall shopping and browsing habits. Everyday actions can be factored into entire marketing messages across all channels and touchpoints. Customization that is timely and precise is critical for a positive shopping experience, creating trust with all customers, and making marketing messages that they enjoy. Cost and time savings have been realized as a result of improved operations. Retailers can plan inventory, improve order management, and expedite logistics by having access to all logistics, inventory, sales, and fulfillment data in one place. Conclusion

A single source of truth system solves present and future data problems by making correct data easily searchable and accessible. Silos of data are routed to a central location, where knowledge is synthesized and incorporated into a user-friendly interface that prevents drama or confusion. In a word, we handle the complicated stuff to focus on your business.  

Creating a knowledge base aids in the creation of a firm foundation in a commercial setting where the customer experience (CX) is critical to success and data influences corporate strategy. 

Sowmya Juttukonda is a content developer & digital media strategist at Knowmax, a knowledge management system to enhance customer service.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: How To Get A 26% Return In The Stock Market

 

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A Restaurant that Offers Car Washes on the Menu

I recently wrote an article about the little surprises that companies – and people – sometimes give us when we do business with them. We received some great feedback, and it got me thinking of other ways to surprise our customers. That’s what this follow-up is about. I’m often surprised at how companies find ways to improve a customer experience with something that has nothing to do with what they sell. It’s best illustrated with an example. 

I pulled into a restaurant parking lot where there were several valets waiting to park our car. The gentleman opening my door greeted me and then asked, “While you’re having dinner this evening, would you like us to wash your car?” 

Well, I never thought that going to dinner would include a car wash. But that night it did. While a clean car wasn’t officially on the menu, it was an additional service they offered. This was a great way to keep the valets busy during slower times and make them some extra money when the customers generously tipped them for an amazing experience.  

So, I started thinking about other ways I’ve seen this concept in practice.  

Certain hotels used to offer a shoe-shine service while you were asleep. Just put your shoes in a bag that the hotel provided and hang it on the outside doorknob before midnight, and your shoes would be returned before 5 a.m. While there was no charge for this, I remember dropping a few dollars into the shoe with a thank-you note.  

We used a seasonal lawn service from April through October each year. They would do the spring cleanup, cut the grass, and provide other services you would expect. At the end of the season, they would prep our lawn for the winter, and we expected not to see them again until the following spring. Then during a winter storm, our “lawn guy” dropped off a bag of salt to melt the ice on our sidewalk along with a note to let us know that even though we didn’t see him for almost six months, he still cared about our home. It made sense. It was about keeping our home looking nice. And it was an unexpected positive touchpoint. 

Keep in mind this isn’t about a surprise appreciation gift. This is an extension of what you do, but it’s something that might not be expected. It’s something that adds value to the experience. What’s your version of that? Get your team together and brainstorm ideas. Start by asking the question, “When have you ever been surprised with something extra from a person or place you did business with?” Find your version of the carwash during dinner or the shoeshine while you sleep.  

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times, bestselling business author. For information on The Customer Focus customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXXI, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: Joe Jorczak

How to Make It Easy for Customers to Find Answers

The Power of an Easy Search

Shep Hyken interviews Joe Jorczak, Head of Industry for Service & Support at Yext, a company that offers an AI-powered Answers Platform that understands the natural language that mirrors how customers ask questions with the capability to provide direct answers. They discuss how customers, support teams, and support leaders can utilize the power of search to create a great user experience.

 

 

Top Takeaways:Every question starts with a search. Whenever there was a question, people used to go to the library, ask a friend, or call a store. But now, most of these activities have moved online.In a research with 1500 respondents, Yext found out that “85% of customers say that being able to find information or resolve an issue themselves versus contacting customer support is either very important or fairly important.”Most brands don’t make it easy for customers to find answers. This is not on purpose. Many brands are still hamstrung by the old ways of organizing information – they typically have answers hidden four, five, or six clicks deep into a knowledge base or scattered across different departments in the organization.Customer support teams are under pressure. A lot of them are still measured by metrics like average handle times, the number of resolutions per day, ticket queue, and backlogs. They have the challenge of jumping across multiple knowledge bases to find the information that customers are waiting on. This takes time and is frustrating for support agents.Support leaders are turning to chatbots and virtual assistants to help meet customer expectations. However, customers may phrase questions in a way that chatbots are not yet designed to answer. This is frustrating for customers.Quotes:

“85% of customers say that being able to find information or resolve an issue themselves versus contacting customer support is either very important or fairly important.”

