Below are blog posts, articles and tips focused on customer service and experience. To view just the articles (typically longer than a blog post), click here.
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Create a Customer Service Board of Directors
My last article discussed the idea of creating a “Customer Board of Directors” from your community of customers. This article focuses on creating a “Customer Service Board of Directors.” The difference between the two is the word “service.” The last article was more about engaging a community of your customers. This is about bringing in people from the inside of your company. That said, they are both about customer service. Another difference is that the members of the Customer Service Board may be from your company as well as from the outside. And, the people you ask to join from outside of your company may not necessarily be one of your customers. Read More »
Create a Customer Board of Directors
One of the seven customer service strategies covered in my latest book, “The Amazement Revolution,” focuses on creating a community of loyal customers. This strategy is often viewed as a marketing strategy, but I disagree. It is really a very customer focused strategy, with two approaches. One is to deliver a great customer service experience that converts a group of satisfied customers into a community of customer evangelists. The other is to create a community of customers that are willing to help you provide a better product and customer experience for all of your customers. Read More »
Watching and Listening to Customers Can Help You Deliver Exceptional Customer Service
My definition for delivering “amazing” customer service is to consistently be above average. At a minimum this is just a little above average. That’s what the best companies do. They are consistently above average. Note that word “consistently.” That’s the key. It needs to be all-of-the time to be amazing. The customer has to count on it – know it is going to happen. It becomes the expectation. Read More »
Six Strategies to Compete In Business
This article started out to be about how the little guy company can compete with a big company. Specifically, in a recent interview I was asked how a small local business can use customer service to compete when a large national competitor, known for aggressive low pricing, comes to town. As I wrote out the answer, I realized that the business strategies used by a small company competing against a big one are actually sound strategies for a company of any size. By the way, customer service is important, but in this situation, there is much more to consider. Read More »
Being Off Duty Doesn’t Mean You Aren’t Responsible for Customer Service (and More)
This may start out to sound like a rant, but it isn’t. It’s simply the set up for the customer service lesson to be learned.
I’m at an airport, working my way through the security line for about fifteen minutes. During this time , a number of flight attendants and airline personnel went ahead of me and everyone else, cutting in front of paying passengers to get through the metal detectors and x-ray machines. What I noticed is that most of these airline employees didn’t smile or talk to the passengers as they cut in front of them. Some of the passengers were obviously put off by this. I was thinking to myself. There has to be a better way. Read More »
Five Ways to Create a Customer Service Culture
The reason an organization can deliver good or bad customer service comes down to one thing; what is happening on the inside of that organization. To sum it up in one word: culture. Read More »
Customer Service Recovery Can Show How Good You Are
Recently I had the pleasure of having lunch with Julia Carcamo (VP of Brand Marketing) and Jim White (VP of Guest Satisfaction) of Isle of Capri Casinos. We had a great discussion about customer service. They shared a true story about a problem that happened at one of their casinos, and there’s a lesson to be learned about how the team managed the guest experience. Read More »
Top Ten Customer Service Strategies for the New Year
1. Be better than average. Amazing companies don’t always deliver “Wow!” type experiences. No, they are just a little better than average – all of the time. All of the time is the secret. Anyone can be good or great once in a while. It’s the consistency that makes them amazing. Read More »
Customer Service Systems Start with People
Companies care very much about the system that supports their customer service. This is typically an automated process or software program that helps companies deliver their customer service experience. For example, CRM software (customer relationship management) can help a company personalize their customer’s experience. A well designed website creates a customer friendly experience. My friend, Vala Afshar of Enterasys Networks has amazing technology that allows electronic components to communicate with other electronic components (using social media), all for the benefit of the customer. All of these systems are important and necessary. They all help deliver and upgrade the customer’s experience. Read More »
Secret to Amazing Customer Service: Be Better than Average
Your secret weapon is customer service. Wait! It’s not a secret anymore. Just about every company I do business with claims they deliver customer service. My experience as I look back over just the last year is that for many companies it is their goal, yet not their reality. Read More »
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