Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of January 17, 2022

Each week I read many 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.

7 Customer Service Skills Every Business Needs by Renee Johnson

(The Tech Report) Much of the customer mindset will remain a mystery. There will always be things we don’t know about how consumers think. However, researchers have been collecting data on customer service satisfaction for years.

My Comment: We start this week’s Top Five with a list of seven customer service skills that EVERY business needs. As I read through the list, I couldn’t disagree. Some may be more relevant than others, and of course, we could have added quite a bit to the list, but this is a good start. If you sat down with your team and discussed these, I’m sure you’d come up with some ideas, as well.

6 Ways To Create a Consistent Customer Experience by John R. DiJulius III

(Franchising.com) Does the level of experience your customers receive depend on which employee they encounter? Are there certain employees on your team you hope your best clients will interact with? If so, then you have what is known as employee roulette. Employee roulette is a problem most organizations have.

My Comment: And here is another list. This time it’s from my friend and fellow customer service expert, John DiJulius. John shares six important ways to create a company focused on customer service. He’s worked with some of the biggest brands in the world. You need to read this article now!

7 Effective Ways to Improve Your Customer Experience Strategy by Vineet Gupta

(Business 2 Community) Customer experience or CX is a significant driver of your company’s success. Your business relies most on client patronage. So, it is dependent on how they feel every time they interact with your brand.

My Comment: Okay… One more list. I’m not familiar with the author, but I did enjoy his take on how CX is a “significant driver of your company’s success.” It starts with a definition of CX and then shares seven ways to improve it, including customer journey mapping, getting feedback from employees, personalizing the experience, and more.

Understand and Predict Customer Needs With Customer Journey Analytics by Simon Fraser

(Retail Customer Experience) Customer journeys can change on a dime and the only guarantee is that today’s journey looks nothing like yesterday’s and tomorrow’s will certainly be something new.

My Comment: If you want to create a strong customer experience, you must understand your customers – enough to know what they want, even before they know themselves. This article touches on serval areas about your customer’s journey you want to explore to create an experience that meets and exceeds customers’ expectations.

What all Retailers Should Know About Outsourcing Customer Service by Darnell Witt

(Retail TouchPoints) As your business grows, so too will the customer support tickets, making it critically important that you scale your support team alongside your customer or order growth. Why?

My Comment: Ever thought of outsourcing your customer’s service department. Some of the biggest and best brands do – and some smaller companies, too. While the article is short, if you’re thinking of hiring an outside company to help deliver an amazing customer service experience, this article will give you some thoughtful ideas worth considering.

BONUS

62 of the Best Quotes About Customer Experience by Steven Van Belleghem

(Steven Van Belleghem) Always looking for original and creative insights about customer experience for my content channels, books, and keynotes, I often come across motivating quotes from peers about how to better treat customers. Today, I wanted to offer you some inspiration with my top favorite quotes in the matter.

My Comment: Here is a list of 62 customer service quotes compiled by my friend Steven Van Belleghem. I’m honored to be included in the list. There are plenty of great quotes you’ll be able to use as conversation starters and to infuse a little customer service motivation into your team meetings.