5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 23, 2017

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.

Are You Taking Your Customers For Granted? by Mindi Rosser

(CustomerThink) What does your B2B marketing program have to do with your customer retention strategy? Should they be two separate initiatives, or can they overlap? Let’s look at three ways you can use marketing and customer experience to engage your customers.

My Comment: This excellent article has three powerful tips. I especially love number three… that prospective customers watch how you treat current customers. And, tip number two features the concept of “The Five Love Languages” applied to customer service and marketing.

Driving Revenue With Great Customer Experience by Maxie Schmidt-Subramanian

(Forbes) We know great CX drives revenue. But to make the case, you need a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding.

My Comment: Focusing on CX doesn’t cost. It pays. Yet, according to a recent Forrester survey, 50% of CX leaders have not yet “modeled how CX quality influences customer behavior.” In other words, they can’t prove financial success. This article shares three questions to consider to help quantify CX success.

Personal touch for customer service drives retention, loyalty by Helen Leggatt

(BizReport) Despite more service providers moving towards digital interaction, a more personal touch in customer service helps drive loyalty and retention, according to a global study from Verint Systems.

My Comment: Many businesses are figuring out alternative ways to deliver customers service, such as self-service options, chatbots, etc. However, there is an argument for the old-fashioned personal touch via the telephone. The phone used to be the main way customers connected with companies, but not anymore. Yet that doesn’t mean you should abandon the phone all together. This article makes the case for how the personal touch, as in the telephone, drives loyalty and retention.

Why You Should Invest in Social Customer Service by Kristina Koller

(SparkCentral) Social media isn’t just for marketing anymore. In fact, once customers are engaged with your Facebook page or your Twitter feed, the real work begins. New research shows that social media is becoming the preferred method of resolving customer service issues.

My Comment: This short article is an introduction as to why investing in social media customer service is worthwhile. Consider this stat from the article: “…only 33 percent of consumers are using a company’s social media sites for social marketing compared to the 67 percent of consumers that are using a company’s social media site for servicing.” If you like the article, then be sure to download the full report.

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and New York Times bestselling business author. For information contact or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken