Contact Shep (314) 692-2200

Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of July 12, 2021

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. The Top Customer Service Trends: Digital Channels Overtake Service Options by Phillip Britt (DestinationCRM) Even […]

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.

The Top Customer Service Trends: Digital Channels Overtake Service Options by Phillip Britt

(DestinationCRM) Even as interactions move to digital channels like chat, email, and social media, the companies providing the best customer service are ensuring that they don’t overdo digital to the extent that customers can’t reach a live agent when necessary.

My Comment: Customer service is changing as digital and self-service options to get questions answered and problems resolved to become more popular. That doesn’t mean live agents are going to disappear. As strong a case as this article makes for the digital-first options, it still supports the notion of reaching a live agent when necessary.

Customer Service Competency Class Now a Requirement for Fordham Admission by Isabella Scipioni

(The Observer) Now, in order to submit an application to Fordham, all students are required to take Customer Service Competency, a course soon to be offered in most high schools. The class is taught by an experienced retail or food service worker on how to behave when interacting with employees who are making minimum wage and are just trying their best.

My Comment: One of the questions we asked in our soon-to-be-released 2021 Achieving Customer Amazement study was if colleges should require a course in customer service. Out of 1,000 consumers, 65% said, “Yes.” Well, Fordham University takes this concept to the next level, requiring the course to be taken before admission.

3 Projects to Help You Deliver Good Customer Service Daily (+ Resources) by Laura Krajewski

(Sharpen) Microsoft says 90% of Americans use good customer service as a factor when deciding whether to do business with a company. Why would customers stay loyal to brands that are slow or can’t offer help?

My Comment: When it comes to customer support and contact centers, the people at Sharpen CX are pretty sharp. (Pun intended!) This article suggests three “projects” to consider. Even if you’ve already done any of them, they are the kinds of projects you resurrect every year or two. 1. Invest in the right tools. 2. Create a good coaching and training program. 3. Invest in a “formal” way to support your agents (and other employees), which yields greater productivity and stronger customer engagement.

Why It’s All About Respect, Consistency and Communication in Post-pandemic Retail by Judy Mottl

(Retail Customer Experience) Brand and strategy expert Margo Bloomstein shares insight on what’s happening now as retailers enter the post-pandemic realm and why it’s so important retailers pay attention to what consumers want and expect.

My Comment: Regardless of what industry you are in, respect and consistency are paramount to the success of your company. Retail CX interviewed brand and content strategy expert, Margo Bloomstein, to gain insights on what today’s customers want, need, and expect.

Do Companies Really Need Chief Experience Officers to Know Their Customers? by James Heskett

(Harvard Business School) Shouldn’t everybody be encouraged to regularly test the customer experience associated with buying and using both their companies’ and competitors’ products and services? Does it take a CXO to remind us of that?

My Comment: This article questions the relevance of the Chief Experience Officer (CXO). I’m a fan of the title, however, if you look at the responsibilities of this executive position, it varies from company to company. That’s not good or bad. Related to this article, it is about knowing your customers and your competitors. I love the very entertaining story that sets up the main point of the article.

BONUSES

Does a Customer Seek Customer Experience? by Gautam Mahajan

(Customer Value Foundation) How many people do you know who ask or seek an experience? Do you seek an experience? Most people want to have a normal experience. It is the bad experiences that cause people to turn away from products and services.

My Comment: Earlier this week I wrote an article about the difference between customer service and customer experience. One of our readers shared the following article. I would have included it at the top of this week’s list, but it was published several weeks ago. But I had to share it anyway. This is an excellent article about customer experience with plenty of research to support the author’s viewpoint.

10 of the Best Customer Experience Podcasts by Nick Glimsdahl

(Podchaser) There are so many podcasts to consider that are focused on Customer Service and Customer Experience, but which ones are worth listening to?

My Comment: Here is a list of the best customer experience (CX) podcasts put together by Podchaser. I’m honored to be included on this list with many of my colleagues and friends.

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.

Want to receive Shep’s latest customer service and CX research?

Sign up for instant access to Shep’s research report on customer service and customer experience.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

© 2024 Shepard Presentations, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.

Legal Information | Sitemap Legap

Site by: digitalONDA