Top 5 Customer Service Articles for the Week of September 10, 2018

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.

Five Musts For Delivering ‘Legendary’ Customer Care On Social Channels by Andrew Kokes

(Forbes) In today’s disruptive business economy, in order to create distinctiveness for a brand online, it is imperative to have social customer care that is more than good — or even great. It must be legendary.

My Comment: There are some basics in delivering an excellent customer service experience on social media. This article has some of those basics and a little more. Quick response… a must. Empathy… customers want you to understand them. Fun… that’s optional, but why not? After all, it’s social!

4 Simple Strategies That Will Help You Offer Excellent Customer Service by Toby Nwazor

(Entrepreneur) The story about Amazon and the PlayStation will warm your heart. It’s also a great model for your company to follow.

My Comment: As long as we’re covering some basics, this article shares some of the most important reasons customers want to do business with a company. The author brings back an old story about how Amazon took responsibility for a lost package. It wasn’t Amazon’s fault, but they took ownership. (That’s what Amazon does!) And, there are some good stats and facts about the importance of delivering an excellent service experience.

How AI, Machine Learning And Other Disruptive Trends Are Defining The Future Of Customer Service by Julian Mitchell

(Forbes) As rapid advancements in technology continue transforming how businesses are developed in the modern world, entrepreneurs are actively exploring smarter ways to operate more efficiently and eliminate issues that have traditionally plagued progress and performance.

My Comment: Mikhail Naumov is a very smart man. He’s an AI, machine learning expert and has a successful company that I’ve featured in Forbes in the past. This interview shares some of Mikhail’s most recent observations about how chatbots, AI and digital technology are changing the world of customer service.

How to train your agents to avoid these 5 customer service fails by Rhiân Davies

(GetApp) Nowadays, customers won’t hesitate to vent about their poor customer service experience over social media, which can do huge damage to your company’s reputation.

My Comment: If you are a customer and are on the receiving end of any of these support center “mistakes,” no doubt you’ll be unhappy – and may even choose to cease doing business with the company. And, if you manage a support center that is guilty of any one (or more) of these five “customer service fails,” you’ll be just as upset. This article was originally published three years ago and updated this week. Good information for your support center!

Personalize Customer Service To Boost Sales Opportunities by Michael Mink

(Investor’s Business Daily) According to Dialog Direct’s Customer Rage study, the No. 1 phrase in customer service that makes everyone crazy is this doozy: “Your call is very important to us. Please continue to wait on hold.”

My Comment: A personalized customer experience increases sales. It’s that simple. This short article has six ideas to create an experience that will help bring your customers back. Repeat customers spend more and can eventually become loyal customers.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.