5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of June 8, 2015

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 Retail Customer Connection by Richard Shapiro

(Richard R. Shapiro) The new “buzz” is all about the emotional connection in customer service.  I say, yes! Companies should be focused on creating and building relationships.  By forming a human bond, your organization will not only have a volume of happy customers, but customers who need, want you, and will return.

My Comment: You can’t beat the connection made between people. Companies are becoming focused on using technology to take care of customers. They create self-service solutions to get customers what they need quickly and hassle-free. They do this knowing that they are giving up the opportunity for the human connection. That may not be bad in most cases. But the lack of human connection may lose the emotional connection that most companies need to create true brand loyalty.

(Good News Network) Ellen and Bob Wallace have built a strong marriage over 41 yrs. Not only have they raised children together, they have worked side by side seven days a week to build a business. “She runs half the company; she is my best friend, she is my everything.”

My Comment: This is a great (and emotionally touching) story about the connection that an employee, and therefore the company, can have with a customer. In an era where most support centers want their people to keep calls as short as possible, this shows how taking a few extra minutes to do something special for a customer can create an emotional connection that cements the relationship between the brand and the customer.

Unfriendly Signs Are Bad For Business by Jeff Toister

(Toister Performance Solutions) The business hung the sign because a few people would come into the shop, load up on samples, and then leave. This sign was the response.

My Comment: This short post reminds us that rules and signs should be written for good customers. Think before you make the rule – or post a sign – that will impact all of your customers, just because one or two people abuse the system or try and take advantage of you.

Southwest Airlines Did Something AMAZING for This Mom’s Son Who Slipped Into a Coma by Michael Cantrell

(Young Conservatives) That’s precisely what this story about what Southwest Airlines did for a passenger who a comatose son accomplishes, and why you absolutely need to hear it.

My Comment: Another great Southwest Airlines story. In an industry that is constantly frustrating their customers (passengers) with marginal levels of customer service and failed experiences due to late flights (which may be due to mechanical issues with the planes, weather problems and more), Southwest, while not perfect, continuously proves to be a role model for other airlines to look up to.

How Customer Experience Expertise Can Lead To More Humane Workplaces by Augusta Meill

(Fast Company) There is a movement for a more equitable workplace, and customer experience firms are uniquely positioned to help drive this change.

My Comment: I agree that the happy and fulfilled employee is typically more engaged. And, raising employees’ salaries may help with that happiness, but I think the money solution is short term. In addition, it takes a good culture and environment to create (long term) fulfillment and appreciation of the employees.

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.