5 Top Customer Service Articles for the Week of April 6, 2015

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.

Customer service and luxury by Seth Godin

(Seth Godin) If your Chanel bag wears out, don’t expect the same response you might find if you have trouble with something from LL Bean or Lands End. Luxury brands have long assumed that if you can afford to buy it, you can afford to replace it.

My Comment: I’m a huge Seth Godin fan and love reading his daily posts. This short article offers up an interesting perspective on customer service and luxury brands. How can it be easier to get good customer service from a fast food restaurant than from an expensive brand? It shouldn’t be, and Seth’s comments are spot on.

Six signs your customer service strategy is broken by Kristen Lee

(TechTarget) Consultant Rick Davidson urges CIOs to take the lead on improving customer service in the digital age — and spells out the signs of a customer service strategy gone wrong.

My Comment: Even though this article focuses on CIOs, the six ideas in this article are appropriate for anyone in any company involved in creating a better customer service experience. Simple ideas such as, “If your customers need a manual or to call customer support, it’s already broken because that means it’s not easy to use.” Or, “The company blames the customer.” Some of the ideas may seem like common sense, but unfortunately you shouldn’t be surprised to find that they aren’t as common as you would think.

Calling CX a priority is easy. Following through on it is tough by Kyle McNabb

(ZDNET) Seventy-four percent of executives say improving customer experience is their top priority in 2015. So why is it so difficult?

My Comment: We hear it all of the time. Companies promise a great customer experience. Unfortunately, for some companies, it’s just a promise, which comes from the fact that delivering a good customer experience is a good idea. But, you can’t just say you will do so and it just happens. It takes a vision, a strategy and implementation. As this excellent article states, it’s the follow through that’s tough.

How to Wow Your Customers with Individualized Experiences – And Why It’s Harder Than It Looks by Jeff Lewndowski 

(Andrew Reise) One size rarely fits all. Obvious? Apparently not, judging by how often businesses have a customer experience (CX) strategy that forces everyone to use the same website, the same app, or the same IVR menu.

My Comment: In most situations, customers want an individualized or personalized experience, whether they know it or not. It can be as simple as remembering what a customer bought the last time, or something far more sophisticated. The four ideas in this article are worth considering when creating individualized experiences that will make customers want to return to do business with you.

Customer Service Has Its Day at Social Media Marketing World by Dan Gingiss

(Social Media Today) I’ve probably tweeted that a dozen times, and I think about it almost every day. But social media conferences – and the practitioners who attend them – have continued to be divided into two tribes as if they were playing Survivor: the Marketing tribe and the Customer Service tribe.

My Comment: Customer service is the new marketing! Dan Gingiss makes this point with a summary of some great speakers that recently presented at the Social Media Marketing World conference. Dan’s recap has some ideas that we should all consider in creating a better customer experience that gets customers (positively) talking about you, and more important, returning to do more business with you.

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.