Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 30, 2013

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 Secret to Delighting Customers by Dilip Bhattacharjee, Bruce Jones and Francisco C. Ortega 

(Harvard Business Review) There’s only one way to create emotional connections with customers: by ensuring every interaction is geared to delighting them. That takes more than great products and services — it takes motivated, empowered frontline employees. Creating great customer experience comes down to having great people and treating them well. They will feel more engaged with the company and more committed to its goals. The best companies make four activities habitual.

My Comment: When Harvard Business Review offers the “secret” to anything, I pay attention. Here are some straightforward insights to delivering customer service. The article poses the question, “Why is customer experience so difficult to get right?” The answer is “The main hurdle is translating boardroom vision into action at the front line.” I’d change the last four words. It’s translating the vision into action… for the entire company. HBR, thanks for sharing the secret!

5 Phrases That Should Never Be Used in the Customer Service Business by Steve DiGioia

(Hotel News Resource) Customer Service’ is a term that too frequently is used as a catch-all for the experience received or given in today’s business world. But what customer service is to me may be different from what it is to you and what you expect, or tolerate.

My Comment: There is a lot that any business can learn from the hospitality industry. I’m a big fan of lists and this one is excellent. These five phrases are “loyalty killers” and erode the customer service experience.

4 inspirational customer experience quotes and how to leverage them in your business 2014 #cx by Sven-Olof Husmark

(CustomerThink) Today, customers are in power and business success is based on how well companies can meet their demands and expectations. Customers have many choices and it is critical to make their experiences as simple, consistent, and relevant as possible as they make their customer journey. I have selected 4 great customer experience quotes and used them to deliver some practical advice for the new year 2014.

My Comment: Here are four very powerful customer service quotes and commentary about them.  I’m going to use them at my next four team meetings to stimulate some great discussions around customer service.

Making Our List… Checking It Twice… The Ultimate List of Customer Service Skills by Joanna Jones

(Impact) Our ulti­mate list of cus­tomer ser­vice skills includes some of the top skills used by some of the most renowned cus­tomer ser­vice com­pa­nies. If you can help your com­pany achieve all of the items on this list, you will indeed have won­der­ful cus­tomer expe­ri­ence await­ing your cus­tomers – dur­ing the hol­i­days, and beyond.

My Comment: The theme of articles and blogs being posted this time of year include lots of lists. This is a list worth paying attention to. When it comes to delivering amazing customer service, read this list, check it twice – and then repeat as often as necessary until everyone gets it!

Why Stellar Customer Service Is Key to Building Your Online Brand by Scott Levy

(Entrepreneur) In his book Tweet Naked, online marketing expert Scott Levy provides the critical information entrepreneurs need to craft a social media strategy that will boost their brand and their business. In this edited excerpt, the author explains why the most important factor to succeeding on social media is exceptional customer service.

My Comment: Some say that a company’s brand is what the customer perceives the company to be.  A big part of that perception comes from customer service.  The best companies, like Zappos mentioned in the article, get it and embrace it.  The brand promise complements the customer service promise.  By the way, this works for both online and offline companies.