5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of February 1, 2016

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 4 Most Important Customer Experience Metrics by Duff Anderson

(iPerceptions) Four of the most widely leveraged and useful customer experience metrics are Satisfaction, Net Promoter® Score, Visitor Intent, and Task Completion. In this post, I will share my 20+ years of hands on experience using these key metrics and the best ways to implement them to ensure accurate and consistent results.

My Comment: This is an excellent article on how to measure CX. The author focuses on three measurements that are worthy of consideration for just about any business; overall satisfaction, NPS, intent.

4 Must-Read Stats on the State of Customer Support in 2016 [New Research] by Jamie Edwards

(Kayako) The Customer Support State of the Profession Report 2016 surveyed 116 individuals, with respondents ranging from support agents to VPs of support and CEOs. The customer support profession is extremely varied in terms of salary, team sizes and responsibilities, which indicates that the support industry is evolving and changing regularly.

My Comment: This is an excellent white paper from Kayako on the state of the customer support profession. (It’s free, but you’ll have to sign up to receive it.) There are some stats and facts related to salaries, tenure, job satisfaction and challenges. It gets technical at times, but if you’re involved in customer support, you will want to read this.

My Comment: Zendesk has brought us a quick look at five strategies that will help you innovate service. While the focus is on retail, there is no reason that B2B wouldn’t benefit by adapting one or all of these to their customer service strategy. This is a short article, just an introduction to what Zendesk will be sharing about these concepts in the upcoming months. I’m looking forward to reading more.

Having A Servant’s Mentality in Customer Service by Jeffrey Hayzlett

(Huffington Post) Hard work is called that for a reason, because it’s hard. And I’ve gotten to where I am because I’ve done a lot of it. But it wasn’t all just me — I had a lot of help along the way. From people mentoring me, to advising me, to lending a helping hand, there have been a lot of people who have helped me to become who I am. But when your elevator ride reaches the top, it’s important to send the elevator back down for the next person.

My Comment: The servant mentality in customer service is a great concept. Jeffrey Hayzlett’s “Tell it like it is!” style makes a clear and bold statement: If you can’t or won’t serve, then don’t come to work.

50 Best Customer Service Blogs/Resources by Liad Stein

(nanorep) We’ve rounded up some of the best blogs and online resources in customer service from top executives and thought leaders, to help you reach your customer service goals in 2016.

My Comment: Liad Stein of nanorep has done a great service for those interested in reading great articles, white papers and blog posts on customer service and customer experience. He has compiled the top 50 blogs and resources from industry experts and thought leaders. (I’m honored to have made the list. Thank you, Liad!) So when you’re ready to take your customer service and CX to the next level, this is an incredible list that you will refer back to again and again.

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