Shep Hyken's Blog, page 77

Amazing Business Radio: Paul Reilly

Selling Through Tough Times

Utilizing Customer Experience as a Sales Tool

Shep Hyken interviews Paul Reilly, a professional speaker, sales trainer, and author of Selling Through Tough Times. They discuss how brands can provide value to their customers during uncertain times.

Top Takeaways:When you create good experiences, especially during tough times, you are providing value beyond the product that you are selling.Certainty and stability are important to your customers. This should be seen in your brand’s messaging and felt in your customer’s experience.During times of uncertainty, customers want consistent and predictable experiences that meet their standards.Companies have the opportunity to enhance their overall customer experience during tough times. Ask your customers the question, “What’s missing from our current solution?”Every person in an organization should be asking themselves, “What else can I do for the customer?”Quotes:

“The best sales tool you can have is a great customer experience.”

“Tough and uncertain times are one of the greatest opportunities to strengthen your relationship with your customers.”

“It pays to be there for your customers. They expect support from the brands that they choose to partner with.”

About:

Paul Reilly is a professional speaker, sales trainer, and author. He coauthored Value-Added Selling, fourth edition, and authored Selling Through Tough Times. Reilly also hosts The Q and A Sales Podcast, where he answers the most pressing questions facing today’s sales professional.

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 value-added selling?How do you turn customers into partners?How can businesses thrive during uncertain times?How does customer experience impact sales?What do customers expect from companies during tough times?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 9-27-2021

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.

EX and CX Come Down to the Same Thing: Put the Person First by Inge De Bleecker

(CMSWire) The better the experience, the more likely that person will return and give the brand their business. On the flip side, sometimes it only takes one bad experience to undo years of goodwill. The same can be said for an employee’s experience with a brand.

My Comment: Customer service starts on the inside, starting with employees. My concept of The Employee Golden Rule is about treating employees the same way you treat customers, if not even better. Just as you want the customer to experience an easy process and system when they do business with you, the same applies to your employees.

5 Ways to Make Your Customer the Hero on Social Media by Chris Kim

(PR News) How can social media leaders create a steady cadence of fresh, customer-centric social posts, especially when formal case studies are resource-intensive and can take months to produce?

My Comment: This one may be more of a personalized marketing strategy than customer experience, but then again, customer experience and marketing go hand in hand. This works for any type of business but is especially powerful in the B2B world. It’s a simple idea. Find ways to promote your customers on social media.

How to Create a Customer-First Environment In an Online Business World by Natalya Bucuy

(PomoDone) How are the Wizard of Oz and online businesses alike? It’s fair to assume that the author, L. Frank Baum, wrote a children’s novel and not a customer-relations manual. However, there are some valuable aspects of the story that can come quite handy when it comes to connecting with customers. (And it’s more fun this way, isn’t it?)

My Comment: This informative article is also entertaining, drawing an analogy between e-commerce and The Wizard of Oz. Personalization, customer journey mapping, and surprising customers with the unexpected are just a few of the topics covered in this article.

Hyper-personalization: the Next Great CX Disruption by Chris Bauserman

(No Jitter) The forces for the next great disruption in customer experience (CX) are aligning now and as with all disruptions, there will be winners and losers. The standard approach and practices for designing customer journeys will only take you so far. What you need now are hyper-personalized customer journeys.

My Comment: Personalization is one of the hot topics in customer experience. Our research shows that a personalized experience will bring a customer back. This article claims that hyper-personalization will be a major competitive disrupter. Read the article and see if you agree.

Four Simple Ways To Reinforce Customer Loyalty by Logan Rush

(Forbes) For many businesses, customer acquisition is the focus of their marketing campaigns. Yet, changes in the business landscape have Gartner reporting CMOs will move their focus to customer retention over acquisition this year. After all, it can take thousands to acquire a new customer and very little to maintain customer loyalty.

My Comment: In the real estate world, the three ways to be successful are location, location, location. In this article, we can say that the secret to customer loyalty is communication, communication, communication. The way you communicate, what you communicate, and how often you communicate can create the experience that gives a customer confidence to continue doing business with you.

