Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of March 13, 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.

47 Social Media Statistics to Bookmark for 2017 by Alex York

(Sprout Social) Right when you think you’re getting a grasp on your demographics, buyer habits and trends on social media, something new changes and turns your data into old news. That’s why it’s absolutely critical for any marketer to stay up to date on the newest social media statistics.

My Comment: It has been said that customer service is the new marketing. If that is the case, then social media customer service (also known as “social care”) falls into that category. Here’s a statistic you won’t believe. 89% of social media messages to brands go ignored. Holy Moly! If you find that stat interesting you’ll love what Sprout Social has put together in a special report titled “47 Social Media Statistics to Bookmark in 2017.”

A Recipe for Consistent Customer Service: 5 Key Ingredients by Jeremy Watkin

(CustomerThink) It’s great when agent and customer click and we as the audience get to replay them over and over again, and just feel all warm and fuzzy the entire time. But the reality many of us customer service leaders know all too well is that this type of service can be inconsistent at best. Here are a few common scenarios I’ve been privy to over the course of my career.

My Comment: Jeremy Watkin lives and breathes customer service. He manages a team of customer support professionals and knows what the best customer service looks like – and how to deliver it. In this informative article he shares five of the ways his team delivers a consistent customer experience. This is information that can help any business in any industry.

How To Provide Witty And Effective Customer Support On Social Media by Jimmy Rohampton

(Forbes) Since millennials love to get customer support via social media, they’re also more likely to want to offer it to their customers when they’re the company founders. If you’re a millennial founder, here are some tips to help you and your team offer witty and effective customer support on social media.

My Comment: Get ready to smile. This article is focused on social media customer service – responding to customers’ posts on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook. And, one effective way to respond, when appropriate, is to use humor. The example in this article will make you laugh. A great example of how you can have fun with your customers and “humanize” your customer service.

Retail Can Learn Valuable Lessons from B-to-B by Richard Shapiro

(TCFCR) Retailers would be wise to take direction from successful B-to-B enterprises and learn how to handle new customers, how to better serve the consumer, and mirror the way new business accounts are valued and coddled.

My Comment: So many articles on customer service focus on the retail industry (B-2-C). While there is much to learn about how to deliver service to consumers, it is refreshing to read this article about what business to business (B-2-B) companies can teach retail. The bottom line is that any business can learn about customer service from any type of business. Richard Shapiro covers three “sales phases” that can positively impact your customer’s experience.

3 Best Practices to Retain Customers and Stop Churn by Sarah Frazier

(CustomerGuage) In our most recent eBook and How to Become a Customer Retention Champion infographic, we walked through best practices for retaining your customers and stopping churn. We’ll expand upon these lessons learned and highlight the main takeaways.

My Comment: If customer loyalty is important to you and your business (and I know it is), then take a few minutes to not just read, but study this article. The simple, yet powerful, “best practices” behind customer retention are followed with an infographic that makes customer loyalty and retention easy to understand.

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.

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