Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 19, 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.

50 Important Customer Experience Stats for Business Leaders by Vala Afshar

(Huffington Post) I completely agree with Bova’s thesis, but do all business leaders fully recognize and understand the importance of customer experience? Most recent CEO surveys position ‘customer experience’ as one of the top business priorities but talk is cheap.

My Comment: My friend Val Afshar interviewed Esteban Kolsky is the founder and principal of thinkJar, who shared 50 important stats – with some insights included – that are important to any company that wants to focus on the customer experience – and what company doesn’t!

5 Upcoming Marketing Strategies for 2015 and Beyond – What it means for Business Owners by Jack Dawson

(Tech Cocktail) For businesses looking to maintain their brand equity and competitive edge, staying current on up and coming marketing strategies is critical, five of which are discussed in the following paragraphs.

My Comment: If customer service is the new marketing, then here are five great marketing strategies that prove it. I like all five, but am partial to the fourth strategy, which is about content marketing. This is powerful. Offering customers valuable content adds to the overall customer experience.

13 Shocking Customer Service Statistics by Tricia Morris

(CustomerThink)  Treat yourself to the 13 shocking customer service statistics below to encourage bigger and better buy-in for your 2016 customer service initiatives:

My Comment: Here are some powerful stats and facts from our friends at Parature. They are general stats and many seem to be focused on the retail world, but don’t let that stop you from reading this article. Even if the numbers don’t match up with your industry’s numbers, the concept behind the numbers do. And be sure to download the full report.

What 5 Celebrity Entrepreneurs Can Teach You about Customer Experience by Tom Huston

(The CX Report) In the world of business, no matter what market you enter, it can be tough to succeed without some key differentiators to help your company stand out from the crowd.

My Comment: In this fun article we learn how five celebrities create a better customer experience. While most of us aren’t celebrities, our brands are recognized by our customers. Brand awareness is a good start to becoming a celebrity (sort of) in our own industry. I’m sure there’s something in this article that you’ll find useful.

4 Steps For Creating Happy Customer Experiences by Doron Reuveni

(readwrite) Here are four steps for creating a smarter strategy that can help you boost your customer experience.

My Comment: Another shortlist, but a good one to give you some ideas on creating a better customer service experience. Some common sense that’s not always so common!

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.