BONUSThe Cx Leader’s Manual to Customer Excellence by Steven Van Belleghem

(Steven Van Belleghem) The Cx Leader’s Manual to Customer Excellence is a compilation of my favorite basic pieces from these past few months with some brand-new unpublished ones.

My Comment: If you’ve been following this weekly roundup, the name Steven Van Belleghem should be familiar. If not, this is your chance. I’m a huge fan of his work. This free eBook, which does not require you to share your name or email address, is an outstanding look at how major brands are creating an excellent customer experience. Download and read this eBook. You’ll be glad that you did!

Shep Hyken[image error] 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 SaaS Companies Can Use Customer Experience to Drive Sales

This week we feature an article by Noa Danon, co-founder and CEO of EverAfter, a company that helps build lasting relationships with customers and partners using data and content. She writes about how companies can keep their customers happy while looking for opportunities to sell more.

SaaS has changed the traditional sales rules. With SaaS, purchases are mainly cloud-based with major demand. Because of this, prices are cheaper as new companies, products and solutions come to market daily. Due to this, competition is fierce as many SaaS companies are highly vulnerable to churn if they are not satisfying their customer base.   

Marketing, in general, is becoming more expensive and prospecting is becoming harder. In a Hubspot survey, 40% of salespeople said getting a response from prospects was more difficult than 2 years ago. 

Combined with the ever-changing landscape of the SaaS industry, it is no wonder that sales leaders have been asked to help manage customer relationships, even though this is not their strength. Traditionally, sales leaders are motivated by increasing the number of new logos and the thrill of the sale rather than splitting their attention to managing the day-to-day relationships of customers.  

Having a dedicated team of Customer Success managers is a much better strategy for companies who want to focus on keeping their existing customers happy while looking for opportunities for upsell. This allows the sales team to do what they do best while still bringing in several additional benefits to the overall sales process. Here are a few reasons why Customer Success should be separated from Sales.  

Use Customer Success as a carrot

Integrating a new software can be nerve-racking as you gamble on the success of the sales process while building a new relationship with your supplier. SaaS companies by and large have a fantastic sales process but fall short in the aftercare of their customers. By building a dedicated Customer Success team that can be introduced during the sales process can alleviate this concern. In addition, it might just push your prospect over the finish line who might be having some hesitation.  

Increasingly important is the word of mouth and recommendations of others. 93% of consumers trust the recommendations of friends and family when making a purchase decision. If a prospect searches online or reaches out to their network to find out how you treat your customers after a sale then you want the feedback to be glowing. The additional credibility could make a huge difference to your closing line.  

In-depth client understanding

A Customer Success Manager can play a greater and more strategic role with the client. By embedding this person into the day-to-day of your customer, you can minimize frustrations and pain points. This can also be fed back to both the product and sales team to prioritize fixes and even new uses cases.  

By becoming a valued and trusted advisor for your clients, the Customer Success Manager can advise on new opportunities such as upsells and can encourage your customer to break out of their usual patterns and realize where there can be room for improvement.  

Create a virtuous circle

The sales team still has a vital role to play by the Customer Success team can make the lives of sales that much easier. By having greater visibility into the practicalities, they are trained to seed the idea of upsells and cross-selling.  

Yet they would then hand it over to the sales team again to close the deal. They would prep the sales team thoroughly to maximize the chances of an agreement but there would be no internal conflict as each team understands their individual roles clearly. The Customer Success team can prevent the sales teams from wasting time and energy going down the wrong path as they better understand the client’s needs. 

Collaboration is easy

Not surprisingly, SaaS companies need to ensure they are continuously expressing value to the customers and keeping internal departments on the same page and many admit this is a constant challenge. Yet, the problem can be easily solved by technology by utilizing a centralized hub available to all internal stakeholders and the customer so timeless and outstanding tasks are easily communicated and won’t be missed. This can be especially useful when working remotely. Don’t let the fear of siloed workforces stop you from making the change that will increase retention or minimize churn.   

Final thoughts

At EverAfter, we believe retention, expansion, and advocacy is the best way to grow your business and the implementation of a Customer Success team is critical to a healthy pipeline. In today’s world, keeping your customers is a secret to gaining more in the future. Introducing a single hub is an ideal way to ensure harmony between the teams for the best possible outcome. 

