5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of December 9, 2019

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.

10 Customer-Centric Questions to Create Irresistible Value by Josh Linkner

(Josh Linkner) With our Thanksgiving feasts behind us, ’tis the season of 2020 business planning. Ironically, the theme of gratitude may actually be our best strategy in the new year.

My Comment: Innovation expert Josh Linkner moved into the customer service/experience area with this excellent article about creating (irresistible) value for customers. You’ll find 10 questions that will make for a lively discussion on how you can innovate and improve the value you offer.

How a customer service project is helping Southwest Airlines realise its 360-customer vision by Nadia Cameron

(CMO) VP of customer support services talks through its latest customer technology transformation.

My Comment: How does Southwest Airlines continue to deliver extraordinary customer service in the airline industry? Hear direct from their VP of customer support services, Jason Ashworth, as he shares how they use Salesforce’s Service Cloud to support the Southwest “three-pronged mission” of delivering efficiency, lovability and profitability to the business

5 Ways Elite Brands Are Setting the New Standard for Customer Experience by Janelle Estes

(CMSWire) Here are five strategies companies known for their stellar customer experience (CX) are using to create and maintain brand loyalty.

My Comment: The author of this article poses this question: In what ways are elite brands going the extra mile to keep customers satisfied? These brands know how to get customers to come back again and again. Here are five ways they do it – and all are important to just about any type of business in any industry.

4 Metrics Your Call Center Needs to Track in 2020 by Ben Ringshall

(Fonolo) As we head into 2020, data is becoming more crucial for successfully running a call center than ever.

My Comment: If you have just one customer support person or a huge team, you must have a way to measure success. Here are four extremely important measurements that you can’t afford to miss. Notice that number two is focused on not customer satisfaction, but employee (agent) satisfaction. If you aren’t measuring these four areas, it’s time to start.

How to Rock Customer Support During Holiday Season by Mansi Bhatia

(Ameyo) In the spirit of the holiday season, I have tried to prepare a guide to help you sail through your customer support and leave a happy and memorable experience for your customers.

My Comment: The holiday season is upon us, and for some companies, that means a surge (sometimes big) in sales. That also means more customer service issues to deal with. This excellent article has a list of six best-practices for properly managing the increase of customer contacts during the busy season. Keep in mind you can swap out the holiday season for any other time of year when business increases. Whether it’s seasonal or cyclical, this list will give you ideas for a busy time in any industry (not just retail).

BONUS

Customer-first: Lessons From Small Town Shop by Natalya Bucuy

(LiveHelpNow) Nate Brown discussed the customer-first initiative, 4 rounds of customer experience management, and how to win customers’ loyalty the way small-town shops do during the SmallBizCX conference.

My Comment: How can a small business compete with big business? Act like a small business! The same goes for big businesses. I’ve been pushing all clients in just about any type of business, big or small, to create a small/local feel. This article uses a small (as in local) ice-cream shop as a case study to showcase the ways any size business can take advantage of “playing small.”

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