5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of June 18, 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.

5 Common Customer Service Complaints and How to Fix Them by Swati Kungwani

(Retail Customer Experience) A retail business can never be immune from complaints. If you want customers, complaints are complimentary. Turning these complaints into compliments should be your goal. Customer is the ultimate king. It’s never so easy to please the king because he will never settle for something lesser than superior.

My Comment: While this article has a retail focus, there is something here for every business. This is a good list of what companies do to stand in the way of their customers having an amazing experience. I can sum it up by asking, “What friction do your processes and methods cause your customers?” Once you know the answer(s), you have work to do.

4 Unexpected Tips That Will Make Your Brand Stand Out by Pia Silva

(Forbes) Collected here are four brand tips that are essential to developing a brand that gets noticed, remembered, and shared and doesn’t just blend in with the competition.

My Comment: I love this article. Four tips that will make your brand stand out. It’s simple: You don’t just create a customer experience that’s better. You create one that’s different.

5 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty by Christy Bieber

(The Motley Fool) Your company can model other successful businesses in encouraging customers to become repeat shoppers.

My Comment: Who doesn’t want customer loyalty!? There are many ways to build a relationship with your customers that get them to come back again and again. This short article has five tips, and two or three of them you may not have thought of before. I especially like number four, which is to offer something original – that the customer can’t get anywhere else.

How Good Are Your Customer Relationships, Really? by Troy Harrison

(Industrial Distribution ) Listening to those around me, Southwest has created a lot of loyal customers. How did they do it? Well, here are my thoughts.

My Comment: Do you have the kind of relationship with your customers where they will give you the benefit of the doubt? The author of this excellent article uses Southwest Airlines as an example of a company that has created such a great relationship with their customers (passengers) that they give the airline the benefit of the doubt and “cut them slack” when things go wrong.

How Customer Support Can Adapt to Keep Up with Customer Expectation by Steven Schuler

(MarTech Advisor) As customer expectations evolve and support technology advances, busineses are adapting to the shift. Customer support and service experiences are becoming the differentiating factors when people choose what software to buy and which companies to give business to.

My Comment: Here’s some interesting commentary, especially if you have a dedicated support or contact center. (Even if you don’t you’ll enjoy this article.) Customers’ expectations have changed, and they expect more than they have in the past, especially when it comes to customer support. If you want to meet those expectations, there are trends that you can’t ignore.

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