Noa Danon is the co-founder and CEO of EverAfter, empowering companies to build lasting relationships with customers and partners using data and content.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Some Customers Aren’t Worth Doing Business With: When To Fire Your Customers

 

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The Culture Challenge

Culture is one of the most important parts of customer service and customer experience. I’ve written numerous articles about this and have included a chapter on this topic in my latest book, I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again, which by the way, is finally out. (Shameless plug: Get it today!) 

It’s always been my philosophy that customer service is not a department. It’s a philosophy to be embraced by everyone in an organization. It’s part of the company’s culture.   

In the past, I covered six steps to creating a customer-centric culture. These are still the right steps. But, I’d like to add some ideas from the new book to supplement this powerful process.  

Six steps to creating a customer-centric culture Principle One: Everyone has to be in it to win it –  As I mentioned above, customer service is a philosophy to be embraced by everyone. Everyone must be in alignment with leadership’s vision and definition of the organization’s culture. Principle Two: Follow the “Employee Golden Rule” –  This is one of my favorite concepts, which is to do unto your employees as you want done unto the customer. The way leaders and managers treat employees is how employees are going to treat others, including the customer.  Principle Three: Empower people –  We hire people for their talent, so it stands to reason that we should let them use that talent to take care of their customers, both internal and external.  Principle Four: Put it in writing –  This ties in with Principle One. Create a simple and easily remembered definition of what customer service looks like in your organization. It should be one sentence or less. Here at Shepard Presentations, we live by three words: Always Be Amazing! We want to be amazing for our clients and teach them to be amazing for their customers, clients, guests, etc.  Principle Five: Culture starts at the top –  Leaders not only define the culture, but also serve as the role models for the rest of the company. They must live their vision for how employees and customers are treated.  Principle Six: Hire and assign for amazement –  If you want the right culture, you must hire the right people for that culture. Once hired, they must understand their roles and how they impact the amazing customer experience you want to provide.   Principle Seven: Make sure there is a good coach –  When I look at the best teams in business, whether they are customer service teams, sales teams, finance teams, etc., I recognize that they all have good leadership. The leader of a truly effective team is like the coach of a professional sports team. They motivate, mentor and nurture their teams toward success. 

So there you have it. A summary of the seven principles that will help your organization become even more customer-focused. And, have your customers saying, “I’ll be back!” 

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: Shep Hyken

Creating the I’ll Be Back Experience

How to Get Your Customers to Come Back Again and Again

Shep Hyken talks about his new book I’ll Be Back: How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again. The book comes out on September 21, 2021.

 

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:Questions like, “Are you happy with our service?” and “Would you be willing to recommend us?” are great history lessons. Another important measure of customer service success is behavior – whether or not customers come back.In the ’80s, Jan Carlson came up with the idea of the Moment of Truth. This is when a customer comes into contact with any aspect of the business and has the opportunity to form an impression. Carlson said they could be good or bad. Shep has names for these and added a third one:Moment of Misery is when the customer encounters a problem or has a complaint.Moment of Mediocrity is an average experience.Moment of Magic is a positive Moment of Truth that we need to consistently create.Why would customers terminate you?When you make the customer feel like you just don’t care, they’re going to find somebody that does.This creates a negative emotional response within the customer.You didn’t make it easy for the customers to find you.How to create an “I’ll Be Back” experience:Ask, “Why would someone do business with me instead of a competitor?”Ask your team, “Why would someone do business with the competition instead of me?”Keep pace. Take a look at what your competition is doing that is different but don’t just copy them. Make sure you do something better.Ask the team, “What companies do we love doing business with and why?”.Take a look at what the best companies are doing that you can implement in your business – and do so.Go back to question #1 and ask, “Now that we have done all this, why would customers want to do business with us?”Quotes:

“Behavior is an important measurement in business. Monitor if your customers are coming back. If they are not, you should have a system that allows you to recognize when your best customers drop off.”

“Customer amazement is within the grasp of everybody in an organization. When you provide consistent and predictable above-average experiences, that is when you are operating in the zone of amazement.”

“You can’t fully automate a relationship. Make it easy for your customers to get to a human being for support.”

