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Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of December 5, 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. The Top 5 Guest Loyalty Trends and Predictions to Watch for 2023 by Ellis Connolly […]

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.

The Top 5 Guest Loyalty Trends and Predictions to Watch for 2023 by Ellis Connolly

(Hospitality Net) We are officially on the eve of a new year, already moving through the holiday season at the signature blink-and-you-might-miss-it pace that is seemingly synonymous with this time of year. From Thanksgiving celebrations to Christmas festivities, end-of-year reflections, and year-ahead preparations, our personal and professional calendars are likely brimming with activity and commitments. But this year, perhaps more than any other, feels especially monumental, as 2022 was not only the year the world returned to relative normalcy – it was the year the hospitality industry finally roared back to life.

My Comment: Regardless of the type of business you are in, I believe it’s important to have a “hospitality mentality.” So, our first article comes from the hospitality industry with five “guest loyalty” trends that should be considered by every business. Personalization is more important than ever. An updated loyalty program can help keep you connected to customers. Understanding what gives your customers “gratification” will help you meet and exceed their expectations. There’s even a reference to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

Your Customer Experience Model Has a Problem—Your Employee Experience is the Solution by Janelle Dieken

(Fast Company) Creating a new culture centered around flexibility, learning, and career development is the cornerstone for creating an experience that truly drives loyalty and can ultimately make a positive impact on your bottom line.

My Comment: We’re back to one of my favorite topics, which is the employee experience (EX). What’s happening on the inside of the company is felt on the outside by the customer. As the title of the article implies, if you are having problems with your customer experience, start fixing it by looking at the employee experience. Your employees want a culture that includes flexibility, learning (training), and opportunities for advancement.

Cleaning a Toilet vs. Calling Customer Support: 3 Factors Impacting the Customer Experience by Eric Smuda

(InMoment) Too many companies see their call center as only a cost and something that can be managed or minimized by reducing headcount and shifting to lower cost channels. This is a financially driven, inside-out view of customer support and not an outside-in, customer-centric approach. If companies truly want to reduce the cost associated with customer support, learn from these calls and fix the upstream issues that are creating the need for the calls in the first place.

My Comment: Last year our customer experience research found that 42% of customers would rather clean a toilet than call customer support. I love that this article kicks off with that statistic. The author then moves on to three specific reasons why customers dislike the customer support experience. It comes down to the customer feel they have no control, they are worried about how much time it will take, and they are concerned they won’t get a resolution the first time they try. Those three factors are why customers are frustrated with the customer support experience.

Seven Ways to Fix the Root Causes of Customer Experience Complaints by Elaine Roche

(Elite Business) The Institute of Customer Service (ICS) recently revealed that UK customer complaints are at their highest level on record. This suggests that there has never been a better time to get proactive in dealing with problems before they become issues.

My Comment: Who doesn’t want to resolve complaints? But this isn’t about resolving complaints for the customer. That’s the byproduct of what this article is about. This is about taking a customer complaint, finding the “root cause” of the problem, and finding a way to mitigate or even eliminate it in the future. With customer complaints being higher than ever – across many industries – it’s more important than ever not just to take care of the complaint but to find ways to keep it from happening again.

3 Ways to Build Fierce Brand Loyalty by Sue Bevan Baggott and Jennifer Scheehle

(Fast Company) In the past year, 47.8 million workers quit their jobs, an average of nearly four million each month. In the current reality, people are reassessing what’s important to them and how they want to live their lives. They are changing how they work, and with increasing economic pressures, you can bet they are also rethinking how they spend their dollars.

My Comment: If you want your customers to be loyal, here are three great ideas. First, create an empathetic connection. That will most likely come from a human-to-human (H2H) interaction, which could be in person, over the phone, via email, or text. Second, find shared values. Do you care about something your customer cares about? It could be a cause, a special charity, something in the community, etc. And third, practice reciprocity. If you expect loyalty from your customers, you must demonstrate loyalty toward them.

BONUS

Transforming the Frontline: 9 Operations Leaders Redefine the Employee Experience by Centrical

(Centrical) Enterprises everywhere are transforming their frontline teams through interval learning and coaching, with a gamified approach. In this guide nine operations leaders share their stories of transformation, and the positive impact gamification has had on their business. Download the guide and start your EX transformation journey today!

My Comment: Our friends at Centrical have just released an ebook about refining the employee experience (EX). I’ve already mentioned in this Top Five roundup how the employee experience is crucial to the customer experience. Here, nine leaders from different companies share how they create a better EX. The ebook is “gated,” so you will have to fill out the form to download the book.

Shep 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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