Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of March 7, 2022

Each week I read many 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.

Handing Belligerent Customers – With Better Customer Service by Bob Phibbs

(Chain Store Age) The constant fear we’ve endured over the past two years has decreased our capacity for empathy. Instead of going from zero to 10 on a gradual scale and escalating to out-of-control when something is more warranted, we now go directly from zero to 10; we’re either on or off. This is a vicious circle only you can break. We must teach empathy with employees, or they will be unconsciously tripping that on/off switch in customers.

My Comment: I’ve written many articles on how to deal with angry customers. They are always popular. So, when I read this article about handling belligerent customers from retail expert Bob Phibbs, I had to include it in this roundup. Bob shares his story about losing his temper with an airline employee who eventually fixed a problem in under a minute. Had she been willing to take that extra step, in the beginning, there would not have been an altercation. As much as you may enjoy Bob’s story, you’ll enjoy the lessons even more.

Do You Really Know Who Your Customers Are? by Monica Mullen

(CMSWire) With two thirds of customers feeling that they’re generally treated like numbers, how do you tailor an experience to an individual? To stand apart, companies need to move beyond ho-hum experiences. They need to disrupt the status quo and connect with their customers in a differentiated way.

My Comment: The article starts with a great story. It happened to me, which is maybe why I can relate to it – and I bet it happened to you, too. I bought someone a gift from a website. I would never have bought this for myself. Within minutes I was receiving promotions and advertising about the item. The point is the retailer made a mistake. While the data recognized that I bought something, it didn’t realize it wasn’t for me and that I would have no interest in ever buying it for myself. Mistakes like this happen all the time. So, as the title implies, do you really know who your customers are?

My Kingdom for Gatorade: Cross-Selling Exactly What Customers Want by Annie Sloan and Mikel Hubbard

(Total Retail) How do you make e-commerce cross-selling exactly what the customer wants? Here are a few tips and tricks to maximize revenue while delighting your customers.

My Comment: One of the more popular topics I cover in my keynote speeches is that not upselling or cross-selling – for the right reasons – is a bad customer experience. If the customer really needs or would enjoy the item, you must tell them about it. I love that the author changed the phrase cross-selling to smart-selling. And the last paragraph includes this line: “The goal of cross-selling is to get to a place where customers actually thank you for it.” Brilliant thinking!