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.

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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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 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.”

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This week we feature an article by Irina Kirnos who writes about how chatbots are customer experience tools that are changing the way that companies interact with their customers. Continue reading →

“Smile and the world smiles with you.” That is part of a longer quote attributed to Stanley Gordon West. It became the topic of conversation while on a New York subway with my daughter, Alex, when I noticed her smile at someone who, in turn, smiled back. I complimented her on the small but kind gesture, and it started a great conversation about life and customer service.

Now, some of you may be thinking, “Big deal. It was just a smile.” But it is a big deal. Alex shared the story about where she learned about the power of a smile. Continue reading →

Getting Service Right with Guest Jeff Toister

Taking Care of Your Employees So They Take Care of Customers

Shep Hyken interviews Jeff Toister. They discuss his book, Getting Service Right: Overcoming the Hidden Obstacles to Outstanding Customer Service, and Jeff offers immediately applicable advice on how to improve your customer service.

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This week we feature an article by Alexandr Galkin who writes about how retail management should focus on direct communication and/or a balanced pricing strategy and allow AI to manage price optimization. Continue reading →

The other day I was driving by a Chick-fil-A restaurant at lunchtime. I was blown away by how many people were in the drive-through lane. There had to be at least 20 cars. I thought to myself, “That’s a long line. You really have to love Chick-fil-A to brave that line at lunchtime.”

Then I noticed they had four people on the lot taking orders from the people in the drive-through. They eliminated the problem. The cars were moving through the line at a pretty good speed. Actually, they moved faster than the traffic I was sitting in on the main street. Brilliant thinking… just because you’re in the drive-through lane, doesn’t mean you have wait to get to the front of the line to order. Continue reading →

From AI to “HIMI”

Human-Inspired Machine Intelligence

Shep Hyken interviews Dr. Natalie Petouhoff. They discuss AI in business—what works and what doesn’t work, how it can help companies and employees succeed, and how we can best utilize it. They also discuss the need for diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace.

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This week we feature an article by John Boccuzzi Jr. who argues that digital transformation is bringing customer experience to an entirely different level. – Shep Hyken Continue reading →

Not long ago, I wrote an article that featured Todd Hopkins, CEO of Office Pride, and his concept of core values being a decision filter. I had the chance to interview him for Amazing Business Radio and he dropped another big concept on us that’s worth bringing to our followers. He talked about an agreement he makes with all his new customers and employees, an upfront agreement tied to future communication. Continue reading →

Habits for Success

Fostering Good Customer Service Habits to Make Your Business Stand Out

Shep Hyken interviews Mark Copeman. They discuss his new book, Helpdesk Habits, which teaches employees how to turn good customer service practices into routine habits. They also talk about the importance of humanity within the employee and customer experience.

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This week we feature an article by Tom Buiocchi who writes about the importance of the “behind the scenes” work facilities managers do in order to enhance the customer experience. – Shep Hyken Continue reading →

You’ve heard of the concept of Pay It Forward. Many people use the phrase to describe doing a good deed for someone with no other expectation than that person doing something nice for someone else and so on, creating a chain of good deeds. Don’t pay it back. Pay it forward. Continue reading →