5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of July 10, 2017

Each week I read a number of customer service and experience 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.

6 Ways to Turn Customer Service Into a Revenue Machine by Jay Baer

(Gladly) The truth is that companies aren’t inherently bad at customer service, but rather businesses haven’t chosen to be great at customer service because the economic upside of doing so hasn’t been readily evident. But now, it most certainly is.

My Comment: Let’s start this week’s “Top Five Roundup” not with an article, but a short e-book by my friend, Jay Baer. He collaborated with Gladly to create “6 Ways to Turn Customer Service Into a Revenue Machine.” Now, that is an intriguing title, and Jay doesn’t disappoint. You’ll have to give your email address to get a download of the book, but trust me, it’s worth it.

My Comment: This is more than just twelve tips. To me, a “tip” is a quick suggestion or idea. This is an extensive article – a deeper dive – on techniques and tactics that will help you and your organization deliver amazing customer service.

This Company’s Epic Response to a Pissed Off Client is as American as it Gets by Tribunist Staff 

(Ttibunist) Liberty Bottleworks co-founder Ryan Clark has taken a stand against what he sees as the terribly flawed philosophy that “the customer is always right.”Anyone who has ever worked with customers knows that the adage is bogus. But few have the gumption to stand up to a customer the way Clark did.

My Comment: Social media customer care is a big opportunity for companies. One of the channels that customers are using to communicate their likes and dislikes is on review sites. Most people think of Yelp and TripAdvisor. Those serve specific markets. And then there are product reviews on retail sites like Amazon and Walmart.com. Virtually every industry has its version of a review site. Sometimes there are “fake” reviews – both good and bad. This article is a fascinating look into the benefits and pitfalls of fake news and fake reviews.

Best 6 Tips for Turning Customers Into Salespeople by Larry Alton

(Small Business Trends) Your customers are some of your greatest assets. Not only do they directly drive revenue in terms of repeat purchases, but they can also indirectly drive revenue in the form of selling your brand to other people. Do you know what it looks like to turn your customers into an extension of your sales team?

My Comment: Some of the best marketing you can have is Word-of-Mouth from your happy customers. What if your customers become an extension of your sales department. That’s why customer service and CX are really marketing. Here are six tips on how to turn your happy customers into customer evangelists (unpaid salespeople).

How to Deal with Angry Customers [Infographic] by Reuben Yonatan

(GetCRM) What was your last customer service experience like? Did you leave feeling frustrated or were you pleasantly surprised by how helpful and understanding the customer service representative was?

My Comment: An angry customer handled well, can eventually become one of your best customers. This article/infographic shares ten ideas on how to handle angry customers as well as a shortlist of what not to say (along with what to say) to these unhappy people. These ideas are the basics for turning someone with a rant into a fan.

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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