5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 6-27-2022

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.

How to Create an Inviting Customer Experience by Andie Burjek

(CMSWire) Even in a complex, digital brand environment, customers expect a seamless customer experience (CX). People want to feel like they can find information or contact a representative without going through too many hoops. They want short wait times, helpful responses and easy navigation through whatever channel they choose to find information. The smoother the customer experience, the more positive they will feel about whatever issue or question they have.

My Comment: We open this week’s Top Five Roundup with some reminders about what it takes to create that “inviting experience.” We want our customers to feel appreciated and welcomed. While all the tips here are good, I’m drawn to number five, which is to remember that the key to a good customer experience is an employee experience.

You Can’t Measure Happiness, but You Can Measure Success – Financial Metrics for Customer Loyalty Strategies by Kobie Marketing, Tata Consultancy Services, Vesta

(Loyalty360) Acquiring internal support for customer loyalty programs and strategies can be a challenge for any brand. When it comes to adding new technology, functionality, or program benefits, marketers must work across brand teams to secure buy-in and support to ensure success. However, customer loyalty-focused marketers may have difficulty obtaining support without the right metrics and KPIs, especially from their finance teams.

My Comment: Actually, you can measure happiness. Just watch your customers. Do they come back? Do they refer business to you? I digress. This article is about how to measure the return on your investment in creating customer loyalty. When it comes to spending money on a loyalty program, technology, training, etc., the only way you’ll sell it to the C-Suite is if you can prove ROI.

6 Customer Service Experience Trends to Watch in 2022 by Franck Louveau

(EHL Insights) As customer expectations continue to evolve, customer service trends are adapting at pace. Businesses from all industries must keep up with emerging customer service experience trends to meet customer expectations and foster better customer relationships which is critical for remaining competitive in the respective market.

My Comment: It’s never too late to make annual predictions. Here we are, halfway through the year, and an article comes out about six CX trends to watch in 2022. Pay close attention to the first trend, which is to be more proactive than reactive. If you want to prove value to your customers, help them before they know they need help, and fix problems before they know there are problems.

Top Tips to Improve Customer Loyalty by Daniel Hall

(BBN Times) Here is a very short article – about a two minute read – with six reminders about what it takes to create loyalty. Customers like a personalized experience. Gathering the right data helps with delivering messaging that appears to be personalized. Data also helps you anticipate what customers want.

My Comment: Here is a very short article – about a two-minute read – with six reminders about what it takes to create loyalty. Customers like a personalized experience. Gathering the right data helps with delivering messaging that appears to be personalized. Data also helps you anticipate what customers want.

Global Report: 45% of People Have Not Felt True Happiness for More Than Two Years by Kimberly Guillon

(Oracle) The Happiness Report includes insights from more than 12,000 consumers and business leaders across 14 countries and found that people are searching for new experiences to make them smile and laugh and will reward brands that embrace humor with loyalty, advocacy, and repeat purchases, and walk away from those that don’t.

My Comment: While the title of this article may seem sad, here are two stats that will make you smile: 91% of people prefer brands to be funny and 72% would choose a brand that uses humor over the competition. This comes from a Global Report that surveyed over 12,000 consumers including more than 3,000 business leaders in marketing, sales, and customer service. Humor is important. Make people laugh and smile and they are more likely to do business with you as a customer and stick around as an employee.

[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

The post 5 Top Customer Service Articles of the Week 6-27-2022 appeared first on Shep Hyken.