Shep Hyken's Blog, page 93

Amazing Business Radio: Joseph Michelli

Stronger Through Adversity
Delivering Amazing Customer Experiences Through Times of Crisis

Shep Hyken interviews Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., certified CX professional and bestselling author. They discuss his new book, Stronger Through Adversity, and share key lessons on how to survive and thrive during challenging times.

 

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:

You may not always be able to keep doing things the same way you have always done them, especially under time constraints. The ability to adapt is crucial.
Difficult, frightening and challenging times can become opportunities to really shine as a brand and as a company.
Show appreciation to your customers! Call them to thank them for their recent purchase without any sales agenda. This gesture goes a long way.
Look for ways to adapt and translate the customer experience without sacrificing the quality of the experience.
A “luxury” experience does not mean a slow experience. Focus on creating an elevated sensory experience by meeting your customer where they are.
Not every moment within the customer experience is equal. Focus on managing the beginning, end, high points and pain points.
Brand promises of customer centricity were put to the test once the pandemic hit. Leaders and companies will be remembered for how they behaved during a crisis.
You don’t need to be perfect. Be honest and own your mistakes, and keep working to improve the world around you.
One of the most powerful things a leader can do is listen. That’s much of what customer service is all about.
The word for 2020 is empathy—followed by “you’re on mute!” Don’t lose hope, find the humor, and keep moving forward.

Quotes:

“Leaders throughout the pandemic said they were moving between front, middle and back more than they’ve ever had to before. You have to have a fluidity of leadership style to a greater degree than prior to the pandemic.”

“You have to trust in yourself and also your people. Now is the time to step back and let them shine.”

“Our brands are all going to be known for the way we behaved in this crisis to a much greater degree than the way we behaved in calmer times.”

“This is a time to accept that you aren’t perfect. We want to be led by imperfect people trying to work with us to create a more perfect world.”

“One of the most powerful things you can do as a leader is just listen. If you’re in the customer experience business, you’re in the listening business. If you’re a leader, you’re in the listening business.”

About:

Joseph Michelli, Ph.D., is a certified customer experience professional, international keynote speaker and the bestselling author of nine business books. He helps leadership teams improve the experiences they provide for team members and customers.

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:

How can I create a more convenient customer experience?
How can I lead through times of crisis?
How has COVID-19 changed the world of business?
What makes a good business leader?
How can I show appreciation to my customers?

The post Amazing Business Radio: Joseph Michelli appeared first on Shep Hyken.

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 21, 2020

Each week I read a number of 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 Provide the Best Possible Customer Experience? by GISuser

(GISuser) If you don’t have a well-planned customer service strategy, you are highly likely to lose business. According to Channels, after just one negative experience, 51% of customers will never do business with that company again.

My Comment: But, are you doing a good job in those (and other areas) of the customer experience?

COVID-19 has significantly accelerated service transformation by Vala Afshar

(ZDNet) The COVID-19 pandemic led to breakneck speed shift to digital-first customer engagement and remote work, prompting service and support organizations to reconsider the future of their people, process, and technology.

My Comment: Vala Afshar is back with more information on the Salesforce 2020 State of Service report. In this article, he discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the use of certain aspects of customer service. I’ve written a number of articles with similar findings. The pandemic pushed up our use of technology by at least three to five years. Now you have the research from more than 7,000 people surveyed to back that up.

Learn 4 Tips From Leading Brand Stitch Fix to Build a Program to Improve Your Customer Experience by Ellen Christenberry

(Business2Community) Stitch Fix listens to its customers and adapts to our modern digital lifestyles. And it seems to be working: Stitch Fix increases their client base by 17% each year and currently serves more than 3.5 million customers.

My Comment: Time to learn from another hot brand. This time it’s Stich Fix, showing us four ways we can improve the customer experience. It always impresses me when successful companies are doing what appears to be common sense. Nothing fancy here. Keep it simple, collect lots of data, personalize the experience, and maintain loyalty… Seems like a formula for success just about every company can use.

Surprise! Airline Customer Service Improved In 2020. Here’s Why. by Christopher Elliott

(Forbes) Airline customer service improved in 2020, rising to its highest level since 1994. That’s right, air travel got better while the world fell apart, at least according to the latest numbers from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), a closely-watched barometer for customer service.

My Comment: Did satisfaction ratings in the airline industry really go up? Yes, but the reason why is interesting. It appears that for some airlines being less busy, thanks to COVID-19, meant passengers got through lines quicker and didn’t feel like the planes and airports were overly crowded. That resulted in an overall better experience. So, I wonder… How many companies (outside of the airline industry) have created such a crowded experience that it negatively impacts the experience?

10 Holiday Sales & Marketing Tips for Small Businesses to Finish 2020 Strong by Gaetano DiNardi

(Small Business Trends) Read this guide to find more 2020 shopping statistics, plus the 10 best strategies for boosting sales in this unprecedented holiday season.

My Comment: This is an excellent article for anyone in retail, but if you’re not, you’ll still find something here you can use. And even though the article suggests these tips are for the holiday season, don’t think they can’t be used year round. One of my favorite tips is the idea focused on customer generated content, as in reviews and testimonials. Sometimes your best marketing and advertising comes from your customers.

BONUS

10 Customer Experience Books Worthy of Discussion in 2020 by Dan Gingiss

(Dan Gingiss) One of the featured segments on the Experience This! podcast is called Book Report, where we feature an important customer experience or customer service book and share it in a unique way. Instead of recording an interview with the author, we ask them to summarize the book in less than two minutes and then read their favorite passage.

My Comment: One of my colleagues in the customer experience space is Dan Gingiss. He’s compiled a list of ten books on CX, worth of discussion. I’m honored my latest book hit his list. (Thank you, Dan!) More importantly, if you find yourself looking for that last minute gift for a colleague or boss at work, head over to Amazon and order one or two of these books!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional 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

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Guest Post: Stronger Through Adversity | Leadership Lessons on Convenience, Customer Experience, and Legacy

This week we feature an article from Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., speaker, author, and organizational consultant. He talks about how the COVID-19 pandemic changed the customer experience and how business leaders responded.

It’s hard to remember those “good old days” before COVID-19. However, I do recall ending 2019 with a very positive outlook on the year ahead. I suspect you did as well. As I rang in the new year, I imagined I would spend a lot of time helping my clients drive customer loyalty and referrals. We would work together to put Shep’s wisdom into action, particularly with regard to reducing customer effort. For example, in The Convenience Revolution, Shep wrote:

“Convenience is relevant to your business, no matter what your business happens to be…It would be a strategic catastrophe to assume you are ‘convenient enough’ for your customer, and it’s a potentially huge marketplace advantage to make what you offer the customer a little more convenient.”

Little did I know how prophetic Shep’s words would be for 2020. Nor did I anticipate that technology-based convenience drivers (mobile purchasing, touchless delivery, and curbside pick-up) would do far more than make customer’s lives easier. Those technologies became a lifeline for business survival in a world where a virus made ordinary service interactions potentially fatal.

As a customer experience and leadership consultant, I had a front-row seat to the importance of technology-aided convenience throughout the pandemic. By late February, I’d begun participating on COVID-19 taskforces with a handful of clients. In the months that followed, I worked with leadership teams that were leveraging technology to drive connections with their employees and customers. They were also looking for ways to capture the voice of all stakeholders and foster collaboration between teammates (many of whom had been displaced from offices and relegated to makeshift workspaces).

In addition to conversations and observations with my clients, I reached out to CEOs in my network like Brian Cornell of Target, Hans Vestberg of Verizon, Jeff Dailey of Farmers Insurance, and Michelle Gass of Kohl’s. These leaders and 140 others shared their insights on positioning their businesses to maintain customer engagement and loyalty throughout the pandemic. I’ve shared those insights in my upcoming McGraw-Hill book titled Stronger Through Adversity.

Here are a few quick, high-level customer experience takeaways from the book:

The pandemic prompted many leaders to listen more frequently to customers through formal methods like pulse surveys and focus groups.
Leaders also listened more intently to the feelings behind the words of customers. Those leaders emphasized the importance of connecting with customers on an emotional level – as fear and uncertainty fueled consumer behavior.
In 2019, leaders often viewed convenience-oriented technologies as “nice to haves.” By the second quarter of 2020, those same technologies were re-categorized as “mission-critical.” They were no longer wish list items on futuristic technology roadmaps. Instead, they fully deployed them at warp speed.
With a heavy reliance on technology, many leaders observed that customers longed for human interaction. As such, they positioned their team members to reach out to customers and simply ask how those customers were navigating the pandemic. That outreach provided empathy, solutions, compassion, and gratitude.
Leaders also knew that they would be heavily judged by the choices they made throughout the pandemic. Did they furlough people on a Zoom call? Did they cut their own pay before they made wage adjustments or furloughed team members? These leaders understood that the choices and actions made during the pandemic would speak louder than their utterances in times of calm. They declared their desired crisis legacy and lived into it.

