Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of March 7, 2022

Each week I read many 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.

How to Build Customer Loyalty by Sharing the Inflation Burden by Joel Comm

(Inc. Magazine) Too often, the rise in costs caused by inflation is passed down to the consumer. But there are some companies that are finding ways to keep their doors open while also keeping those inflation costs from impacting their customers. Here are a few ways you can take a page from their playbook to build more customer loyalty.

My Comment: Because of inflation, supply-chain issues, and employment shortages, companies are forced to find places to cut. I’ve preached for years that if you cut, don’t do it in areas where the customer will notice a drop in quality, especially as it pertains to customer service. My friend, Joel Comm, shared three interesting ways to cut costs that make sense because none impact the service customers are used to experiencing. Depending on your business, you may find the perfect place to cut without any CX consequences.

Handing Belligerent Customers – With Better Customer Service by Bob Phibbs

(Chain Store Age) The constant fear we’ve endured over the past two years has decreased our capacity for empathy. Instead of going from zero to 10 on a gradual scale and escalating to out-of-control when something is more warranted, we now go directly from zero to 10; we’re either on or off. This is a vicious circle only you can break. We must teach empathy with employees, or they will be unconsciously tripping that on/off switch in customers.

My Comment: I’ve written many articles on how to deal with angry customers. They are always popular. So, when I read this article about handling belligerent customers from retail expert Bob Phibbs, I had to include it in this roundup. Bob shares his story about losing his temper with an airline employee who eventually fixed a problem in under a minute. Had she been willing to take that extra step, in the beginning, there would not have been an altercation. As much as you may enjoy Bob’s story, you’ll enjoy the lessons even more.

Do You Really Know Who Your Customers Are? by Monica Mullen

(CMSWire) With two thirds of customers feeling that they’re generally treated like numbers, how do you tailor an experience to an individual? To stand apart, companies need to move beyond ho-hum experiences. They need to disrupt the status quo and connect with their customers in a differentiated way.

My Comment: The article starts with a great story. It happened to me, which is maybe why I can relate to it – and I bet it happened to you, too. I bought someone a gift from a website. I would never have bought this for myself. Within minutes I was receiving promotions and advertising about the item. The point is the retailer made a mistake. While the data recognized that I bought something, it didn’t realize it wasn’t for me and that I would have no interest in ever buying it for myself. Mistakes like this happen all the time. So, as the title implies, do you really know who your customers are?

How Customer Service Can Help You Improve Your Content Marketing by Ciara Byrne

(NewsBreak) The truth is, providing great customer service can set you apart from the competition, generate more marketing and sales opportunities, and keep your business growing successfully. In this blog, we will describe the link between customer service and content marketing – and explore the ways they complement each other.

My Comment: I believe that content marketing is a good customer service strategy. Our customers love good content that is relevant to them. It endears them to us. This article is different in that it takes the opposite approach. Good customer service can help your content strategy. The author includes seven ideas that range from the importance of self-service solutions to creating content for your website that customers relate to and more.

My Kingdom for Gatorade: Cross-Selling Exactly What Customers Want by Annie Sloan and Mikel Hubbard

(Total Retail) How do you make e-commerce cross-selling exactly what the customer wants? Here are a few tips and tricks to maximize revenue while delighting your customer.

My Comment: One of the more popular topics I cover in my keynote speeches is that not upselling or cross-selling – for the right reasons – is a bad customer experience. If the customer really needs or would enjoy the item, you must tell them about it. I love that the author changed the phrase cross-selling to smart-selling. And the last paragraph includes this line: “The goal of cross-selling is to get to a place where customers actually thank you for it.” Brilliant thinking!