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Top 5 Customer Service Articles For the Week of May 18, 2020

Each week I read a number of customer service and customer experience articles from various 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. Customer Loyalty Is Flat. What Should Your CX Strategy Look Like Now? by […]

Each week I read a number of customer service and customer experience articles from various 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.

Customer Loyalty Is Flat. What Should Your CX Strategy Look Like Now? by Rachel Lane

(CMSWire) A fair portion of customer loyalty may have been flattened over this 90-day period of the pandemic for businesses that haven’t been able to function as usual, and that includes a large portion of the business world. So how do we understand the real customer impact of COVID-19 and mitigate its potency, and how can we capitalize on opportunities that may be ahead?

My Comment: What happens when the loyal customer gets out of the habit of buying from you? We work hard to create loyalty, and repeat business is a part of that. The concern some businesses are having, due to the Covid-19 crisis and people staying at home, not working, etc. has broken the “habit” of buying. While people will leave home, go back to work, and resume some sense of a normal life, does the disruption of their buying habits and behaviors create concern for businesses? That’s exactly what this article is about.

9 Easy Ways to Build Customer Loyalty Without Breaking the Bank by Toby Nwazor

(CustomerThink) Consider using these nine ways to create and maintain customer loyalty.

My Comment: Following up on our first article of this week’s Top Five roundup, if we need to start over with some customers, what better way to do it than with some customer service basics. You won’t find anything new or revolutionary in this article. What you’ll find are nine fundamental concepts that need to be considered at the base of your customer service and loyalty strategies.

7 Lessons Of Customer Service That Are Vital To Getting Through Crises by John Hall

(Forbes) It’s a sensitive time, and customer service has never been needed more. People are vulnerable and scared. They aren’t going to act rationally sometimes, and emotions can take over when people are driven by fear.

My Comment: Lately I’m often asked about how customer service has changed during the Covid-19 pandemic. My feeling is that it hasn’t changed as much as something extra needed to be added, and that’s empathy. As you read this article by John Hall, pay attention to the first two of the seven strategies; care beyond the professional relationship and an emphasis on your organization’s core values. The five others are also spot-on, but these first two are essential to moving through this crisis (and any other crisis in the future).

These 6 Customer Retention Strategies Actually Work by Hal Koss

(Built In) CSMs know that acquiring customers is its own challenge, and that a strong retention rate takes some of that pressure off the business. But how do you build loyalty that leads to customer retention?

My Comment: Let’s break away from the COVID-19 themed articles and move into something more practical and timeless. This is an interview of three customer success executives discussing the always-important topic of customer retention. I always enjoy learning specific strategies and tactics that actually being deployed by an organization.

4 Good Reasons to Stop Email-Based Customer Support by Jeremy Watkin

(8×8) In this article, I’ll share four reasons why you might want to dump email, or at least minimize it as a customer service channel, and then I’ll share some recommendations for doing this most effectively.

My Comment: Email is a viable support channel… OR is it? Jeremy Watkin, well-known in the customer support world makes a case for why we should stop email support. While I don’t believe a company should eliminate this popular communication channel, Watkin highlights its deficiencies that should make you think about its relevance. I get it, but while it may not be the most effective and cost-efficient channel, it is still one that customers like to use.


Top 5 customer service and customer experience articlesShep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.

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