Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of February 17, 2014

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.

Data-driven customer experience is tough to copy by Geoff Galat

(Econsultancy) Great customer experience is one of the hardest things for your competitors to copy.

My Comment: If your company’s website is an important part of the customer experience (and it usually is), it is important to keep in mind that the customer experience online must be as strong as an in-person experience. As important as it is to understand why a customer didn’t buy from you during an in-person interaction, it is just as important to understand why a customer leaves your website without buying.

Don’t Just Collect Customer Feedback: Listen, Engage and Act by John Sperry

(Business2Community) Here are three simple steps I recommend to get the most out of your customer feedback (and go beyond NPS).

My Comment: Great article that makes the point that the key to customer feedback isn’t getting it. It’s doing something with it once you get it. That’s what great companies do. And, great companies (and their leaders) know what feedback is worth getting. That’s just as important.

The Big E Word in Customer Service by Errol Allen

(Errol Allen Consulting) Empathy – The big E word in customer service. One’s ability to sincerely interject this trait in customer service is critical. It’s important to properly express empathy when customers are upset or angry with your company’s products or services. Let’s look at a few ways to express empathy.

My Comment: Empathy is an important part of customer service. “Walk a mile in your customer’s shoes.” It’s an old saying, but so true. The four questions shared in this article are great topics to set up a discussion on how to create customer empathy.

14 Must-Read Stats that Emphasize the 2014 Customer Experience Imperative by Tricia Morris

(Parature) Time for sales, marketing and customer service to come together, get focused and deliver on the elusive consistent customer experience. Need some supporting stats and statements to make your case? Here are 14 for 2014.

My Comment: As I read through these statistics, the trend is that our customers know what they want, know what to expect and if they don’t get it, they will find another place to do business. Yet, I still see (and unfortunately experience) companies operating as if they don’t care about their customers. This is a great compilation of the most recent stats and facts to remind all of us just how important the customer experience has become.

The Little Things That Destroy Your Customer Experience by Adrian Swinscoe

(Forbes) Today, I thought I’d take a different tack and share a list of some of the little things – my own personal gripes, or bits of ‘grit’, if you like – that I have come across lately that, I think, go a long away to destroying, or negatively affecting, the customer experience.

My Comment: Sometimes it’s a big mistake or problem that causes a customer to lose confidence and stop doing business with you.  But, many times it is more subtle.  And it doesn’t happen immediately.  It takes time.  The little “things” that drive customers crazy may not be big enough to get them to leave right away, but over time will definitely erode the experience enough for the customer to walk.  The list in this article is a good start to a checklist of what to avoid or fix.

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 http://www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken
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