5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of June 25, 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.

Keys To Earning Sustained Loyalty From Your Employees by Charle Brown

(Chief Executive) Having strengthened millions of relationships for brands and causes worldwide, we’ve identified five critical steps to achieve the sustained loyalty your business needs.

My Comment: The opening sentence caught my attention: “Companies with a highly engaged workforce outperform those without by 147 percent.” I like that stat! How can you get engaged and loyal employees? This article shares five ways to do so.

Personalization Matters: 12 Ways For Brands To Increase Customer Loyalty by Forbes Agency Council

(Forbes) According to the Center for Retail Management at Northwestern University, up to 15% of a business’s most loyal customers account for 55% to 70% of a company’s total sales. For this reason alone, it is imperative that you make your first impression with a customer count.

My Comment: The concept of “personalization” is hot right now. Our friends at Forbes have shared twelve ways that a business can personalize the experience, which can turn into customer loyalty. Ideas range from the simple to the complicated. There’s something here for any type of business.

Customer experience is ‘tipping point’ for choosing a brand by Marianne Wilson

(Chain Store Age) One bad experience can turn off a customer.

My Comment: Here is a great recap of some of the pertinent facts and stats from Medallia’s “Customer Experience Tipping Point” survey. To start with, 64% of consumers say they have avoided a brand because of a bad experience in the last year. We can’t afford to give our customers a bad experience. Even if you are a B2B enterprise, while the numbers may not be the same, the concept of why customers leave or stay is.

My Comment: Can you list the top five European companies with the highest customer loyalty? Even if you can’t (I couldn’t), you will recognize all of them. Then you’ll agree, even before reading the summary of each one. What do these companies do to earn such loyalty? Read the article to find out!

Gartner Reveals Three Customer Experience Myths. Says Leaders Are Pulling Away From The Pack by Joseph Brookes

(WHICH-50) Speaking at the Gartner Customer Experience and Technologies Summit in Sydney, Thompson busted three customer experience myths and argued industry leaders are successfully ignoring some of the strategies that have become synonymous with customer experience.

My Comment: “Don’t delight the customer!” Really?! Well, it’s true. Read this article to find out why, along with two other misunderstood ideas that include “Don’t innovate,” and “Don’t correlate data.” The reasons are a bit counter-intuitive, yet worth considering for your customer experience strategy.

BONUS

The Top 10 Customer Experience Keynote Speakers by Blake Morgan

(Blake Morgan) Join the conversation and make customer experience a focus in your organization by bringing in an expert as a keynote speaker for a conference or event.

My Comment: Bake Morgan is a customer experience expert, and this week published an article on her site that lists the “Top Ten” keynote speakers in the area of CX. I’m honored to have been named to her list. (Thank you, Blake!) And, there are other great speakers that are worthy of your consideration at a future event where you might need a speaker.

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