Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of August 1, 2016

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.

12 Unique Ways to Build Brand Loyalty Through Social Media by YEC

(AllBusiness) Social media is an invaluable tool to help market your brand, but what good is it without a target audience? There are plenty of unique ways to engage your community and boost your social following, each of which helps customers get to know the names and faces behind your brand and stay loyal to your product or service.

My Comment: Social media enhances the customer experience. It’s a brand builder. I’m still amazed at the companies that aren’t taking advantage of engaging with their customers through social. Here are twelve ways to use social media to enhance the relationship you have with your customers.

Consumer Disappointment with Customer Service Is Real by Dianna Labrien

(Tech.Co) Indeed, it seems sometimes as if “customer service” is just a dark hole that customers enter and then eventually extract themselves because it is just not worth the hassle.

My Comment: All types of businesses (B2B, B2C, large, small, etc.) can benefit from reading this article. Customers want an easy and smooth transaction. But, no one and no company is perfect. When things go wrong, that’s where, as the old saying goes, “the rubber hits the road.” Customers want access to a quick solution. That could be with a live support agent, a self-service solution, instant chat, etc. It doesn’t matter. As long as it’s easy and somewhat painless. This article has some good suggestions on how to exactly that.

Myths Busted: Great Customer Service Starts Here by Doug Sandler

(Doug Sandler) With customer service being my focus, I explored the myths believed to be most prolific in a wide variety of industries for companies big and small and developed a hit list of five myths related to providing great customer service. Following each myth I provide additional insight, personal observations or explanations for common misconceptions.

My Comment: This excellent article takes some of the customer service “truths” and turns them into “untruths.” Is the customer always right? Is a fast response to a customer always the goal? The short answer is “no.” Be sure to read why (along with other “myths that need to be busted) to learn a new way of thinking about the customer service “rules” you’ve always believed in.

7 Things Pokemon Go Can Teach You About Service Innovation by Manuel Grenacher

(LinkedIn) So what can companies that provide service learn from Pokemon Go’s wild success?

My Comment: It seems there is something in the news about Pokemon Go every day. This article uses the popular game as a metaphor for teaching service innovation. These are great ideas that almost any customer service/experience innovation program can benefit from.

A small change on Twitter – A Massive Twitter Customer Care Implication by Mark Shaw

(Mark Shaw) A small change on Twitter – A Massive Twitter Customer care Implication

My Comment: As social media, and specifically Twitter, emerge as major channels for communication between the customer and the support center, it’s important to get the latest information. The author shares what’s new at Twitter and offers tips to enhance social customer service.

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.

Save