Walking In Your Customer’s Shoes
Courtyard by Marriott | June 10th, 2019
Don’t Blame Me. I Just Work Here
Shep Hyken | August 3rd, 2018
shep hyken
Walking In Your Customer’s Shoes
Courtyard by Marriott | June 10, 2019
By Shep Hyken You may have heard the expression, “Take a walk in your customer’s shoes.” The idea is that you put yourself in the customer’s position and see the situation through their eyes. This is good advice for those who have customer-facing responsibilities. You may have heard other versions of this expression. One of the more humorous versions is, “Walk a mile in your customer’s shoes, and once you’re a mile away, you can say anything you want about the customer and they can’t hear you.” I said it was humorous. I didn’t say it was right. Recently, I was speaking at a convention in Philadelphia, where I h...
Don’t Blame Me. I Just Work Here
Shep Hyken | August 3, 2018
By Shep Hyken I can't make this "stuff" up. It really happened! The other night I was at a very nice – and very expensive – steakhouse restaurant. This place was top rated for their steaks and seafood. We all ordered a salad. As the server was setting down the salads, we noticed that one of the salads had a tiny portion of salad compared to the others. It was less than half the amount. The salad didn't even cover the entire plate. So, my friend spoke up and mentioned it to the server, who replied, "I don't make them. I just serve them." And, then he walked away. We were stunned by his response. I broke the silence by stating...
The More You Give the More You Get
Shep Hyken | July 25, 2018
By Shep Hyken There is an old saying: It is better to give than to receive. The interpretation of this is that giving is an act of kindness. There is another old saying: The more you give, the more you get. So, is the act of giving truly an act of kindness, even if you know you'll receive something back, and even if you don't know exactly what it is? I think so, especially if the act of giving has no strings attached – even if giving more means you get more, then it truly is an act of kindness. This is true in life, and part of life is business. Giving is part of the customer experience. Customers like to receive, and when they do...
How to Create a Very Personalized Customer Experience
Shep Hyken | July 12, 2018
By Shep Hyken I just stayed at the Crowne Plaza in Lansing, Michigan. I've stayed at many Crowne Plazas in the past, and they are nice hotels, however, the experience at this one was quite unique. It was a personalized experience, and the way they went about it is an excellent lesson we all can learn from. First, the concept of personalization is to make the customer feel like the experience is somewhat unique to them. If I've stayed in a hotel and made a special request, the hotel may note that in my record, and the next time I stay at that hotel, they might remember the request so I don't have to ask. What the Crowne Plaza...
All Customers Are Created Equal – Just Some Are More Equal Than Others
Shep Hyken | June 7, 2018
By Shep Hyken In 1945 George Orwell published the literary classic, Animal Farm, which was required reading in my middle-school English class. I always remembered the line: All animals are created equal, just some animals are more equal than others. Someone recently referenced the book and this famous line, and it made me think about how customers are treated. Are all customers equal? Loyalty programs promote perks, rewards, elite status and more, which might suggest that not all customers are equal. Now, I agree that loyal customers can receive some type of reward or discount for their loyalty. But, what about when it comes to customer...
Do Loyalty Programs Really Create Loyalty?
Shep Hyken | April 20, 2018
By Shep Hyken Lately, I've been asked about loyalty programs. Any company can create a loyalty program. But, there is some confusion around what exactly a loyalty program is. A Wikipedia definition of a loyalty program summed it up well: Loyalty programs are structured marketing strategies designed by merchants to encourage customers to continue to shop at or use the services of businesses associated with each program. "Structured marketing strategies." Now, that's an interesting way of putting it. Anything you do to get a customer to start to do business with you – and gets them to return – could fall under the concept of a...
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