customer service
Answer the Question the Right Way
Shep Hyken | May 18, 2022
By Shep Hyken Sometimes a customer asks a question, and then either doesn’t understand or like the answer. And sometimes, it’s more than just a misunderstanding or a breakdown in communication. Maybe it’s because the employee doesn’t want to take the time to answer the question correctly. Or sometimes employees are asked the same question so many times that they get sick and tired of customers asking, and it shows in the way they respond and act. One of my favorite examples of this came from a Disney Institute class I attended several years ago. Our “teacher” told us that the No. 1 question guests asked the cast memb...
Would You Rather Clean a Toilet Than Call Customer Support?
Shep Hyken | May 11, 2022
By Shep Hyken That’s exactly what we asked more than 1,000 consumers for our 2022 annual customer service research report. The answer: 42% of customers would rather clean a toilet! Is calling customer support so bad that cleaning a toilet is more desirable? It is if you’ve experienced wasting your time on hold, listening to terrible music, talking to people who don’t seem to care about you, having difficulty hearing or understanding the customer support agent, being transferred again and again, telling the same story over and over … I could keep going, but you get the idea. It’s important to note that not all custo...
Everyone Deserves A Compliment
Shep Hyken | May 4, 2022
By Shep Hyken I was on a flight to a city I can’t remember, but what I do remember was the wonderful flight attendant, Bailee from American Airlines, who enthusiastically greeted me with a smile and said, “I like that hat!” I was wearing a baseball cap with the St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Championship logo. Of course, I thanked her and I found my seat, just a few rows from the front of the plane. I point that out because I was able to observe the way she greeted every passenger. As each passenger boarded the plane, Bailee welcomed them with the same enthusiasm and had something nice to say to everyone. Let me emphasize that sh...
The Most Important Employee in Your Business
Shep Hyken | April 28, 2022
By Shep Hyken Is the CEO or owner the most important employee of a business? They are the people who make the big decisions and determine the vision and strategy of the company. But if not for the company’s employees, that vision and strategy would mean nothing. Here is where I’m going with this idea. Let’s say the owner of a restaurant is also the chef. This chef prepares the most amazing meals using the highest quality ingredients, and customers are willing to pay a premium to enjoy this epicurean experience. Yet consider this … no matter how good the food is, if it comes out on a dirty plate, the meal goes back to the kit...
How to Deal With Customer Complaints: The Perfect Thing to Say
Shep Hyken | April 21, 2022
By Shep Hyken There are many ways to deal with complaints or angry customers. I’ve written a number of articles on the different ways to do so, and today I want to add an excellent technique. The idea is to say something that lets the customer know you understand the problem, you’re in sync with their concerns, and you empathize with their frustration, anger or whatever emotion they’re exhibiting. I refer to this as The Perfect Thing to Say. This is more than apologizing and acknowledging the customer, which are steps one and two of my five-step process for dealing with angry customers. When a customer brings you a pro...
The Day I Became a Customer Service Expert and Two Important Lessons
Shep Hyken | April 13, 2022
By Shep Hyken “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This line has been credited to Confucius, Mark Twain, Mark Anthony and others. Anyone who finds what they love to do at work, either through a passion, hobby, interest, a random job they end up loving, or some defining moment is lucky. That makes me one of the lucky ones. Just out of college I started my career as a customer service expert. It wasn’t a random job I applied for. It was a chosen profession that had its roots in something that happened to me when I was younger, an event that caused me to become obsessed with customer service. I’v...
Customer Service Is More Important Than Price
Shep Hyken | April 7, 2022
By Shep Hyken “Is customer service more important than price?” That’s exactly what we asked more than 1,000 consumers in our customer service research. The response was that 58% said, “Yes.” And just to make sure, we asked a similar question later in the survey, “Would you pay more if you knew you would receive great customer service?” Once again, 58% said, “Yes.” “Please take care of me, and I’ll even pay a little more.” When more than half of your customers are saying, “Please take care of me, and I’ll even pay a little more,” you have to listen. The point is tha...
Good Habits Are Just as Important as Talent and Skill
Shep Hyken | March 23, 2022
By Shep Hyken I recently received a note from my friend and Shepard Letter subscriber, Michael Staenberg. He commented on the recent Never, Never, Never Be Late article and sent a list of what he referred to as Things that Require Zero Talent. At the top of the list was being on time. I’ve seen lists like this before. They include being on time, having a good work ethic and a positive attitude, doing more than expected, and more. I did a little research and found similar lists that included all those mentioned above and others including being coachable, smiling, saying please and thank you, being nice, doing what you s...
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