What a year 2020 has been! Amid such hardship, there was much to absorb and appreciate about emerging Stronger Through Adversity. What are your pandemic leadership and customer experience learnings from this most disruptive year?

Should you be interested in exploring the insights and tools shared in Stronger Through Adversity, you can purchase it for a 40% pre-order discount here.

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D., C.S.P., is an internationally sought-after speaker, author, and organizational consultant who transfers his knowledge of exceptional business practices in ways that develop joyful and productive workplaces with a focus on customer experience. His insights encourage leaders and frontline workers to grow and invest passionately in all aspects of their lives.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Your Company’s Purpose (And It’s Not Profit)

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Customer Service Lessons From the Best Unknown Companies

I’m often asked what the best way to disrupt the competition is.

The answer is to not compare yourself to the competition, but to the best companies from other industries.

In my customer service speeches, I’ll sometimes ask the audience to share who their favorite and easiest companies are to do business with. The typical answers are Amazon, Zappos, Walmart and other recognizable brands. Once in a while, an audience member will mention a local business. Sometimes it’s a restaurant or a car dealership. It really doesn’t matter whether you know the company well or not. It’s the fact that the company offers an excellent experience—one from which we might be able to learn.

One of our subscribers, Heidi Reslow, shared an experience she had with Grace Air Conditioning. This is a local company. She told me about her experience, and I am compelled to share it in her words. In a note to the company, she wrote the following:

“You all exceeded my expectations and I just have to say Thank You! I LOVED that the office called me this morning to tell me that Mark was on his way. I LOVED that he showed up on time.  He was professional and personable. I LOVED that he was not rushed, answered my questions, and took the time to look at all of the vents, etc. in my home with me.”

There’s more, but you get the idea. Heidi was VERY happy and LOVED doing business with them. So, what can we learn?

She loved that the office called her when the repairman was on his way. That’s proactive communication. Customers love to be informed.

She loved that he showed up on time, which builds confidence and enhances credibility. Showing up on time is another way of proving you do what you say you’ll do.

She loved not feeling rushed when she had questions. Customers know when you rush them through a process or transaction. It makes them feel unappreciated—and in some cases, more like a number than a person. Slow down. Build a relationship. Build trust.

So, those are three lessons: practicing proactive communication, doing what you say you will do and focusing on the relationship with a little extra time rather than rushing through the experience. If you dig deeper, you’ll find there’s even more we can learn from this great experience. The point is that we can learn from all types of companies, not just the iconic brands.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXX, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: Gabriele Masili

Know Your Customers
The Digital, Personalized Customer Experience of the Future

Shep Hyken interviews Gabriele Masili, Global VP and Chief Technology Officer of Customer Experience & Success at Microsoft. They discuss strategies for building a successful, digital customer experience without sacrificing the human connection.

 

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:

Customer success and customer support are related, but different. Customer success is about proactively helping customers to get the most value out of a product or service, while customer support is about reactively solving customer issues.
Almost every company today is seeking ways to build and deliver connected customer experiences using technology. Having an online business presence is not an option—it’s a necessity.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) will not replace human agents. Instead, it augments the capabilities and ingenuity of human experts. The result is a more efficient—and delightful—customer experience.
AI comes in many forms (chatbots, voice systems on phones, etc.) and can be a quick, easy and convenient way for customers to get a solution to a simple problem.
AI needs to be able to recognize when it should transfer the customer to a live agent. This can happen when the customer asks to be transferred, when the AI recognizes it doesn’t have the right knowledge to help, or when it detects customer frustration.
When transferring to an agent, AI should deliver as much information as possible to that agent. This includes the issue the customer is calling about, who they are and their history with the company.
Executives should regularly take customer support cases and calls so they know exactly what it’s like on the frontlines of their organization’s customer experience.
Don’t sacrifice the emotional, human connection you have with your customers in favor of the latest tech.
The future of customer service and experience is more of the ‘know me’ desire. Customers want an experience that is personalized to them as individuals.

Quotes:

“Customer success is proactively helping achieve what they need. Customer support is reactively helping customers whenever something is not working.”

“Integrate Artificial Intelligence (AI) to augment the capabilities of the human expert. When you combine human ingenuity and AI, that’s when you get an excellent experience that can delight the customers.”

