5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of April 22, 2019

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.

Why Anxious Customers Prefer Human Customer Service by Michelle A. Shell and Ryan W. Buell

(HBR)  It is clear that these technologies are less expensive to offer than human support. But what’s less clear is the toll these self-service interactions may take on customers.

My Comment: Here is an interesting topic: Customer Anxiety. The authors (from Harvard) explore how anxious customers are more desiring of human-to-human support. Using self-service options in high-anxiety settings can negatively impact the customer experience and erode confidence in the form of diminished trust with the company that the customer is interacting with.

Service Transformation Must Come From the C-Suite by Dr. Natalie Petouhoff

(Salesforce) Did you know many customer service departments are still in dinosaur mode? They face shifting demands from customers without the necessary tools, strategy, processes, and agents’ skills to meet them.

My Comment: If you want the service culture in an organization to change, it must start at the top with leadership. As Bill Patterson, Salesforce Service Cloud’s GM and Executive VP would say, “Never before has it been more important to rid the world of bad customer service experiences.” Leadership must recognize that service transformation is a “competitive must” and a strategic asset.

Top-Rated in Employee Engagement and Customer Satisfaction: How does Quicken Loans do it? by Mohamed Latib, Ph.D. 

(CX University) Quicken Loans has innovated a process for delivering continual change while providing a stable cultural structure. It is elegantly simple, and it works splendidly.

My Comment: It’s always interesting to compare these two lists, as many times the companies featured as one of the best places to work are also found on the top ranked customer service company lists. This article is an interesting case study on Quicken Loans, who have found themselves on both lists. And, it isn’t surprising that success appears to start on the inside with a high level of customer engagement.

10 Fresh Examples Of Customer Experience Innovation by Blake Morgan

(Forbes) Here are 10 fresh examples of CX innovation from brands that aren’t afraid to think outside the box to serve customers.

My Comment: Innovation in customer service and CX is increasing as companies recognize the competitive advantage it gives them. Some companies take that to the extreme, and that’s not a bad thing. Here is a list of how ten companies are using innovation to be competitive, and in some cases (potentially) disrupting their industries.

5 Awesome Ways To Improve Your CSAT Survey Response Rates by Catherine Heath

(Nicereply) We’re in a new era of customer surveys – they should be fun to complete, visually appealing, simple and easy.

My Comment: Do you want your customer surveys answered? Here are five ways to drive better response rates. While none of them should surprise you, what is surprising is that more companies haven’t adopted these strategies.

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