“Customers are increasingly preferring to be able to find answers on their own instead of waiting on a chat queue or sitting on the phone.”

“Don’t overlook the power of search to create a great user experience.”

About:

Joe Jorczak is the Head of Industry for Service & Support at Yext where he is responsible for defining and executing the strategic direction for the company’s service and support offerings.

Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and your host of Amazing Business Radio.

This episode of Amazing Business Radio with Shep Hyken answers the following questions … and more:

What are the challenges that support teams encounter when finding the answers to their customers’ questions?Why is customer self-service important?Do customers prefer self-service?Why is a knowledge base important?How do customers prefer to find answers to their questions?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 1-31-2022

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.

10 Ways to Build Trusting Relationships with Your Customers by Atlanta Small Business Network

(Atlanta Small Business Network) In a world where business competition is fierce and consumers are more informed than ever before, building customer trust is vital. Building that trust starts with the very first interaction you have with your customers, and it should continue through every interaction you have following that initial one. There are many ways for businesses to build this essential element of their reputation. Here are 10 practical tips that businesses can use to gain and maintain trust with their customers.

My Comment: Trust is a hot topic and more important than ever in building repeat business and ultimate loyalty. In short, a company that builds trust has the potential to make more money. This article shares ten ways to create trust, which in a sense, are ten ways to create a better customer experience.

Digital Trends to Influence Better Customer Experiences by Dakota Murphey

(TechDay) Customer experience can be a difficult element of your business to measure, but it has a tremendous impact on your business as a whole. Be it customer loyalty, your brand reputation or improving conversion rates, customer experience plays a part in various aspects of your business.

My Comment: Every company, from the smallest to the largest companies, should be looking at their digital customer experience. Here are some of the trends that are impacting (positively) the customer experience. The hot topics are personalization, omnichannel, and content marketing (storytelling). This article shares a short description of these topics and several more.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like… Eroding Customer Loyalty? by Sam Bradley

(The Drum) Customers are fickler than ever when it comes to consumer brands. The web has made it easier than ever to switch providers or brands, and easier again to publicize poor service

My Comment: Here’s a popular headline I’ve been reading for several months: Customer Loyalty Is Up For Grabs. Many companies/brands in the past two years have not kept up with their customers’ changing demands and expectations. The result is they defect. This short article has several ideas on how to serve disloyal customers.

The Best Customer Service Starts With a Smile by The Tech Report Staff Reporter

(The Tech Report) A smile offers distinct advantages in the best customer service. Creating an amazing approach is more sophisticated than ticking off a few boxes on a checklist. There is a level of personal contact that cannot be ignored.

My Comment: This article falls into the category of attitude versus skill. Yes, a smile can go a long way, but just how long? This author has taken the smile concept to new levels.

How to Put Empathy Into Action in Your Customer Experience by Adrian Swinscoe

(CustomerThink) I’ve long advocated about the importance of empathy in customer experience, the need for more of it and why organizations should consider building an empathetic musculature if they want to sustainably improve how they engage and serve their customers.

My Comment: In 2020, I claimed the business word of the year was “empathy.” The word continue to be important as the pandemic continued through 2021. Here we are, getting ready to head into year three of pandemic life and empathy may be more important than ever. If you haven’t done so, it’s time to focus on empathy tied to customer service and CX.

BONUSES200 Most Powerful Influencers to Follow in 2022 by Engati Team

(Engati) Whether you’re looking for inspiration, or you’re interested in getting fantastic insights on the latest Customer Experience and Artificial Intelligence trends, Engati CX is the place to be. Meet our 200 luminaries who have taken these worlds by storm and have created a community like no other.

My Comment: I’m honored that Engati included me on their list of 200 Customer Experience thought leaders to follow. There are some amazing people on this list. Thank you, Engati!

State of the Contact Center 2022 by Fonolo

(Fonolo) In this new report, we reflect on the most significant trends from the past year with insights from industry leaders and CX experts. This is an essential resource for contact center leaders looking to make data-driven decisions for their operations this year.

My Comment: If you have customer support, you should take a look at this report from Fonolo. It is gated, so you’ll have to give up your email address to get the report.

[image error]Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. Go to The Customer Focus to learn more about our customer service training programs. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

 

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