Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of January 2, 2023

Each week, I read many customer service and customer experience articles from various 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 Loyalty Is Your Holy Grail for Success. Here’s How to Cultivate It. by Matt Bertram

(Entrepreneur) Customer loyalty is an essential source of revenue for any business. Use these four tips to create a customer loyalty program that will give you the highest return on your investment.

My Comment: How do we create customer loyalty? Let me count the ways! In this article, there are four of them, and two of them are worth paying close attention to. The first is to understand what motivates your customers. Make sure your incentives and perks align with what the customer wants. The second is to create consistent experiences. Anything less than a consistent experience erodes confidence.

6 Missteps By Walmart, McDonald’s And Others, And How They Can Fix Them by Jenn McMillen

(CustomerThink) Change encourages adjustment, after all, and retailers had a lot to adjust to in 2022. Upon reflection, it’s likely many will recognize some missteps made while they were trying to keep pace with expenses and shifting shopper behavior. Here are six big ones.

My Comment: I love learning from major brands (like Walmart and McDonald’s). This time we take a look at loyalty programs and the changes these brands made that may need to be “fixed” in the near future. I am especially concerned with the third on this list, which is about the “lack of cost transparency.” This is where a customer is surprised about the price. This goes way beyond loyalty programs. For example, there is the surprise surcharge (a resort fee that was mentioned in the fine print) a hotel charges at checkout.

Creating the Best Customer Experience by Kari Polson

(RIS News) An e-commerce storefront’s main function is to increase conversions through a seamless online shopping experience while an order management system’s main function is processing and servicing orders placed on the storefront. While e-commerce storefronts and order management systems have very different purposes, when used together they can scale operations, grow revenue, and power amazing customer experiences.

My Comment: This is a very short article with a very important – and often overlooked – piece of advice. When it comes to creating the “best” customer experience, don’t forget what happens before the sale. This applies to any type of business. It is important to identify every touchpoint the customer has with your company, and that includes the exploratory stage, which could be the customer’s research about what they are buying, not where or who they are buying it from.

7 Low-Cost Customer Service Options That a New Business Could Use by StartupGuys.net

(StartupGuys.net) If you’re starting a new business, customer service might not be the first thing on your mind. However, if you want your company to grow and succeed, it’s important to provide good customer service. And just because you’re working with limited funds doesn’t mean that you can’t offer quality customer service.

My Comment: I’m a believer that customer service doesn’t cost, it pays. Yet there is an investment that must be made. For example, I’m always surprised when I call a company and the message I hear while holding is that my call is important to them. Then they don’t tell me how long I’m going to hold or give me the option to receive a callback. The technology solution that provides that experience is inexpensive. Still, some companies don’t invest in it and instead risk losing their customer, who gets frustrated and finds someone else to do business with next time.

Establishing and Protecting Your Brand’s Reputation Online by Patrick Jordan

(Sprout Social) Building and maintaining your brand in a crowded market is no easy feat. According to Nielsen Media, as of 2022 there are over half a million brands globally. That’s a lot of competition for your audience’s attention. In these times of uncertainty and rapid change, consumers gravitate toward brands they trust. Building that trust isn’t your job alone, it takes a collective effort between yourself and your audience.

My Comment: Online brand management is a form of customer experience. As more and more of our customers interact on different social channels, it’s important to be there to participate in the brand story they are creating for you. This article has plenty of examples of how brands are participating in these conversations, sharing the causes and charities they support, and more.

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.