5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of August 13, 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.

Are You Making This Critical Connection With Your Customers to Strengthen Relationships and Drive Loyalty? by Steve Bernstein

(Business2Community) Customer Success is typically defined as, “ensuring customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service.” If you’re relying on this explicit definition to drive retention and expansion then you’re missing a better opportunity.

My Comment: This excellent article on customer loyalty departs from the typical article focused on B2C businesses and has a big emphasis on the B2B customer. Consider two types of loyalty; behavioral and attitudinal. Plenty of good info and ideas to get you thinking about how to drive loyalty with buying committees, executives, end users and more.

Want better customer service? Don’t call. Text. by Geoffrey A. Fowler 

(Savannah Now) Here’s how much I hate calling customer service: I wasted $120 over six months just to avoid calling AT&T to turn off data service on two iPads I was no longer using.

My Comment: If you want better customer service, especially for quick and simple questions or requests, then read this article. Customers are getting more comfortable with alternative support channels. Traditionally customers called. Now they like to text. Texting/messaging can potentially get you a faster response. More and more brands are open to alternative channels. Your customers expect it, so don’t fight it.

9 Ways to be a Never-Ending Student of Service by Steve DiGioia

(Steve DiGioia) When we become the boss we automatically think we’re a leader. Then we do “leadership-type” things.

My Comment: Want to get better at customer service? Don’t stop learning about it. There are plenty of resources to keep up-to-date with the latest customer service strategies, technologies and tactics – and my friend Steve DiGioia shares many of these in this article. Keep learning and stay at the top of your customer service game.

Eight Unique Ways To Thank Customers For Their Loyalty by Young Entrepreneur Council

(Forbes) Customer retention is a critical component of any business’s overall strategy. After all, studies show that it costs five times as much to land a new customer than it does to keep the one you already have.

My Comment: One of the first customer service lessons I learned was to say “THANK YOU” to my customers. At 12 years old I started my birthday party magic show business. After my first show, my parents told me to write a thank you note. Showing appreciation to your customers is not an option. It’s imperative. Here are eight ways you can thank your best customers. It may seem basic, but it’s so very important.

Winning the Hearts–and Loyalty–of Younger Consumers by Shannon Andrick

(Chain Store Age) Alliance Data’s 2018 “Rules of NextGen Loyalty”  study validates an emerging trend happening with today’s younger consumers: Not only are they financially conscious, they’re also heavily influenced by cost when it comes to purchasing decisions.

My Comment: The first thing I thought about as I started to read this article were the first words from a popular song: “I believe the children are our future.” Businesses need to know that loyalty, earned from a younger customer, is a key to long-term growth and success.