Top 5 Customer Service Articles for the Week of October 8, 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.

10 Examples Of Amazing Customer Service Departments For Customer Service Week by Blake Morgan

(Forbes)  These companies make customer service a crucial part of their culture, and it shows with rave reviews and happy customers.

My Comment: In honor of Customer Service Week, which just ended on Friday, here is a great article by my friend, Blake Morgan, who shares how ten companies (some/most of them you will recognize) deliver consistently amazing service.

Customer Service Inspiration from my Bookshelf by Jeremy Watkin

(ICMI) Can we all acknowledge that customer service is a hard job? Whether we’re working at a great company with a great product and customer experience or we’re getting abused all day, every day supporting a flawed product, customer service is taxing work and requires regular appreciation and inspiration.

My Comment: Jeremy Watkin is the Director of Customer Experience for a call center, so he knows a thing or two about service and experience. He has a library of customer service books, and in this article shares some of the quotes and ideas he underlined. Great information that will make you think and give you inspiration. (And, I’m honored Jeremy included one of my quotes in this list.)

Apple tops Interbrand Best Global Brands list for 6th year, for three reasons by Ben Lovejoy

(9to5 Mac) Apple has taken the top slot in the Interbrand Best Global Brands list for the sixth consecutive year. It came out ahead of Google at #2 and Amazon at #3. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out with Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Samsung, Toyota, Mercedes, Facebook and McDonalds.

My Comment: For the sixth consecutive year, Apple takes the top spot in the Interbrand Best Global Brands list. And how did they do it? Out of ten criteria, they stood out in three areas: engagement, differentiation and consistency. While we may not be Apple, we can still learn from them. How can we be more engaging, stand out as different and deliver a consistent experience?

My Comment: Delivering excellent customer service starts on the inside. Here are six tips that start with making sure the right people are on board. From there you onboard them into the culture, properly train them, and… well, you’ll have to read the article to find out. Good common sense tips to create a customer-focused culture.

Top Five Bonus

10 Quotes That Will Inspire Your Customer Service Team by Christa Heibel

(LinkedIn) In honor of National Customer Service week, we did a round up of 10 quotes that will inspire your customer service team! Please share these quotes with them this week and let them know how important they are to the success of your company.

My Comment: Let’s close this Top Five roundup with ten quotes to inspire people to higher levels of customer service. Here you’ll find inspiration from Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mahatma Gandhi and Richard Branson. And, somehow I ended up on this list. My suggestion is to shares these, one at a time (once a week), with your entire organization.

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.