About:

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 a Moment of Truth?What are the three moments of truth in customer service?How do you create a Moment of Magic?How do you attract repeat customers?Why would customers terminate you?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 9-20-2021

Each week I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various resources. Here are my top five picks from last week. I have added my comment about each article and would like to hear what you think too.

How To Find A Balance Between Automation And Empathy In Customer Service by Murph Krajewski

(Forbes) As employees seek more flexibility, contact centers — which are notorious for rigid, demanding job descriptions — could be at high risk of losing employees. And that leaves operational leaders like you in a pinch.

My Comment: The business word for 2021 is “empathy.” The higher need for empathy started last year when the pandemic hit. Customers still want it, yet with a push for a digital or automated customer service platform, how can you achieve that? The short answer is “balance.” Murph Krajewski, the CMO of Sharpen shares his ideas on how to balance the digital/automated and human-to-human experience.

4 Reasons Why Brands Must Embrace Empathy by Paige Musto

(Ad Age) Here are four reasons why it’s never been more essential for marketers and advertisers to try to step into customers’ shoes and understand their wants, needs and motivations.

My Comment: And speaking of empathy, here’s another excellent article about why brands must embrace the concept of empathy. The pandemic wasn’t the start of the need for more empathy. It accelerated it. In short, empathy at the right time creates a better customer experience.

Will AI Take Your Job? Fear of AI and AI Trends for 2021 by Kazimierz Rajnerowicz

(Tidio) Should we be afraid of increasingly more advanced AI and robots? Is AI going to take over the world? And more importantly, will it take your job? Or maybe even steal your boyfriend?

My Comment: This article is filled with “tons” of information. Lots of stats and facts on the current state of AI and predictions for the future. So, will AI technology replace you? You’ll have to read the article to find out.

5 Strategies to Ensure You Offer 24-Hour Customer Service by Corey Noles

(Innovation & Tech Today) Most customers expect a quick response to their questions, and offering 24-hour support is the best way to make that happen. Creating a team that can address customer issues around the clock isn’t always easy, especially if you’re a small business looking to stay competitive. That doesn’t mean you can’t consider other options that will help you serve your customers.

My Comment: How can you offer 24-hour customer support and not really be available 24 hours? Even if it’s not truly 24-hour support, you can still give the customer some confidence that they will have their call returned or their question answered. Read this article for five great ideas on how to do exactly that.

Digital Customer Experience Trends Manufacturing Leaders Are Embracing In 2021 by Shalane Layugan

(Thomas) To support the needs of B2B buyers and the changing buying behavior, manufacturing companies are investing in transforming their growth strategies and digital customer experiences — and they’re reaping the rewards. According to BCG, brands that create personalized experiences by integrating advanced digital technologies and data for customers saw revenue increase by 6% to 10%.

My Comment: Most articles focused on the digital customer experience focus on the B2C world. I’ve always said that B2B should take note of what’s working in the consumer world. This article covers digital CX trends in the B2B manufacturing world.

Shep Hyken[image error] 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: 5 Tips to Enhance the Customer Experience

This week we feature an article by Jeff Pedowitz, ForbesBooks author of F The Funnel: A New Way To Engage Customers & Grow Revenue, and President and CEO of The Pedowitz Group. He offers five tips for brands to enhance the customer experience and in the process build brand loyalty.

Getting and keeping a customer’s attention can be a challenge for companies in today’s competitive marketplace. Turning that person’s curiosity into a purchase often hinges on the customer experience, which these days means almost everything. 

One study shows that 80% of consumers care as much about the experience a company provides as about its products and services. And 54% in another study said the customer experience at most companies needs improvement. 

“It’s a more sophisticated buyer landscape today, with consumers having many digital resources to research and give feedback to their digital communities,” says Jeff Pedowitz, President/CEO of The Pedowitz Group and ForbesBooks author of F The Funnel: A New Way To Engage Customers & Grow Revenue. “Therefore, it’s important for companies to prioritize each touchpoint. 

“If they do, they can optimize the customer experience. Great customer experience leads to brand loyalty. Marketers spend a lot of time and creativity designing loyalty programs while also influencing new customers to form loyalties in the face of intense competition from other players.” 

