Below are blog posts, articles and tips focused on customer service and experience. To view just the articles (typically longer than a blog post), click here.

This week we feature an article by Ashwini Dave who writes about how important it is to show your customer’s appreciation in order to retain their loyalty. Continue reading →

It’s never fun to share bad news with a customer. Many people are scared to be the bearer of bad news. There are plenty of examples of bad news – an order didn’t ship, something was damaged, a deadline is not going to be met, etc. It doesn’t really matter what the bad news is; the key to managing the customer experience is how you deliver the bad news. This brings me to Dollar Shave Club, who had to share the news that they were raising their prices.

While the price increase wasn’t very much – just one dollar a month – they still had to share the news with their customers. The way they did it was a classic lesson on how to share negative information, hopefully without upsetting the customer. Continue reading →

Being Human in a Technology-Driven World

Why Connections Matter More Than Ever

Shep Hyken interviews Jill Nelson. They discuss her company, Ruby Receptionists, and how to use both technology and humanity to deliver an amazing customer experience.

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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. Continue reading →

This week we feature an article by Costi Teleman who writes about the importance of excellent customer support and what to look for when outsourcing your support team. Continue reading →

The other night my wife and I met three other couples for dinner at a nice restaurant. The food was great, but the service ended on a sour note. Our server got lazy. His attitude toward the end of our experience reminded me that sometimes people don’t do what is requested – or even expected – simply because they don’t want to make the little extra effort to take care of their customers. Let me share what happened. Continue reading →

Culture Your Culture

Making Customers the Focus of Your Company and its Culture

Shep Hyken interviews Karen Jaw-Madson. They discuss her company, Design for Work Experience; her book, Culture Your Culture; and the most effective work cultures for customer service.

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This week we feature an article by Jaime Bailey who writes about how important convenience has become to the customer experience and how it is a necessity for providing a competitive edge in today’s marketplace. Continue reading →

I’ve talked and written about the differences between customer service and the customer experience, also known as CX. Customer service is typically what transpires between people throughout the buying process or when there is a problem. That’s part of the customer experience, but there is much more to CX than service. It’s the entire journey, from the moment a customer thinks about doing business to any and every interaction point, whether it’s in person, on a digital channel, or with the product. Here are a few examples from companies you know and have likely done business with, thereby experiencing both their customer service and experience. Continue reading →

Customer Obsession

Subscribing to the Customer Relationship to Win in Business

Shep Hyken interviews Patrick Campbell. They discuss subscription models, company culture, hiring right, and becoming “customer-obsessed.”

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This week we feature an article by Chanice Henry who writes about the importance of listening and understanding your customers in order to give them the experience they want. Continue reading →

Surprise and delight is a great customer service concept. Or is it?

The concept behind surprise and delight is to surprise the customer with a level of experience that they weren’t expecting. Obviously, it should be a positive experience. Otherwise, the concept would be called surprise and disappoint. Nobody wants that! Continue reading →

Music and the Customer Experience

Growing Your Business One Customer at a Time

Shep Hyken interviews Mike Grande, the founder and CEO of Rock Out Loud and The Staten Island School of Rock. They discuss Mike’s successful philosophies of providing an outstanding experience to his customers.

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This week we feature an article by Georgina Nelson who explains her approach to collecting customer feedback that will help you provide a better customer experience. Continue reading →

Last summer I played golf with a friend. At the end of the game, he had blisters. He didn’t play very often, and the golf clubs rubbed his skin raw. My hands were just fine. I’m fortunate to play several times a month and over time I’ve built up calluses that prevent those nasty blisters. It’s simple. The more a person plays, the thicker the calluses get, which immunizes people against blisters and pain. Continue reading →

Lead with Loyalty with Guest Sandy Rogers

Enhancing the Customer Experience Through Emotional Engagement

Shep Hyken interviews Sandy Rogers. They discuss his new book, Leading Loyalty: Cracking the Code to Customer Devotion, and the importance of empathy, responsibility, and generosity in the customer experience.

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This week we feature an article by Joel Gottesman who shares tips to ensure that seasonal employees provide an excellent customer experience. Continue reading →

One of our Shepard Letter subscribers, who asked to remain anonymous, recently shared a story worth telling. To protect him from the backlash he’s concerned about, we’ll change his name to “protect the innocent,” as the saying goes, just in case someone from his company reads this. So, we’ll just refer to him as Bob. Continue reading →

Service Utopia with Guest Jeff Nicholson

Crafting a Frictionless Service Experience for Employees and Customers

Shep Hyken interviews Jeff Nicholson. They discuss self-service, points of friction and effort, and Jeff’s newest whitepaper, “Achieving Digital Customer Service Transformation.”