Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 26, 2015

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 Customer Service Journey: Does It Lead Customers Back to You? Jodi Beuder

(Impact Blog!) The ulti­mate goal of cus­tomer ser­vice is to deliver a pos­i­tive expe­ri­ence every time con­sumers reach out to your prod­uct, brand or ser­vice. Whether it’s a phone inter­ac­tion, web– or social media-based com­mu­ni­ca­tion, store­front encounter, or prod­uct expe­ri­ence, these “touch­points” add up to what is known as the cus­tomer ser­vice journey.

My Comment: The customer journey mapping process is such an important part in planning for an amazing customer experience. Success doesn’t happen by accident. The journey map is part of creating deliberate success. I’m surprised at the number of companies that haven’t gone through this process.

What Causes B2B Customers to Churn? Three Things, and “Price” Isn’t One of Them by Christine Crandell

(CustomerThink) “Value,” as uniquely defined by each customer, is contextual and multi-faceted, and changes over the relationship lifecycle. There is no single, commonly held definition of “value” for each industry, a market or customer segment. In other words, “value” is not solely in the product but in what surrounds it.

My Comment: While this article focuses on B2B, I think the ideas can apply to just about any business. The three ways this article describes why companies lose customers are also the three ways you can keep them. If the customer defines value as outcomes, trust and relevance, lacking in any of these areas can cause a loss of business. Excelling in them can gain an increase confidence, which ultimately leads to more business.

5 Reasons Mobile Customer Service Must Be a 2015 Priority by Tricia Morris

(LinkedIn) Think about service channels your customers use – email, support portal, phone, self-service knowledgebase, apps, etc. …. They’re all in your customers’ hands 24 hours a day, seven days a week via smartphones and tablets. Yet, many brands are still not prioritizing mobile customer service and the mobile customer experience. That needs to change in 2015.

My Comment: Tricia Morris’s of Parature/Microsoft says, “People say their mobile phone is now just as important as deodorant.” Great list of why every company needs to consider how important mobile is to the  customer service and experience strategy.

When New Hire Training Transforms the Customer Experience (And When it Doesn’t) by Chris Frascella

(ICMI) New hire training can be one of the most instrumental factors in delivering happiness to your customers—but it isn’t by default. There are three key elements to turning your new hires into one of your most positive influences on your customers’ experience with your company.

My Comment: It doesn’t have to be a support center to take advantage of the strategies and tactics in this article. First and foremost, when you hire new people, there needs to be an onboarding process that trains the new-hire to the culture and philosophies of the company. Beyond that, there can be training that is specific to the new-hire’s responsibility. There are a number of great ideas here, but what stands out is the message that training continues long after the employee is hired. Training is not something you did. It’s something you do.

Treat Loyal Customers as Well as You Do New Ones by Karen Mishra

(Entrepreneur) Here are some tips to infuse compassion into your customer service.

My Comment: Years ago, my friend Dr. Larry Baker made a comment: The most abused customer is a sold customer. We work hard to get customers to do business with us. Then once they do, some (not all) companies treat the customer a different way (as in not as well as in the “courting” stage of the relationship). Smart companies know that once the customer chooses to do business with them, they work to confirm the customer made the right decision.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken