Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of February 2, 2015

TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE AND BUSINESS ARTICLES

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.

Keep Your Customers as Close as Family by Chuck Cohn

(Entrepreneur) Whether your company has 100 customers or 100,000, you can do six simple things to build stronger connections between your company and its customers.

My Comment: This article combines some of the most powerful customer retention concepts; customer service, sales and marketing. Simple tips that any company can use to build better relationships with their customers.

3 Things Starbucks Corporation Wants Investors To Know About The Future by Daniel B. Klein

(The Motley Fool) Starbucks has morphed from being a coffee company into being one driven by technology. That should allow the brand to move beyond its traditional delivery methods and find new ways to put coffee into the hands of customers.

My Comment: Starbucks is no longer just a coffee house. They are an amazing technology driven organization. And, there is a lot we can learn from them, starting with this article.

The year of engagement: Optimising customer service in 2015 by Marije Gould

(Fourth Source) With the new year upon us, it’s a good time to review the year that was and identify customer engagement trends likely to play a major role in shaping the industry over the next 12 months.

My Comment: Here are six common sense tips that any customer-focused organization can consider for their customer service strategy.  And just because they are common sense, that doesn’t mean that everyone is doing them.  And, finally, as simple as they appear, that doesn’t mean they are easy to execute – but it will be worth it to do so.

50 Customer Service Quotes to Motivate You for 2015 by Infinit Contact

(Infinit Contact) So to help you internalize customer service excellence, here are the best customer service quotes to motivate you for 2015.

My Comment: This is a list of 50 great customer service quotes. Print this out and use a quote a week to inspire your team. Or, use some of the quotes in your newsletter. A great resource!

What is the “X Factor” in Customer-Centric Success? by Bob Thompson

(CustomerThink) My recent benchmark study confirmed, once again, that each of these habits is correlated with business success. However, in crunching the numbers, I found something quite interesting about why these habits are more prevalent in top-performing customers.

My Comment: No doubt that the culture of a company starts with leadership define the culture. It is then leadership’s job to get all employees into alignment with the vision. They also set the tone and demonstrate by example, how to deliver the vision. Great article! Thank you for sharing.

BONUS

50 Customer Experience Blogs You Should Be Reading by Angela Stringfellow

(NG Data) Listed in no particular order of importance, the following 50 blogs are must-reads for any marketer committed to creating an amazing customer experience.

My Comment: Here is a bonus article for you to read. Angela Stringfellow of NGData compiled a list of the “Top 50 Customer Experience Blogs You Should be Reading.”  It could be worth your time to find a few new resources from some of the leading experts in customer service and experience.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact (314)692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken