5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of October 17, 2016

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 Differences Between Feedback From Paying Customers vs. Free Users by Elias Torres

(Drift) When it comes to being customer-driven, there’s a difference between treating people right and doing everything that people ask.

My Comment: This is an interesting article that caught my attention with the first sentence: When it comes to being customer-driven, there’s a difference between treating people right and doing everything that people ask. While the article focuses on differences between paying customers and others that get services for free, there are valid points for just about any type of business.

(Genroe) Providing really effective customer service doesn’t have to be difficult. Like most things in life it abides by the famous 80/20 rule: 80% of the value can be delivered with 20% of the work. The problem is that most organizations don’t know which is the right 20% so they can’t deliver it effectively.

My Comment: Creating customer loyalty doesn’t have to be complicated. Do what you say, be responsive and be easy to do business with. That’s what customers want and hope for. Simple ideas, but how many companies actually focus on these concepts and deliver? The ones that do reap the rewards of repeat and loyal customers.

Five Ways to Caffeinate Your Customer Experience in 2017 by Scott Anderson

(CustomerThink) not only can your company build and retain customer loyalty through an improved, invigorated customer experience in 2017, you will likely own a valuable strategic advantage over competitors if you invest in that experience today. Here are five tips to delivering that caffeinated customer experience in 2017.

My Comment: Great article about ramping up your customer experience. Step one: Do a journey map and look for those opportunities along the customer’s journey to eliminate friction or possible problems. (I’m surprised at how many companies haven’t gone through the exercise of creating a formal journey map.)  I also like the author’s third point, which is about delivering a personalized experience. More and more, this is what customers want and expect.

#13 Productivity Tips For Customer Service Professionals by Kelechi Okeke

(CXService360) A career in customer service is one that is both challenging and quite rewarding. In order for any individual to excel in their chosen career paths, they need to be productive in job roles they are assigned. From my experience, the most successful people are also the most productive, they have mastered how to make the most of what they have in terms of resources, time and opportunity.

My Comment: If you’re a customer service professional, then this article is a must-read for keeping focused and productive. It starts with four expert opinions (myself included) and follows with nine more tips that will help you deliver a better customer service experience.

7 Customer Service Tips to Build Stronger Relationships by Salesforce

(Salesforce Australia & NZ Blog) The field of customer service is undergoing a major change, and it’s one for the better. Once perceived as an organizational cost-sink, customer service teams are now – finally – recognized as drivers of engagement and growth.

My Comment: Why deliver good customer service? Because we want customers to come back. Today’s customers want more than just good service. They want a connection. Here are seven powerful tips for building a strong customer relationship. I especially appreciate that number one is to get every department involved. Customer service is not a department. It’s a philosophy to be embraced by everybody in an organization. I also like number three, which is about creating a customer advisory board. Great information here.

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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