5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of August 20, 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.

T-Mobile is completely overhauling how its customer service works by Chris Welch

(The Verge) Team of Experts launches nationwide today for postpaid customers

My Comment: This is how customer service should always be. T-Mobile is becoming a role model for customer service. Check out this quote from their CEO, John Legere: “The first thing I did when I became CEO of this company is I spent every night sitting at home listening to both sides of customer service calls. I listened, we acted and we heard. That’s the foundation for what we’re going to do today.”

Are your customers’ experiences profoundly remarkable? by Chip Bell

(Retail Customer Experience) Emotional connection in the customer experience game is a mere table stake, not an extra or a value-add. It is the rule, not the exception. The absence of an emotional connection is the definition of a poor customer experience.

My Comment: I read the title of this article and was intrigued. What does “profoundly remarkable” mean? What does it take for a customer to say, “They are remarkable.”? Customer service expert Chip Bell gives us some insights into how to do exactly that.

11 Customer Experience Experts: Here’s How To Get Customers Talking About Your Company by Dan Gingiss

(Forbes) As companies pour money into generating the seemingly elusive “word-of-mouth marketing,” it’s not just about celebrities and other influencers. Focusing on a great customer experience can result in fewer customers leaving a business and, perhaps more importantly, more customers advocating to their friends and families on a company’s behalf.

My Comment: Musical recording artist Bonnie Raitt had a hit song, “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About!” Dan Gingiss, marketing and customer service expert, pulled together comments from eleven customer service experts who share their insights that will help you give your customers something to talk about.

Critical areas of the digital customer experience by Natalia Hawkins

(MyCustomer) Over the past couple of decades, the concept of being able to conduct business operations virtually (both in a B2B and B2C setting) has caused a huge ripple effect for companies across the board. Perhaps no area has been impacted more than the customer experience (CX).

My Comment: How much digital is too much digital? And how can a company manage the digital experience across all channels and to all the stakeholders in a business, on both sides (the company and the customer)? This article covers some interesting areas One of the popular conversations in the CX world is how to balance the digital and human interaction. This article looks at three areas that, while applicable to all companies/brands, are especially applicable to the B2B companies.

Domino’s Pizza Serves Up Innovations In Customer Experience (CX) To Drive Business Growth by Brian Solis

(Forbes)  Businesses must now understand customer expectations as they continue to rise as a function of customer relationships with technology. And, brands must also rethink innovation and service to deliver faster, easier and better customer experiences (CX) to drive business growth and loyalty.

My Comment: Domino’s pizza has a simple business, right? You just call in to order the pizza and it shows up 30 minutes later. How complicated can that be? Well, it’s not, but today innovation and technology are at the forefront of creating a better experience for Domino’s customers. And, there’s quite a bit any business can learn from a pizza delivery company.

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