Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 15, 2014

TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BUSINESS ARTICLES

Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online 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.

The Shock Of Good Customer Service by Ann Brenoff

(Huffington Post) I was unprepared for the shocking value of good customer service.

My Comment: The customer wants great service. They love companies like Zappos.com and Nordstrom, and those great companies become the benchmark. When the customer gets that level of service, they are surprised, delighted and sometimes even shocked. It’s a shame that is the case. I love the “case study” that has two great examples; an honest handyman and a window company that honors their lifetime warranty. Great reminder of what customer service should be.

Upside Down and Inside Out will make you Right Side UP! by Abraham Venismach

(Making Excellent Customer Service the Standard) So how do you get to that level of astronomical, out of this world, beyond WOW service? Now notice I mention service and not customer service. That’s right, “Service.”

My Comment: Great article that reminds us that the customer can be anyone, who at any time, depends on us for anything. It can be the traditional customer, someone who pays us for our goods and/or services.  It can be an internal customer, a colleague at work, who depends on us to do their job. So far nothing new. But how about the third type of customer; ourselves. Yes, sometimes we even need things ourselves, and it is up to us to make sure we get what we want and need.

New year, new loyalty: Five lessons you might have missed in 2014 by Jenn Reichenbacher

(Retail Customer Experience)  Here are five lessons you can take with you into the new year to make sure you’re at the top of customers’ minds from January all the way through December.

My Comment: While I enjoyed reading about all five ideas on this list, one resonated the most; Sales are temporary, but a good loyalty program lasts forever. If a company is transactional in nature, they will make a sale – one interaction where money changes hands for good or services. If that company focuses on the customer and building a relationship, they may have a repeat loyal customer. (And, isn’t that what every company wants?)

What’s Your Brand’s Customer Service Persona? by Adrian Swinscoe 

(Forbes) I was really interested to learn that Aspect has just released a new piece of research that aims to do just that: put brands into one of five different customer service persona segments.

My Comment: Interesting article about the different “personalities” or behavioral styles of a company. I agree that the combination of the different personas is best, and the best companies have figured out how to do this. And, just as individual personalities must adapt to the different personalities of their customers and colleagues, companies must do the same. The customer who loves the technology of a self-service option, then all of a sudden needs additional support, should be able to fall back on tradition; picking up the phone and talking to a human being. However sometimes it is the ability to emphasize one style over another, adapting to the customer’s needs, that may create the best experience for a customer.

Back to School: Lessons in Customer Service by Kai Petzelt

(The Customer Edge) What do a cup of Coke, Nespresso coffee capsules and the WTF Coffee Lab in Brooklyn, NY have in common? Despite the obvious, ie sharing the same ingredient, caffeine, all three were used as inspiring conversation starters in a recent episode of the SAP Radio Show The Customer Edge.

My Comment: Another great article from my friend Kai Petzelt at SAP. Earlier this year SAP hosted a panel that included executives from Discover, Whole Foods, and myself. Kai has done an excellent job of summarizing some of the key takeaways from the discussion.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken