Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of July 8, 2013

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. 

Is This the New Golden Age of Customer Service? by Barry Moltz

(OPEN Forum) Customers frequently lament the good-old days of customer service. Why? With today’s technology, you can still serve them like it’s 1955.

My Comment: Barry Moltz has written a great article about going back to the basics and giving customer service “the way it used to be.”  And technology can even help you do it.  This is a great reminder that sometimes the basics in customer service can make a big impact.

No. 1 Secret to Top Notch Customer Service by Janine Popick

(Inc) A resort in Mexico sets the standard for stellar service. What lessons can we learn to apply to our own businesses on how to keep our employees happy and delivering awesome service?

My Comment: The message in this article is simple: First, treat employees well, and they will treat the customer well. Second, get them in alignment and focused on customer focus. And third, recognize them for a job well done. Great reminders!

Loyalty Cards Don’t Drive Loyalty by Colin Shaw

(Customer Think) But the name ‘loyalty card’ has so many connotations associated with it that one can’t help but wonder why it doesn’t necessarily make a customer loyal.

My Comment: The question is simple: Are customers really loyal to the company or to the loyalty program? True loyalty is an emotion that the customer has with you. However, most loyalty programs don’t connect with that emotion. Instead, they connect with the customer’s wallet – in the form of a discount. This article has a lot of information that may make you rethink any type of loyalty program you have.

FIVE KEY Questions to Determine Customer-Centric Culture by Annette Franz

(EQ – Entrepreneurs Questions) Let’s dive in and identify FIVE KEY questions you must address in order to achieve the right culture within your organization.

My Comment: If you want to know if your company has a customer-centric culture, consider your answers to Annette Franz’s questions. You may also want to pose questions one and two – about core values and purpose – to the employees and determine if they are in alignment with your values, purpose, mission, etc.

Forrester: How Do You Measure Great – or Bad – Customer Experience? by Barry Levine

(CMSWire) It’s a given these days that companies need to deliver successful customer experiences (CX) in order to survive — but how can you measure this kind of success? A new report from Forrester Research attempts to point the way.

My Comment: Most companies don’t take the time to measure customer service and experience. It’s one thing to get feedback, yet another to measure the effectiveness of the service and experience you create for your customer. This article helps to simplify the customer service/experience measurement process.

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.

(Copyright ©MMXIII, Shep Hyken)