5 Top Customer Service Articles for Week of August 6, 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.

8 Tips for Delivering Authentic Customer Support by Tamina Steil

(CustomerThink) Whether a support delivery is good or bad depends largely on its authenticity.

My Comment: Want to deliver authentic customer service that connects with your customers? Then this is an article you will enjoy. Eight tips that will remind us of how important it is to try and create a connection with our customers.

Building a Servant-Led Culture by Art Barter

(SmartBrief) Culture — every organization has one. Is your culture thriving? Do people feel like they can make worthwhile contributions and others have their backs? Are people happy to come through the door each day?

My Comment: The success of an organization starts with leadership defining the culture. The right culture creates a place where people want to come to work, do their best and contribute at their best/highest level. This article shows how the author bought a company with a failing culture and turned it around.

How to Build a Successful Business Around Your Best Customers—Including the Ones Who Work for You by Megan Totka

(AllBusiness) Did you know that almost every business has the same first customer? It’s a fact. Although few entrepreneurs realize it, their first customer is their first employee, and this truth alone should make business leaders look at both sides of the customer service coin: External and internal customer service.

My Comment: This article starts with the idea that your first customer is your first employee. Later in the article, the author writes, “The customers who buy your products or engage your services will never be well satisfied if the people who produce and deliver your products or services are not themselves well satisfied.” This concept is what’s behind the success of many great companies. What’s happening on the inside of a company is felt on the outside by the customer.

7 Things You Must Know About the Psychology of Customer Service by Laduram Vishnoi

My Comment: There are some really powerful ideas in this article. The author examines some of the psychological triggers for creating a better customer service experience. Helping customers make online decisions by using more descriptive language will avoid analysis paralysis. Creating a personalized experience will help eliminate price resistance (and the customer may even pay more). Those are just two of the seven ideas.

Try These New Customer Service Social Media Strategies by Christopher Elliott

(Forbes) If you want better customer service — and who doesn’t? — there are strategies, and there are social media strategies.

My Comment: While this article comes from the perspective of the customer wanting to get better customer service, there is plenty here for a company to take note of. Christopher Elliott is a consumer advocate and is suggesting to his readers that they embrace social media for customer service. And, that means the brand needs to be prepared and monitor social channels to provide the level of service that their customers expect.

BONUS

10 Great Customer Service Books You Need in Your Library by VIPdesk Connect 

(VIPdesk Connect) VIPdesk Connect compiles ten of the best customer service books you need in your library, NOW.

My Comment: VIPdesk Connect has released a list of the ten customer service books you need in your library. I’m honored that my book, “The Amazement Revolution,” made the list. And, there are nine others you will want to consider reading if you haven’t already done so.