customer service
The Customer Service Experience Doesn’t Begin With the Greeting
Shep Hyken | December 23, 2020
By Shep Hyken In the world of show business and live entertainment, every act has an “opening.” Most people think it’s the first words that come out of the actors’ mouths, but it’s more than that. It’s the moment the audience sees the actors walking onto the stage. It’s how they are dressed, how they make eye contact with the audience, the anticipation they create, and more. So, when the actors speak their opening lines, it is actually the end of the opening. It’s the same in business. You call the customer service hotline. A pleasant customer support agent picks up the phone and enthusiastically greets you, ready t...
Customer Service Lessons From the Best Unknown Companies
Shep Hyken | December 16, 2020
By Shep Hyken I’m often asked what the best way to disrupt the competition is. The answer is to not compare yourself to the competition, but to the best companies from other industries. In my customer service speeches, I’ll sometimes ask the audience to share who their favorite and easiest companies are to do business with. The typical answers are Amazon, Zappos, Walmart and other recognizable brands. Once in a while, an audience member will mention a local business. Sometimes it’s a restaurant or a car dealership. It really doesn’t matter whether you know the company well or not. It’s the fact that the company offers a...
Employees Love the Story, Too
Shep Hyken | December 10, 2020
By Shep Hyken Last week, I covered the idea of the story. Customers love to read the stories of other customers using the products they are interested in purchasing. Reviews are where they start. High ratings can turn into high interest. Customer commentary in the review—as in how much they are enjoying the product and how they are using the product—can push a potential customer to make the purchase. There is a similar benefit to employees reading reviews. While they may not be buying the product, the reviews help them buy into the company they work for. It provides validation, credibility and even a sense of pride. One of...
The Story Tells The Story
Shep Hyken | December 3, 2020
By Shep Hyken What’s your story? What reasons compel your customers to do business with you? What gets them excited about doing business with you? Consider this. If you’re selling a trip to Hawaii, you probably try to paint a vision of a day on the beach, an amazing luau and a beautiful oceanfront balcony that includes a gorgeous sunset. The story you don’t tell—at least I hope you don’t—is the one that includes the technical specs of the engine on the plane that’s flying you to that exotic location, the type of tires on the resort’s van that will be waiting at the airport or the number of parking spaces in the resort’...
Thanksgiving Week Special: A Recipe for Amazing Customer Service
Shep Hyken | November 25, 2020
As we approach Thanksgiving, I can’t stop thinking about turkey and stuffing—and all the different ways to prepare them. Always thinking about how everything in life ties to customer service, I wondered, “What is a good recipe for customer service?” So, I’ve listed some of the essential ingredients. I’m sure you’ll have a few more to add to this list. In the meantime, this is enough to get you started. As with any good recipe, feel free to spice it up a little! The Right Culture: This is where it starts. Leadership defines the customer service and CX vision for everyone to follow. Good People: The people on the in...
The Loyalty Question 2.0
Shep Hyken | November 19, 2020
By Shep Hyken If you have been following my work, you may remember something I refer to as The Loyalty Question. It goes like this: What am I doing right now to make sure the customer comes back the next time they need whatever it is we sell? Most people think customer loyalty is about a lifetime. That’s a pretty big goal—making a customer stay for a lifetime. But if you break it down into smaller parts—as in the next time—it becomes much easier. As you ask yourself the loyalty question, think about the next time every time. Eventually, it can become a lifetime. That question is still relevant, now more than ever, but le...
The Mike Moment
Shep Hyken | November 12, 2020
By Shep Hyken We’ve all heard the old adage: “It’s better to give than to receive.” That’s what customer service people do. They give and give and give. They help solve problems and resolve complaints. What they get in return—hopefully—is a nice thank you, which, when you think about it, is fairly insignificant, though appreciated, for the work they do. Yes, they are paid for the job they do, but the people who are amazing at this role aren’t doing it just for the money. The opportunity to serve is fulfilling. They are customer service heroes. This brings me to a story about Mike, a teenager I met back in t...
Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!
Shep Hyken | November 4, 2020
By Shep Hyken This is a crazy idea, but hear me out. When I was a kid, we had home-cooked meals almost every night. I thought my mom was the greatest cook in the world. She could make the best chicken. As a matter of fact, she made chicken almost every night. It turns out she could follow a recipe and had bought a book that had 365 chicken recipes—one for each day of the year. I remember the day she came home with the cookbook. As a kid, I never tired of the taste of chicken. Can’t say my adult pallet would enjoy such monotony, but I digress. I started thinking about all those chicken recipes. There were so many: fried chicken,...
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