5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 4, 2016

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.

14 Amazing Social Media Customer Service Examples (And What You Can Learn Form Them) by Brian Haines

(Buffer) For this post I was excited to research a set of 14 amazing examples of customer service using social media.

My Comment: Love this article! Fourteen excellent examples of how companies are using social media channels to engage with their customers. It’s not just about reacting to complaints. It’s really about any opportunity to engage with your customers through these “public” channels.

How can an ultimate focus on CEx help clock $1 BILLION in revenue? CEx lessons from Scott Scherr – CEO of Ultimate Software by Sonal Jaiswal

(Customer Guru) In 2015, for the fourth consecutive year, Ultimate was ranked in the top 25 on FORTUNE’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. It also consistently features on the lists of most innovative and most engaged companies. What’s more, the company’s CEO Scott Scherr was ranked highly on Glassdoor’s “Highest-Rated CEOs” list for 2015.

My Comment: I love a good case study that teaches us important customer service and experience lessons. This article focuses on a software company CEO’s belief in the importance of CX. It is obvious it starts with his “people first” approach, with the people being employees first (and customers second).

Ensuring Optimal Customer Experience with Dynamic Associate Training By Doug Stephen

(RIS) Four training best practices to keep in mind to ensure retail associates delight customers, increasing the opportunity to maximize revenue and increase brand loyalty.

My Comment: Customer service training isn’t something you did. It’s something you do. It may start as part of onboarding a new employee, but there needs to be continuous learning and reinforcement to support the initial training. This short article has four simple steps that all companies (large and small – and in any industry) need to consider as part of their customer service training efforts.

My Comment: This is the perfect way to start the year off – at least as far as business is concerned. Here are 16 great quotes from recognized practitioners and experts in the world of amazing customer service.

The Beginner’s Guide To Customer Loyalty Programs by Darren DeMatas

(Selfstartr) Selling on your own website gives you one huge advantage vs. selling on marketplace sites like Amazon or Etsy: Repeat sales from loyal customers.

My Comment: Even though the title includes the words “The Beginner’s Guide,” anyone interested in starting a loyalty program or refining an existing loyalty program would do well to read this article. There are outstanding examples and suggestions throughout.

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