Top Customer Service and Business Articles
Each week I read a number of customer service articles from various online 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.
Social Customer Care: Your Brand and Marketing Differentiator by Connie Bensen
(Desk.com Blog) Excellent customer care on the social web can drive new customer acquisition and lower your branding, marketing and advertising costs.
My Comment: This article helps make the argument that customer service is part of marketing. The seven steps, from “awareness” to “loyalty” is an excellent illustration of how a customer or company moves from being a casual customer to a loyal customer.
An amazing customer experience from TSA? by Doug Fleener
(Retail Customer Experience) I have to tell you. I was in awe. People standing in line to go through security are not always in the best of moods, and this TSA agent was WOWing everyone with an amazing experience. Here are five things I took away from this experience.
My Comment: A TSA agent delivering great customer service? Absolutely! It’s not that all of the other TSA agents aren’t friendly, but when you have an outgoing personality like the person described in this article, you stand out. I actually have a lot of nice interactions with TSA agents when travelling, and it’s nice to see someone notice. Better are the five “take-aways” the author learned from the experience.
Frightful, Not Delightful: Tales of Terrible Customer Service by Pam Goodfellow
(Forbes) Today’s customers are well-informed, adept at product research, and know how to maximize their budgets – often at the expense of loyalty to any particular retailer.
My Comment: Want customers to do business with you instead of a competitor or online? Then be super easy to do business with. This article has some great tips on how to keep your customer from using you as a showroom and buying from a lower priced online competitor. The real secret is to engage the customer, create confidence and provide extraordinary customer service.
5 Social Media Service Tips by Ernan Roman
(Huffington Post) According to the 2012 American Express® Global Customer Service Barometer, consumers spend 21 percent more with companies who deliver great service — compared to 13 percent on average.” Therefore, to achieve high impact in our social media world, brands must now view ‘customer service’ as an integral part of their overall marketing strategy that can have dramatic impact on the bottom line.
My Comment: While this article focuses on social media customer service tips, I believe these tips apply to any customer service situation.
6 Secret Customer Needs by Geoffrey James
(Inc) Customers will seldom tell you what’s really important to them, but new research reveals their base desires.
My Comment: You can read this article in 60 seconds and get six amazing customer service tips. So, take a minute and then share it with everyone you work with.
