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 comments about each article and would like to hear what you think too. The Three Top Trends That Will Shape Customer Service and Support in 2024 by Fager […]
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 comments about each article and would like to hear what you think too.
(MyCustomer.com) Gartner’s Brad Fager, Eric Keller, John Quaglietta, and Kathy Ross discuss the topics and issues that will define the next 12 months – from differentiating service and product experiences to the continued rise of AI and self-service.
My Comment: We open this week’s Top Five roundup with four experts from Gartner who share their thoughts about the top three customer service and support trends for 2024. Let’s start with the first one, which I think should intrigue you to want to read the entire article: Service experiences are becoming indistinguishable from product experiences. Product quality is important – and so is the customer service and experience that goes along with it!
(Forbes) At what point do the pluses outweigh the minuses for bidding farewell to a customer? The price of saying “adios” generally includes the immediate loss of revenue and the potential of negative word of mouth. In most cases, the rewards from customer firings won’t be financial — at least not in the short run. The payoff comes when you replace a fired customer with one easier to do business with, that is, one who does not rob your organization of monetary resources and your employees’ time and passion.
My Comment: Some customers aren’t worth doing business with! Yes, I said that. And the customer is NOT always right! My friend, Chip Bell, has written a great article that aligns with my belief that for the right reasons, it’s okay to fire the customer. You will love his opening story about what happened in a well-known, name-brand hotel.
(AiThority.com) Today’s marketers continue to face challenges on multiple fronts, including building customer trust, delivering value, navigating economic uncertainty, all while balancing data privacy and personalization as third-party cookies crumble. The 2024 Marigold Global Consumer Trends Index Report provides insights into consumer preferences that drive marketing decisions and explores the influence of brand relationships. In this year’s report, consumers indicated that they value relationship marketing strategies, personalization and loyalty programs, while third-party tracking tools and social media advertisements continued to rank among the most unpopular.
My Comment: While the title of this article indicates a focus on privacy, there are several other topics in the article worth paying attention to. To start with, as the title implies, customers are concerned with how a company or brand uses their data, which either builds or erodes trust. Without trust, you can’t expect a customer to come back, let alone become loyal to your organization. In addition, there is information on convenience, personalization, and much more.
(Fast Company) Just as an orchestra conductor masterfully blends the unique timbres of different instruments to create a symphony, businesses today are tasked with orchestrating a balance between artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence in customer service.
My Comment: As AI has taken center stage in the customer service world, I’ve preached there needs to be a balance between “the machine” and the human. The company that achieves this balance wins. The subtitle of this article is the perfect summary: The integration of AI in customer service isn’t about choosing between technology and humanity. It’s about using machine intelligence to strengthen human relationships.
(Wire19) Zendesk has outlined key trends steering the era of intelligent CX, placing your business at the forefront of this evolution. These ten distinctive trends can be categorized into three areas: AI and intelligent experiences, data and trustworthy experiences, and next-gen and immersive experiences.
My Comment: The popular term used to describe AI-infused customer support is intelligent customer experience. Zendesk shares ten trends to help you make informed decisions about where and how to invest in your customer service and CX strategies. Chatbots, generative AI, data privacy, and more are covered in this excellent article.
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. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.
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