Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of March 24, 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.

The CIO & CMO – Adversaries No More by Vala Afshar

(Slideshare) As marketing is getting more and more complex, data intensive and technology driven, it is important for CIOs to understand the new marketing era we live in. The pressure for CIOs to earn a seat at the strategic table was greatly enhanced by Gartner’s report in 2012 that pointed to the CMO as the champion of the technology budget in the near future.

My Comment: When Vala Afshar has anything to say or write, be prepared to listen and take notes.  He’s a marketing and customer service genius that speaks from experience.  This SlideShare is a great compilation of stats and facts that support the concept that the CIO and the CMO – and the CCO (Chief Customer Officer) – must work together.

5 Ways to Completely Sabotage Your Customer Service (and Why You Shouldn’t Dare Do Them) by Adel Zsurzsan

(Merlin) Mistakes by customer service agents, the front-line employees of every business, cost a ton of money every year. Service providers often unknowingly self-sabotage their efforts. That said, let’s look at five common blunders that you can avoid to not hurt your company’s customer service.

My Comment: Here is a great list of what I refer to as “Loyalty Killers.” The five ways to sabotage customer service that are listed here are guaranteed to cause a company to lose business and erode customer confidence. This list can make a great conversation starter for a company meeting. The question is: Do we do any of these? And what other “Loyalty Killers” might we be guilty of?

Why Trust is the Only Currency of Online Retail by Jan Vels Jensen

(Business2Community) The move from a physical to an Internet retail model has made brand trust a necessity for success.

My Comment: While this article focuses on the concept of trust in e-commerce, I believe that trust permeates any and every type of business. Regardless of what kind of business you’re in – B2B or B2C – trust is not an option or luxury you offer your customer. It’s table stakes. The old expression is that people want to do business with people (and companies) they know, like and trust. Trust creates customer confidence, and confidence leads to customer loyalty.

Wearables – the customer experience impact by Derek Lewis

(The Eptica Customer Experience Blog) Wearable technology is increasingly blurring the lines between the real and virtual worlds. Existing augmented reality apps add extra layers of information, such as descriptions, when you point your smartphone at particular buildings or objects. Wearables take this a step further, removing the need to use a phone or tablet as you can automatically receive information or access services through smart technology, such as Google Glass.

My Comment: I am always amazed and impressed by how some companies use technology to deliver a better customer service experience.  Customer service used to be just being nice.  Now we strive to be more than just nice, looking for other ways to enhance our customers’ experiences.  Technology like Google Glass is very cool, and I can’t see what else the future will bring us.

Five Reasons Why Customer Service and Service Culture are Marketing Conversations by Ron Kaufman

(Up YourService) Here are five reasons why customer service and service culture are so important for companies and brands, and for clear-thinking marketing professionals.

My Comment: It has been said that customer service is the new marketing, and this article sums it up so well – especially point number one: A company’s brand is experienced at every point of the customer’s journey. So, any and every interaction point is an opportunity to create a strong customer experience. Anything less erodes the customer’s confidence in the brand.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New YorTimes 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

(Copyright ©MMXIV, Shep Hyken)