“The future of customer service and experience is more and more of what we call ‘know me’. This is the ability for the customer to be recognized and have the experience tailored for them.”

About:

Gabriele Masili is the Global VP and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Customer Experience & Success at Microsoft. He leads the Digital Customer Experience Council across Microsoft and is responsible for enhancing customer and employee connected experiences.

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 role of AI in customer experience?
Will chatbots replace human agents?
How can I balance technology with the human connection?
How can AI support human customer service agents?
What is the difference between customer support and customer success?

The post Amazing Business Radio: Gabriele Masili appeared first on Shep Hyken.

5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 14, 2020

Each week I read a number of 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.

The 6 Top Customer Experience Trends in 2021 by Julien Rio

(CXM) The digital transformation of companies accelerated significantly in 2020. In particular, they had to quickly adopt remote work and further increase their use of digital channels.

My Comment: As we end 2020 and head into 2021, there are plenty of experts sharing their predictions and spotting the trends that will help us provide a better CX experience. Here’s RingCentral’s senior director of marketing, Julien Rio’s, take on it. And, there are some interesting stats and facts included to support his comments.

The pandemic is a watershed moment for digital transformation in customer service by Vala Afshar

(ZDNet) Service and support channels have been flooded by anxious customers seeking new levels of empathetic, personalized engagement. Organizations are increasingly turning to technologies like AI to ease pressure on agents, but face challenges as demands on IT skyrocket.

My Comment: The digital transformation that has taken place since March of this year has been astounding. They propelled business – especially in the customer service and CX space – into the future. Businesses were forced to adapt and make changes. The author, Vala Afshar, says, “… crisis is a catalyst for change, and customer service management is signaling intentions to ramp up their AI adoption as part of broader digital transformation initiatives.”

8 Customer Experience Trends for 2021 by Steven Van Belleghem

(Steven Van Belleghem) In this blog, you can find the 8 customer experience trends for 2021 that I’m looking forward to.

My Comment: Here’s another list of trends, this time by an amazing thought leader in the CX space, Steven Van Belleghem. What intrigued me about this set of predictions were the first two. Van Belleghem’s take on eCommerce is that it’s E(everywhere)-Commerce – a very interesting way to view it. And, his second trend about how every company is now an entertainment company. (Something to think about!) That’s just two of the six. If you don’t follow Steven Van Belleghem, after reading this article, you will.

How to improve your reputation with average customer service by Jeff Toister

(Toister Performance Solutions) Forget wows. Stop worrying about delight. Don’t fret over extraordinary. Just be consistently, perfectly, boringly average.

My Comment: The title grabbed my attention. I’ve been preaching the concept of average versus amazing for years. The author writes, “You can stand out from the competition by being above average.” Ouch! Is the bar that low? Is the author really saying that some companies are so bad that raising the level of their customer service to average makes them better? If you read this article, you’ll understand why.

How to deliver great customer experience at scale by Dutta Satadip

(strategy+business) The most effective customer strategies are grounded in active engagement, setting clear expectations and empowering users with options that suit their needs.

My Comment: Customers have their own pre-defined expectations. Meeting them is obviously important. However, when a company makes a promise to their customers, they often redefine those expectations. Then the secret to success is simple. Deliver on those promises. The title of this article sets an expectation, and the author delivers. Here’ you’ll learn to deliver a better CX at scale.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional 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

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Guest Post: Customer Care–It’s Now or Never

This week we feature an article from Josh Snider, Product Marketing Manager at Khoros. He explains how and why expanding customer care operations to include online chat and brand communities can elevate both self-service and customer care.

“Hi, how can I help you?” That little chat box in the bottom right corner of the screen promises to answer every customer question — but will it? The emergence of digital care has introduced a new category of challenges to brands: volume spikes on a wide variety of channels, public shaming on social, and perhaps intimidating to brands, the consumers’ I want it now attitude. Meeting customer expectations for “now” can seem impossible without the proper tools.

From iPhones to Wikipedia to Amazon, we as consumers have the world at our fingertips. According to PWC, “Nearly 80% of American consumers say that speed, [and] convenience…are the most important elements of a positive customer experience.” In fact, customers are willing to spend up to 10x more money on a brand that consistently responds quickly (HBR).

But while speed is intuitive, convenience means something different for different consumers. This is why offering asynchronous chat has become a non-negotiable for brands. Consumers want the ability to engage when and how they choose. If they have the time to chat in real-time they will, but if they have to take a 10-minute break and come back to the conversation, they expect that option as well. Even if they’re taking intermittent breaks from the conversation, consumers often expect immediate responses when they return.

