Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of March 12, 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.

How to Design a Stellar Customer Experience by Michal Maimaran and John Schroeder

(KelloggInsight) The Zappos of the world are redefining expectations. Whatever your industry, you need to keep up.

My Comment: The message of this article is simple. When it comes to customer service and CX, you no longer compete against your direct competitor. You compete against anyone that has provided your customer with a great experience. That’s who you are compared to. Your customers’ expectations are higher than ever.

New Report: Which Brands Deliver the Best Customer Experience? by Alex Jones

(Brandwatch) As a reflection of both a brand’s promise and a commitment to customer service, social media is every company’s main channel for showcasing customer experience.

My Comment: Here is a list of the top brands focused on customer experience with a focus on social media. You’ll see the partial list and have to download the entire report, but you’ll find it interesting when you see what companies are at the top of the list. There will be the ones you expect along with some big surprises.

Five Organizations that Are Using Big Data to Power Digital Transformation by Conner Forrest

(ZDnet) Big data can be a great asset in achieving digital transformation. Here are five organizations that have used data science to boost their business.

My Comment: Here’s a case study on a major iconic brand, McDonald’s, who has always been known for the “system” that is all about consistency. McDonald’s continues to improve the system, this time with more technology, to create not just a better customer experience, but also one for employees. The end result is that the technology allows employees to spend more time taking care of the customer.

8 Reasons Why Customer Experience Transformations Fail by Graham Kingma

(LinkedIn) The challenge is what organizations can do to go about improving the customer experience.

My Comment: At first, I thought this article was taking a contrarian approach to customer experience. But, what the author has written is about some of the mistakes companies make when approaching this very important, and often expensive, strategy. Done right, the investment into CX pays big.

Seven Ways Tech Will Change Customer Experience in 2018 by Luke Williams

(Inside Small Business) There are seven ways technology will aid companies in creating and taking advantage of compelling experiences for their customers in 2018.

My Comment: This short article has seven ideas worth considering. The one that jumped out at me was number two. It’s about how customers expect instant service and delivery. Customers have a new expectation about how quick companies respond or can deliver. Can we rise to the occasion? If not, the competition surely will.

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