Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of August 23, 2021

Each week I read many 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.

Frictionless Shopping Provides Enhanced Customer Experience, Retail Efficiencies by NVIDIA

(Retail Dive) A survey this year from Piplsay found that a large majority of consumers who had visited an Amazon Go store that incorporated frictionless shopping and checkout found the experience either “good” or “excellent,” and 57% of consumers overall said they would like to see an Amazon Go or a similar tech-enabled store near them.

My Comment: Reducing friction is important to any business. This article, while focused on retail, has application to any industry. Reducing friction creates efficiencies, not only for the customer but also the business. And, it’s a competitive differentiator. Customers expect an easy and convenient experience with anyone they do business with. A great product delivered with a great customer experience that is also easy is a winning combination.

The New Era of Loyalty: Why Brands Should Embrace Loyalty Schemes by Stoyan Petrov

(The Drum) A study found that customers with high emotional engagement spend two times more on brands they are loyal to than those without an emotional connection. This isn’t to say people have stopped seeking rational rewards such as points or discounts, but it seems that a new era of ‘human’ loyalty is upon us

My Comment: I love the concept of loyalty programs. However, there is a difference between a loyalty program and a marketing program. Both are great for the right reasons. Just know the difference. The idea behind any loyalty or marketing program is to drive repeat business. This article has some great stats and descriptions of the different types of programs to consider.

How To Conduct the Best Customer Service Training (+ Top Training Programs) by Alejandra Zilak

(Bluleadz) At the end of the day, you can invest all you want in fancy customer relationship management (CRM) tools and omnichannel communications. But if you fall short in providing adequate training, you’re just flushing money down the drain.

My Comment: The title of this article says it all. It’s about customer service training. There are plenty of ideas. My only disappointment was they didn’t mention our training program in the article. (Just kidding! It really is an excellent article!)

3 Ways To Improve Customer Experience with Content that Communicates by Tim Ludwig

(Business 2 Community) Not all content is created equal. From your user’s perspective, your content (whether through a support team or self-help content) either serves to communicate value, or add confusion. Ask yourself; “Does our support team communicate solutions well to customers? Does our content communicate clear, helpful answers to people searching for it?”

My Comment: Content marketing is more than just marketing. It’s about creating a better experience for the customer through valuable information. The content can focus on valuable information, how to best use products, and even special sales. The companies that are best at this know how to balance blatant promotion with value-added content.

96% Of Customers Will Leave You For Bad Customer Service – So What Are You Doing About It? by Peter Flynn

(LinkedIn Pulse) Of course there are many other considerations that go into delivering consistent and sustainable quality customer service but just doing this basic ‘Customer Interface Analysis’ will put you miles ahead of your competition.

My Comment: The title of the article grabbed my attention. The short answer to the question in the title has to do with tracking the flow of customers. It’s another way of walking the customer’s journey. When you truly understand what your customers experience, you can create a better experience.

BONUS

Customer Experience Speakers for Your Event by Deanna Ritchie

(ReadWrite) Whether you want to improve your business’ reputation, raise customer satisfaction scores, or ensure customer loyalty, creating a memorable customer experience (CX) is how your brand can stand out in a very competitive market. What better way to improve your customer experience knowledge and develop a practical game plan than getting to know CX experts and their strategies?

My Comment: This week I’m sharing links to two articles. These are two lists that I’m honored to be on. The people represented are the best in the industry. The first lists the top customer experience speakers you would want to book for your next event (if you’re hiring speakers for events.)

9 Customer Service Blogs Every Support Pro Should Follow by Mercer Smith

(Help Scout) One of the best ways to stay current with trends and customer needs is by following customer service blogs. Reading about the tools and techniques that other companies are using to provide excellent experiences helps inform your team and strategy on doing the same.

My Comment: The second list, from Help Scout, shares nine customer service blogs you may want to subscribe to. All have great information and come from different perspectives.