The diversity of digital channels that consumers are using adds another layer of complexity. Brands struggle to deliver “now” on multiple channels. It’s no secret that 800 numbers are waning in popularity. The notion of a phone call for support immediately conjures thoughts of waiting on hold, being transferred to different agents, potential disconnection, and simply the inconvenience of being tied to a session-based experience. So, consumers are flocking to digital and interacting via email, SMS text, web chat, or review sites. With so many options, brands must treat all digital channels with the same priorities: speed and convenience.

Poor response times and communication can lead to low loyalty, bad CSAT ratings, and low average order value. Additionally, a consumer who doesn’t receive the response they want may spam multiple channels until they receive an answer, creating duplicate conversations that increase the brand’s operational costs and decrease internal efficiencies. But a fast response isn’t always the right response. Implementing a chatbot to assist with fast response time can lead to pitfalls if not properly configured. Check out this example from AT&T, where a customer’s internet went out and the brand responded with a funny gif and a “you’re welcome” type sentiment. While AT&T’s automated response for “thank you’s” is not a terrible idea, the bot’s intent detection clearly couldn’t account for irritated sarcasm.

With all of these nuances, achieving high customer satisfaction on digital channels can seem daunting. That’s where Khoros comes in. Our solution is a unified engagement manager spanning all digital channels, with simplified workflows. Brands can deliver high-quality experiences and cutting edge service regardless of channel. Plus, with an integrated tool, bot automation shouldn’t be shied away from. In fact, it makes it possible to manage conversation volume spikes at scale. According to a Khoros study, 53% of customers don’t have a preference between human or bot interaction, as long as they receive the answers that they need1. When a brand’s customers are willing to engage in efficient self-service and bot conversations, hiring additional support agents is an unnecessary additional cost. Lastly, brands can leverage their most engaged customers — industry experts, employees, and superfans — to create quality, self-service content in brand-owned, digital support communities. Consumers are able to quickly find answers in FAQ posts, review threads, or “how-to” pages, thereby deflecting calls and chat inquiries.

To put it simply, the importance of digital customer service is rising faster than ever, and consumer expectation for “now” is at an all-time high. Fast, high-quality service is the weathervane of overall customer experience, and CX professionals need the right channels, tools, and AI to keep those winds blowing in the right direction. For consumers that demand excellence, and brands that crave efficient tools — it’s now, or never.

1Khoros conducted a survey of 1,108 US-based consumers who had interacted with a brand in the last year.

Josh Snider is a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Khoros. He specializes in how brands can use messaging channels and AI-powered chatbots to deliver world-class customer experiences. Prior to Khoros, Josh built sales automation tools for LivePerson and led public relations for 3D printing company MakerBot.

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

Read Shep’s latest Forbes article: Don’t Blame The Bot, Blame The Brand

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Employees Love the Story, Too

Last week, I covered the idea of the story. Customers love to read the stories of other customers using the products they are interested in purchasing.

Reviews are where they start. High ratings can turn into high interest. Customer commentary in the review—as in how much they are enjoying the product and how they are using the product—can push a potential customer to make the purchase.

There is a similar benefit to employees reading reviews. While they may not be buying the product, the reviews help them buy into the company they work for. It provides validation, credibility and even a sense of pride.

One of our clients asked whether they should share survey results with their team. His question was, “Should they go to everyone in the company or just leadership?

On a regular basis, share your positive reviews with everyone. This could be at a weekly team meeting or even a quarterly event. Some of my clients have reviews and surveys returned daily and choose to share them every day in their morning huddles. While that frequency may be a bit much for many, the idea is that there is a steady flow of sharing, whether it’s daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly.

The good stories are great to share, but what about the bad ones? What about the occasional—at least I hope it’s just occasional—complaint from an unhappy customer? Do you share those? The short answer is, “Absolutely!”

You don’t need to share all negative reviews and complaints, just the ones everyone can learn from. There will be some complaints that are directed to an individual because of a poor attitude. That is not the type of negative review you share with the team. Addressing the individual responsible for the complaint is a teaching and coaching opportunity for that specific employee. The type of reviews and complaints you want to share with the team have to do with customers experiencing a flaw in your process. The lesson on how these are handled is definitely worth sharing.

