Why Customers Hate You: Turning Pain Points Into Customer Loyalty with Lance Gruner

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

1. How does artificial intelligence impact customer service interactions? 
2. Why is it important for business leaders to personally experience their own customer journey? 
3. Should companies be concerned about AI replacing human customer service agents? 
4. How can businesses leverage AI to make customer service agents more effective? 
5. Why do broken processes cause customers to leave, and how can businesses address them? 

Top Takeaways

• One of the fastest ways to lose customers is to have processes that don’t work as they should.  

• Leaders need to understand what customers go through every day. The best way to do this is to “walk the property,” which means experiencing the company’s products or services just like a customer would. By seeing things from the customer’s point of view, leaders can spot problems and understand where things fall short. 

• Artificial intelligence is changing customer service. It can make agents smarter by helping them access relevant information faster and deliver more personalized responses. However, it is important to remember that AI is just a tool, not a cure-all. It is only as good as its programming and the system that it is added into.  

• Make using self-service easy and inviting. When introducing new technology or self-service options, don’t just point customers in the right direction. Lead them there and show them how it works. If a customer needs help, solve their problem first, then take a moment to teach them how they could do it themselves next time.  

• Customer relationships are built on trust. When companies fail to deliver on promises, like missing deliveries or not solving problems, customers stop believing that the company will take care of them. Long-term loyalty is built on consistency, transparency, and trust.  

• Investing in training for team members pays off because it leads to better service and happier customers. Make sure they are well-versed with your current processes before adding new steps and technology into their workflow. 

• Small details send big messages about how much a company cares about its customers’ experience. Companies that pay attention to every touchpoint, no matter how minor, such as a friendly gesture or easy-to-find information on a website, earn their customers’ respect and trust.  

• Plus, Lance shares a few of the 10 things they may hate about you and  your brand. Tune in! 

Quotes:

“AI is only as good as how it’s programmed.”  

“When done right, using AI can improve speed and accuracy, help with personalization, and give employees more time to focus on high-value work.” 

“A smart company will automate the simple things with AI and retrain their employees to do the more complex, personalized work that connects with customers.” 

“Too many leaders make decisions from the boardroom without experiencing their own friction points firsthand. Leaders need to get out there and experience their own customer journey.” 

“Often, when companies are looking at cost-cutting, the first thing to go is training and knowledge. Customers want to deal with knowledgeable people. They want to deal with trained people. Make sure that employees are trained and know how to take care of their customers.” 

About:

Lance Gruner is a seasoned leader with over 30 years of experience in the customer service and hospitality industries. He has helped global companies such as the Ritz-Carlton and Mastercard deliver outstanding customer experiences. 

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