Pedowitz offers five tips for brands to enhance the customer experience and in the process build brand loyalty: Deliver with ease. Convenience is a key to making a busy customer happy in today’s fast-paced world filled with many choices. Pedowitz says making the buying process easier enhances the customer experience. “It shows an appreciation for their time constraints and makes them feel valued,” he says. “They won’t forget that. Chick-fil-A’s efficient drive-through process is one example; another is Starbucks’ app that allows you to not only place your drink/food order but also to buy merchandise. They know your preferences as well.”  Surprise the customer. Doing nice things for customers that they’re not expecting serves to strengthen a company’s bond with them. “Send them a gift, give them an upgrade, or do something thoughtful that goes above and beyond,” Pedowitz says. “Also, contact the client at unexpected times, just to say hello and see how they’re doing.” Create consistency through building trust. “This is a major driver of brand loyalty,” Pedowitz says. “Can the customer count on your product and/or service to deliver the same dependable quality each time they purchase it?” Anticipate needs. A genuine focus on the customer’s needs leads to proactive customer care that endears them even more to the company, Pedowitz says. “That’s loyalty gold,” he says. “You’ve taken the time to know them and their preferences, and they know you’ll take care of them.”  Treat customers well when things go wrong. A company can actually build customer loyalty after being on the verge of losing them. Pedowitz says a company that bends over backward to make things right can create an even stronger bond with that customer. 

“The best brands will keep their customers happy, and turn some into advocates, by treating them like invaluable assets to their success,” Pedowitz. “It starts and continues long-term with all the hallmarks of a great customer experience.”

Jeff Pedowitz is ForbesBooks author of F The Funnel: A New Way To Engage Customers & Grow Revenue, and President/CEO of The Pedowitz Group, a consultancy that helps companies create and execute new business models for driving scalable revenue in a digital world.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: The Secret To A Great Customer Experience Is A Great Employee Experience

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Would Customers Pay to Do Business with You?

Think about this … what if you were to charge a customer just to talk to you about what you would sell them? Or, if you own a retail store, a fee to enter the store. What would you have to do for your customers to be willing to pay for the privilege of buying your products or services?

I’m not suggesting that you should. This is just to get you thinking about how good you really are. How good you are compared to your competition. How good your customer service is. How good your people are. You get the idea. Are you good enough that customers, if you asked it of them, would pay? 

That’s a pretty high bar. That said, I know people who do charge for the privilege of sitting down with them, just to discuss if you want to do business with them or not. I’ve met financial advisors, attorneys, and architects who will charge you for the first meeting with them. If you decide to do business with them, they give you a credit toward their future fees.  

You may be thinking, “I could never do that.” And, maybe you can’t, but that’s not the point. Just play the “What If” game and pretend you could. What would you do differently? How would – or should – your employees act toward the customer and each other? What would your company or business look like if it were that good?  

I asked a few of my business rock star friends about this idea and here are some of their answers: My customers would never have to wait on hold. Our customers would get callbacks and email replies within two hours. We would keep our customers informed throughout our project. We would do our best to anticipate our customers’ needs and call them before they called us. We would offer a lifetime guarantee.  If the equipment we sold our customers ever broke down, we would come to them to pick it up and leave a replacement until theirs was fixed.  I would only hire the best people and train them to take care of our customers. We would make them feel like they were a guest at a fine hotel or restaurant. Our service would be impeccable. 

If you think about these answers, they are exactly what customers expect anyway. But I want you to think bigger and, for lack of a better term, crazier? What would be over the top? What would make your customers say, “Wow!” These ideas don’t have to be realistic. They just need to make you think. And the bigger and crazier you think, the more likely you are to come up with a smaller idea that can work.  

So, here’s your assignment. Share this article with your team. Start a conversation with the goal of coming up with at least one idea – hopefully more – that will make you even better. And maybe that idea is so good that customers would pay you for the privilege of doing business with you, even if they don’t have to.   

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: John Jantsch

The Ultimate Marketing Engine

Creating Customers for Life

Shep Hyken interviews John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of The Ultimate Marketing Engine. They discuss how to serve, understand, and create evangelists out of your ideal customers.