The accolades are stories you want to share with everyone. After all, everyone loves a good story. The negative comments and complaints along with how they were handled also make for a good story. It’s that second part—how they are handled well—that turns the negative into a positive. That’s the important part—the opportunity for learning—that you want your team to know about.

Everyone loves the story—both your customers and your employees!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact 314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

(Copyright © MMXX, Shep Hyken)

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Amazing Business Radio: Teresa Anania

Create Value for Your Customers
Helping Customers Recover and Plan for a Successful Future

Shep Hyken interviews Teresa Anania, Vice President of Customer Success at Zendesk. They discuss strategies for helping customers find value throughout the entire customer journey.

 

 

 

 

Top Takeaways:

Customer service is what ties all other aspects of a business together. It is the marriage of sales, marketing, product management and more.
Customer success and customer service are not the same, but they are closely related. Success is about proactive outreach, whereas service is reactive. But they are both part of creating a great customer experience.
Never leave the customer entirely alone or cease communication with them, even after the initial onboarding process. Maintain communication to ensure they get the most value out of your products and services.
Don’t wait until it’s time for the customer to renew their subscription or contract with you to reach out to them.
Renewal isn’t the goal; the goal is helping the customer get the most value. If you do that, the renewal follows naturally.
Collect and use data to personalize and contextualize your interactions with your customers.
COVID-19 has changed customer service. It’s still about helping customers through their entire journey, but individual needs may have changed. Meet customers wherever they’re at and help them recover and plan for the future.
Care for your employees just as well as you care for your customers. The employee experience directly affects the customer experience.
Give customers a voice in your company. This is possible for companies of every size and greatly improves the customer experience.

Quotes:

“Our goal shouldn’t be about the customer is buying from us. Our goal should be about them getting value.”

“Treat your employees just as well as you treat your customers. This builds empathy for your customers.”

“Listen to what your customers have just gone through and be part of helping them find a solution. Help them plan for the recovery and come back in a stronger place.”

About:

Teresa Anania is VP of Global Customer Success and Renewals at Zendesk. She helps customers realize maximum value across the customer lifecycle, resulting in renewal and customer satisfaction.

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.

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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 7, 2020

Each week I read a number of 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.

Five Customer-Service Lessons From the Late Tony Hsieh by Ann-Marie Alcántara

(Wall Street Journal) The former chief executive of Zappos, the online shoe retailer, had a unique approach toward customers.

My Comment: Tony Hseih was an iconic businessman who impacted the world of business. His life was cut short when he died in a fire last week. Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. Here are some lessons and reminders from the late and great business rock star.

The NOW of Work by Mitel

(Mitel) In this guide, we’ll explore the challenges and opportunities in the now of work, with advice from analysts and practitioners in the field.

My Comment: Our friends at Mitel have created a very cool ebook with a fantastic user experience. Titled “The NOW of Work,” the ebook focuses on what’s new in technology, employee communication and motivation, and more. Numerous experts were consulted. When you click on their images, their insights appear. Very cool!

Six Steps for Improving Customer Engagement and Loyalty by Genelle Kunst

(Chain Store Age) Establishing a loyalty program is a fundamental first step to improving customer loyalty. However, there are other key strategies that can help improve customer engagement and retention.

My Comment: Want to build repeat business and customer loyalty? This article should spark some ideas. Giving the customer a self-service experience, which goes beyond customer service/support, but is baked into the entire buying process, is a good place to start. These ideas focus on retail, but as I keep preaching, apply to just about any business and industry.

Top Retail Trends and Innovations That Drive Better CX by The CX Insights

(The CX Insights) Seven emerging trends in retailing will frame reactions for both the shorter and longer-term, induce resilience, and prepare consumers to thrive in the days after coronavirus.

My Comment: Even if you’re not in the retail industry, you’ll pick up a few ideas from this list of seven trends and innovations in this article. The first trend is about health and safety. That’s paramount for any business in any industry. Read the article and brainstorm how one or two (or all) of these apply to your business.

Building The Backbone of Your Business: Customer Service and Support by Andrew Madeira-Silva

(Bookmark) With the massive spike in online sales due to the pandemic this year, you can expect more site traffic than ever. So if you want your customers to leave your site with a smile, this is what you’re going to need to know.

My Comment: The backbone of almost any business is its customer service and support. Here’s a list that includes reminders and a few new ideas. For example, in the retail world returns should be as easy as the purchase. For all of us, a frequently asked question page (or two or three) will save the customer time, making for a better customer experience. And there are nine more!

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional 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

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