Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of December 29, 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.

Five Trends Shaping The Future Of Customer Service In 2015 by Blake Morgan

(Forbes) So as you toast to the New Year I encourage you to think about how these five customer service trends will affect your customer service offering in 2015.

My Comment: While there may be more than just five trends shaping the future of customer service in the upcoming year, these five are a great place to start you and your organization thinking about how to become more customer-focused. Great information!

3 Inspired Ways to Increase Customer Value by Jeannie Walters

(360 Connext) For leaders to make smart decisions about who the best, most loyal and most profitable customers are, they need to understand the makeup of the customer population.  This often means creating special loyalty programs, elite experiences, and special perks to maintain the top 1% of customers.

My Comment: While all three of the tactics in this article are important, the biggest takeaway is a reminder for us to understand who our customer is.  Also, love the Omni Hotel example. I remember signing up for their loyalty program a few years back and how pleasantly surprised I was at the “instant perks,” just for signing up.

Loyalty Schemes: do they really work? by Ian Golding

(ijgolding) For a while now I have pondered over the genuine success of loyalty schemes. Do they really work? Is providing the consumer with a credit card style piece of plastic really a valid way of maintaining a relationship between company and customer?

My Comment: Yes, there are loyalty programs that seem to be schemes – more marketing programs than actual loyalty programs. Just because you issue a card to a customer, doesn’t make them loyal. However, it works both ways. If they have accepted your invitation to carry your card, give them a reason to keep carrying it.

7 Troubling Myths About CX – and Why It Could Fail by Noreen Seebacher

(CMSWire) Colin Shaw knows customer experience (CX) — and he doesn’t like where it’s headed.

My Comment: Colin Shaw is a smart guy who understands Customer Experience. He makes a good case for these areas of concern. Reading these seven “myths,” as he calls them, makes me wonder how many companies might fall into one of these traps if they are not careful.

The Internal Customer – Service by Debra Gibson-Welch

(LinkedIn) Excellent Customer Service (internal and external) is a necessity for a business to thrive, be successful and ultimately survive.

My Comment: I believe that for a company to be truly customer-focused, they first must be employee-focused. What’s happening on the inside of the company is felt on the outside by the customer. There are some basic, common sense tips in this article that can go a long way in increasing morale inside a company.

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