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5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of April 29, 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. Your Most Important Business Success Metric? Customer Loyalty! by Chad Storlie (Franchising.com) Marketers […]

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.

Your Most Important Business Success Metric? Customer Loyalty! by Chad Storlie

(Franchising.com) Marketers are besieged with metrics. ROI, website visits, website return visits, shopping cart abandonment rates, and average customer spend are all important and well-used metrics to evaluate the success of a business. Everyone agrees metrics are vitally important. What no one can agree on is which metrics are the most important. Until now.

My Comment: I’ve always preached that one of the most important (if not the most) statistics in business is if the customer comes back, and that is the focus of this article. By the way, I like the simple definition the author uses for customer loyalty: “… the ongoing instance of a customer who continues to repurchase from a business when they have competitor and substitute offers available.”

Retailers! Are you putting Customer Experience theory into practice? by Daniel Frank

(TruRating) Over the last three months, we’ve been speaking to some of the best minds working in the field today.  Here’s a selection of tips for anyone looking to close the gap between the theoretical and the actual operationalization of customer experience best practices.

My Comment: This article starts with the important finding from Bain and Company stating that 80% of businesses believe that they provide a “superior proposition” (customer service), yet only 8% of their customers agree. That stat is a little old, but there is still a lot of truth to it. The gap between perception and reality, where reality is the customer experience, is still wide for many businesses. The goal is to turn CX theory into CX reality.

Want World Class Customer Service? Add Kindness And Trust by Larry Stuart

(Forbes) Don’t fill roles with just anyone who can fog a mirror. Take your time and find the right person and don’t settle.
My Comment: What goes into creating a world class customer experience? Everything has to work plus “kindness and trust.” The author, Larry Stuart, makes a compelling argument that trust plays a big role in CX – and trust doesn’t start with the customer. It starts with employees. Trust them (as in empower them) to do the job they were hired to do. And, when that trusted employee is empathetic and kind to their customers, you have a winning combination.

9 tips to help your website offer the best customer shopping experience by Alma Causey

(KnowTechie) In today’s fast-paced digital world, e-commerce reigns supreme; no business can truly thrive without an online presence. A digital marketing strategy is absolutely crucial for every brand. The website provides the customer with an exclusive insight into what the brand offers.

My Comment: Is the customer experience on your website as good as the customer experience you want your people to deliver? Here are nine ways you can create a better digital CX for your customers as they browse, learn and shop on your website. And, I’ll add a tenth: Make it super easy for your customers to find your contact information.

76% of Customers Choose Loyalty Programs that Collect ONLY Name and Phone Number by Michael Guta

(Small Business Trends) More businesses are adopting customer loyalty programs because it is much easier to deploy. But a new report has revealed Americans are more cautious when it comes to joining a loyalty program.

My Comment: For those of you who have loyalty programs, if you want more customers to join, stop asking for so much information! The message is in the title of the article: “76% of Americans Choose Loyalty Programs that Collect ONLY Name and Phone Number.” Furthermore, 71% said they would be less likely to join the program that collects more info, including address, account information and other “sensitive” data.

BONUS

Inspirational Book on Customer Experience by Extens Consulting
(Extens Consulting) Extens Consulting shares with you its selection of the 24 best Customer Experience Ideas of 2018. Through this hand-out of inspiration, discover some good practices from all sectors to re-enchant the customer experience.
My Comment: I love this special report. Extens Consulting shares a list of the 24 best customer experience ideas from 2018. Plenty of great ideas from a big variety of companies/industries. You’ll have to fill out a form to get the PDF, but it is worth the effort (and sharing of your info).
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.

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