shep hyken
Sometimes Customers Are Just Having a Bad Day
Shep Hyken | May 25, 2023
By Shep Hyken You’ve probably experienced this. No matter how hard you try to please some customers, they aren’t happy. It’s frustrating, but at the same time, it’s reality. And speaking of reality, no matter how good you are at creating an amazing customer experience, the customer’s perception counts. Their perception is their reality. I once went to an amazing restaurant – at least, I was told it was amazing. That evening, I had a bad cold. The people I was with raved about the food. However, I didn’t have the same experience. It had nothing to do with the food. It had to do with how I was feeling. When custo...
Customer Service Is Like Dating
Shep Hyken | May 18, 2023
By Shep Hyken I like the title of this article, but perhaps a more appropriate title might be: Customer Service Is Like Being Married. The buying cycle for a customer typically includes a little research, talking to a salesperson, making the purchase, and whatever happens after the sale. This can include follow-up from the salesperson, dealing with customer service for a problem, or any interaction you have with the company or brand after the sale is made. Many companies spend a lot of money and expend tremendous effort to get you in the door or to their website. They entice you with marketing messages, advertising, and anythi...
How to Break the Rules and Delight Customers
Shep Hyken | May 11, 2023
By Shep Hyken There is a massive benefit to empowering employees to “break the rules” for their customers. And what I mean by “breaking the rules” is to consider what you can do for a customer outside of the norm that doesn’t cost the company money, isn’t illegal or immoral, and won’t hurt “business as usual.” In reality, employees aren’t breaking any rules. They are finding ways to take care of the customer while not breaking the “rules” mentioned above. One of the concepts I cover in my customer service keynote speech is the idea of the “line in the sand.” Many companies train their employees in what ...
Five Steps to Acknowledging a Compliment
Shep Hyken | May 4, 2023
By Shep Hyken My very funny friend, Tim Gard, who also happens to be a wonderful keynote speaker, had a great question: “Doesn’t anyone know how to take a compliment?” My response was, “Don’t most people say, ‘Thank you’?” Apparently not. Tim said he observed some friendly behavior from the TSA agents in the security line at his local airport in Portland, Oregon. He decided to compliment the supervisor, who appeared to be confused by the praise. The supervisor asked, “Do you want me to file a complaint?” Tim emphasized this was a compliment, not a complaint, and walked away, shaking his head and th...
Act Like an Owner – Revisited!
Shep Hyken | April 27, 2023
By Shep Hyken One of my favorite concepts to cover in my customer service keynote speeches is to act like an owner. I originally wrote about this in 2011 and shared the story of an 18-year-old server at a pizza restaurant who took so much pride in his work that the guests thought he owned the restaurant. In preparing for an upcoming speech, I worked with Anthony Demangone, CMO of the National Association of Federally Insured Credit Unions. We discussed the ownership concept and how everyone can act like an owner or leader. Anyone can be “that person” everyone admires and wants to emulate. He shared the remarkable story of Ric...
You Too Can Be As Good As Amazon…Maybe!
Shep Hyken | April 20, 2023
By Shep Hyken For a number of years, I’ve preached that our customers no longer compare us just to our direct competitors, but instead to the brands they enjoy doing business with the most. In other words, the ones that provide the best customer service and experience. In many of my customer service and CX keynote speeches, I’ll ask the audience to shout out the companies they love doing business with. Without fail, someone – usually many people – mentions Amazon. Amazon has educated its customer as to what a great experience looks like. It meets and exceeds consumer expectations, and now customers want, hope, and expect ev...
Customer Service Is a Team Sport
Shep Hyken | April 13, 2023
By Shep Hyken The other day I was having breakfast with 11 of my friends. The server came over, introduced herself, and said, “I’ll be taking care of you.” She took our orders, and a few minutes later, a different server dropped off three of our meals. Then, two more servers brought a few more meals a moment later, and another server showed up just after that with the rest of our meals. It wasn’t until after all the meals were served that our original server came over to ask if everything tasted great. Was it this server’s job to simply take our orders and let others do the work? No! I observed all of the people who bro...
Tipping Used to Be For Good Service
Shep Hyken | April 6, 2023
By Shep Hyken The other day I was at the airport and ordered a chicken sandwich from one of the “to go” restaurants. When it came time to pay, they didn’t ask me for a tip. For a moment, I thought, “Did I go back in time?” This is just my opinion, but the concept of tipping is getting out of hand. I go to a fast-food restaurant and order a burger and fries. The person behind the counter takes my money and gives me my food. For most of my life – until the recent past – the customer wasn’t expected to tip. Today, there is an expectation, even if it is disguised as an option. I feel guilty if I don’t check one of the bo...
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