 

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:A repeat customer keeps coming back but a loyal customer is someone who will do even more business with you once they come back.Focus your attention on the growth of your customers, not just on the growth of revenue. This can be done with the 5 Steps to Ridiculously Consistent Growth, which are:Step 1. Map where your best customers are today and where they want to go. Creating the customer journey is not about a sales funnel. It is about organizing behavior and helping customers reach their goals.Step 2. Uncover the real problem you solve for your ideal customers. Your customers don’t want your products, they want solutions to their problems.Step 3. Narrow your focus to the top 20 percent of your ideal customers. Identify your ideal clients and ask, “What else can we do for them?”Step 4. Attract more ideal customers with the narrative they are already telling themselves. Know where your customers are, where they want to go, and how to get them there by understanding the problems that they want to solve.Step 5. Scale with your customers by serving their entire ecosystem.Quotes:

“The trick to getting customers for life is serving and understanding your ideal customers. This allows you to grow and scale with them instead of constantly chasing the next new idea or new customer.”

“A happy, satisfied, and transformed customer is all you need to generate the next customer.”

“Think about the customer journey in terms of where customers want to go instead of getting them to do what we want them to do.”

About:

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker, and author of The Ultimate Marketing Engine. He is also the founder of the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network, which trains and licenses independent consultants and agencies to use the Duct Tape Methodology.

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 Ultimate Marketing Engine?How do you identify your ideal customers?What is the customer journey?What makes a transformed customer?How do you encourage customer referrals?

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5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 9-13-2021

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.

What Is Customer Loyalty and Retention (And 3 Tips for Improvement) by Scott Clark

(CMSWire) Although the terms “customer loyalty” and “customer retention” are often used interchangeably, they actually refer to two different things. Customer loyalty refers to customers who have decided to continue to do business with a brand as a preference over that brand’s competitors.

My Comment: In my newest book, I’ll Be Back, I cover the difference between a repeat customer and a loyal customer. There’s a big difference. As the author points out in the very first sentence: “Although the terms ‘customer loyalty and ‘customer retention (as in repeat business)’ are often used interchangeably, they actually refer to two different things.”

Florida Butcher Shop Installs Vending Machine to Serve Customers 24/7 by Retail Customer Experience

(Retail Customer Experience) The machine offers cuts of steak, pork and sausage as well as ground beef, bacon, and beef jerky, and accepts debit cards, credit cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay.

My Comment: It should be every company’s goal to deliver a convenient experience. In another one of my books, I cover six “Convenience Principles.” First and foremost, you must eliminate friction. That’s exactly what a Florida butcher shop did when they took their business that’s open during traditional hours and found a way to take care of their customers 24/7. Consider this article as a launch into a discussion about how to be more convenient for your customers.

Why B2B Customer Experience is Just as Vital for Growth as B2C by Gal Oron

(Fast Company) If you’re running a B2B company, you should take note: delivering on similarly high standards of customer experience can reduce customer churn by up to 15%, according to research by McKinsey & Company.

My Comment: I hear it over and over again from B2B leadership. They claim they aren’t the same as B2C, so many of the ideas about customer service and CX don’t apply. WRONG! I’ve been preaching for some time that they do, and this article helps make the point. You’re not just selling to a company. You’re selling to a human in that company. And, that human just had a great experience with Netflix that was, as the author says, is fast, personalized, and effortless. That’s what you’re being compared to. Are you ready to meet the customer’s new expectations?

The Art of Customer Experience – From Transaction to Conversation by Bridgette Darling

(diginomica) Customer journeys today travel across multiple channels, devices and pathways leading to data becoming tangled and disparate. Bridgette Darling of Adobe shares four practical steps to keep a customer and their experience on track.

My Comment: I enjoyed this article on creating a better customer experience, and the author’s four “steps” to make that happen. While you might say, “Nothing new here,” you should consider this a reminder of what’s important: good conversations, actively listening, building relationships on the customer’s terms, and delivering conversations that have value for the customer.

18 Tricks to Getting Better Customer Service by Beth Braverman

(AARP) We gathered insider advice from experts on how to get better customer service from six institutions that aren’t necessarily known for making it easy on those in need of assistance. Here’s what they recommend.

My Comment: Let’s close out this Top Five roundup with an article that can help you receive better customer service. Here are 18 “tricks” to help you when reaching out to the phone company, health insurance companies, the IRS, banks/lenders, and more.

Shep Hyken[image error] 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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