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. How to Demotivate Your Best Employees by Dina Gerdeman […]
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.
(Harvard Business School) Many companies hand out awards such as “employee of the month,” but do they work to motivate performance? Not really, says professor Ian Larkin. In fact, they may turn off your best employees altogether.
My Comment: This is an interesting article about those employees that “appear” to be engaged and productive, but are not. The incentives and the rewards that we think might be motivating our employees may not be doing their job. The good news is that there are some rewards that work, and I appreciate that the author shared some great examples of both.
(The American CEO) This infographic from CEO.com is a good depiction of why employee engagement matters. It is essential in driving a high-performance culture.
My Comment: I love this infographic! Employee engagement is real. And it impacts the bottom line and customer service/experience. Many companies have proven that if you treat the employees well, they will return the favor by treating your customers well.
(Smart Company) “Business owners and staff need to remember that everybody has the right to complain, but the person making the complaint does not have the right to be abusive, offensive or violent,” she says.
“If you do feel that somebody is overstepping the boundary in terms of being too emotional you need to have some strategies in place.” Ucukalo has the following tips for businesses in handling customer complaints.
My Comment: Sometimes, we can learn a lot from another company’s (or person’s) mistakes. In this case, I would suggest not stabbing the customer and following the five tips on how to handle an irate customer. Someone once said: You’re not trying to win the argument. You’re to win the customer.
(CX Journey) In the CX world, we talk a lot about doing the right thing at the right time with the right data, right tools, right culture, right people, etc. But I was curious about the “practical application,” especially since Union Bank has adopted it as their tag line.
My Comment: Every once in a while, someone says something so simple it is profound. The concept of “Do Right” is one of those. It really is simple. As it applies to business, do right by the customer and do right by your employees. The combination is what the best companies are made of. This article reminds me of the importance of two simple words… Do right!
(The Motley Fool) In the video below, Motley Fool CEO Tom Gardner sits down with Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) CFO Troy Alstead during a recent visit to Starbucks headquarters in Seattle. In this portion of the video, they discuss Starbucks’ loyalty card, including how the idea evolved and how it helps to increase customer loyalty and gift-giving. A full transcript follows the video.
My Comment: Anytime the executives at Starbucks talk, we should listen. Starbucks is one of the companies that have truly loyal customers. I believe that their customers would stay loyal even without a loyalty program. That’s because their service and their product are that good. Contrast that with most of the airlines. Take away those frequent flier miles and the customer will switch to another carrier that continues to give them miles. That’s not a loyalty program. That’s a discount marketing program. What Starbucks offers is a true loyalty program. And, I love that the video is included with the article.
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)
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