Customer Service posts, articles, and infographics

Exceptional customer service is not complicated

May 16, 2012 by Steve Curtin
with 45 views

What’s remarkable to me about this finding is that it’s consistent with consumer research from three decades ago. I recall TARP statistics (1978) and research from Dr. Michael LeBoeuf (1987) that exposed poor treatment by employees (rudeness or indifference) as the number one cause for customer defection. [read more]

The Customer Service Culture

May 15, 2012 by Bill Quiseng
with 53 views

Delivering amazing customer service requires continuous focus. It’s a journey not a destination. As a leader, you are continually setting an example that encourages others to follow your lead. Here are three things that you can do to set an example within your own organization that will lead to increased customer satisfaction. [read more]

Building a Business Culture to Deliver the Best Customer Service

May 15, 2012 by Douglas Hanna
with 60 views

Photo by: HiMY SYeD / photopia

Deciding on what a business wants to accomplish is part of its core values and related to its overall culture. Customer service should be one of the top priorities, and the commitment to pleasing customers and delivering “out of the box” services should never be discouraged. [read more]

You Can’t Have Engagement Without Inclusion

May 14, 2012 by Steve Curtin
with 86 views

Most company managers talk about the importance of an engaged workforce but relatively few do the real work of fostering an inclusive work environment—which requires authenticity, thoughtfulness, judgment, effort, and purposeful action. In a word: leadership. [read more]

Do Customers Want or Use Social Channels for Service?

May 11, 2012 by Mitch Lieberman
with 95 views

Customer Service using Social Media Channels is a nascent discipline, which is good, because fewer customers than most people think are actually using it – but its time will come. Just look at the usage from the customers perspective, barely 17%. American Express and ECHO just published some findings that paint an interesting picture. [read more]

A Coalition of Shareholders and Customers – This could work!

May 10, 2012 by Gerry Brown
with 33 views

Image: Lasse Kristensen /Shutterstock

This got me thinking: if righteously angry and disaffected customers respond with equally rebellious behaviour, and even join up with the shareholders, then the brand damage to companies would be even greater and financially more punitive. [read more]

Spirit’s Customer Service Debacle Teaches Several Business Lessons

May 10, 2012 by Shep Hyken
with 55 views

Photo: Pablo Scapinachis /Shutterstock

Spirit Airlines is known as a low-cost, no-frills airline. They charge extra fees, as many airlines do for baggage. They even charge for carry-on bags that go into the overhead compartment. More on that in a moment. First, the big PR nightmare for Spirit came when Jerry Meekins, a Vietnam veteran who was diagnosed with terminal cancer, asked for a refund because his doctor told him not to fly. [read more]

Are Happy Customers the Goal?

May 9, 2012 by Debra Ellis
with 68 views

Image: Vibrant Image Studio/shutterstock.co

Relationships are messy. What works for one can fail another. Individuals are, well, individual. They have unique needs and preferences but some things are universal. They want to be respected, appreciated, and valued. If you start there, you are on your way to good relationships. [read more]

It is time to move on to ‘How’ – Where the Rubber Meets the Road for Customer Service

May 9, 2012 by Mitch Lieberman
with 58 views

Image: iQoncept/Shutterstock

From products and pricing to service and social, there is no shortage of talk on what companies need to do to achieve service excellence. It is easy to say what to do, to be an advice giver. That said, telling someone how to do something is not nearly as easy. [read more]

ViDEO: Motivating Your Customer Service Team

May 9, 2012 by Jack Dempsey
with 68 views

Cutting corners in your customer service lowers your value. Go around the cone! Raise your standards and follow them, not the pack. [read more]

Customer Service Via Social Media – It’s The Future!!!! (Actually, It’s The ‘Now’!)

May 8, 2012 by Andy Hanselman
with 307 views

Seventy-five percent of the businesses that took part in a recent study said that they were using social media outlets in one way or another. Of those, 59% of them have adopted Twitter and 60% have adopted Facebook, and close to 85% of those businesses that use one of those sites actually use both of them. [read more]

Customer Recovery: Guarantees and Communication

May 2, 2012 by Shep Hyken
with 82 views

Image: archidea /Shutterstock

Jeff shared an email exchange that is worth featuring in an article. One of his customers had a problem. Read the email and you’ll be… amazed. What would the world be like if all problems or complaints were handled like this? [read more]

If You Don’t Know Where You Are Going, Any Road Will Get You There

April 29, 2012 by Dave Brock
with 65 views

Photo by Double Feature via Flickr

A well known saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” I’d like to add a corollary, “It helps to pay attention to the signposts.” Yes, this is a post about establishing and executing plans. Whether it’s a plan to win a deal, to make a high impact sales call, to maximize your... [read more]

Stop Putting Your Customers At Risk

April 27, 2012 by Joshua March
with 49 views

Image: Doreen Salcher /Shutterstock

By responding to customer issues on Facebook from a fake profile account (or staff personal accounts) you are putting your customers at risk and making great social customer service harder. [read more]

A Dead Dryer, Brand Advocacy, and a Guy Named Lenny…

April 26, 2012 by Srinivas Penumaka
with 81 views

Image: ER_09 /Shutterstock

In my experience, whether for small purchases or large ones, consumers remember buying experiences and have some type of emotion attached to it. Buying something in a small way is an expression of you who are. I also have seen that we as consumers tend to remember the brand (in this case KitchenAid and Sears) much more than the product itself. [read more]

Helping Burned Out Agents Improve or Move

April 26, 2012 by Melissa Kovacevic
with 49 views

It’s easy to Coach and work with our top Agents who are interested in improving, being the best and love opportunities to learn new skills and new information to make them the best. It’s certainly challenging to work with Agents who are at the “bottom” in terms of performance metrics and quality and it’s clear what we need to do if... [read more]

The “I don’t Need Social Media” Myth

April 24, 2012 by Jennifer Roberts
with 528 views

Jessica Goulding

Consumers have a heightened awareness of how companies interact with their customers and becoming increasingly selective of who gets their business. Truth be told, there are a lot more than these two myths out there that companies tell themselves. [read more]

Why complain using social media?

April 24, 2012 by Chris Heffer
with 162 views

Image: Pling /Shutterstock

Companies should care what the world thinks of them. If you put negative things out there on the web, other people will read them. If the company responds publicly and fixes your problem then not only does it make one happy customer, it shows the rest of the world that they are a good company to do business with. [read more]

Book Review: The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business

April 24, 2012 by Douglas Hanna
with 50 views

Image: Soify /Shutterstock

Good customer service is good for today. Having a welcomer provide good customer service will make you return tomorrow. That’s a big difference. [read more]

Buyer 3.0 (a.k.a. What Social Tells You About Buyers)

April 23, 2012 by ChristineCrandell
with 82 views

Image: FWStupidio /Shutterstock

Buyer 3.0 is a contextual, buyer-initiated and driven relationship between the buyer and seller. Like a four legged stool, Buyer 3.0 relationships are characterized by a consistent experience, value streams, outcome-oriented dialog, and highly relevant content. [read more]