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5 Top Customer Service Articles For the Week of January 20, 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 Effort Score or Customer Satisfaction? by Martin Powton (CustomerThink) Customer Effort Score […]

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 Effort Score or Customer Satisfaction? by Martin Powton

(CustomerThink) Customer Effort Score is a popular metric used to measure customer service satisfaction using one single question. The principle behind this is that companies create loyal customers by reducing customer effort.

My Comment: “Customer Effort” is a great way to measure the convenience of when a customer needs to connect with a company for help or to have a problem solved. The insight won’t tell you if your customers love you or not, but it will give you an idea of how efficient you are in managing the support experience. When you make it easy – as in minimal or no effort – to get a problem resolved, you increase your customer’s confidence.

How to Run a Customer Loyalty Program by ThriveHive

(ThriveHive) This article will give you a run-down on the basics of customer loyalty marketing and programs, how they work, and how you can use them to retain more customers with your business.

My Comment: While a short article like this may not be all you need to start and run a customer loyalty program, this is a good start to get you thinking about the type of program you might consider. The author shares five compelling reasons to have a program and a description of several different types of loyalty programs.

Loyalty Trends in 2020: How Will This Year Be Different? by Wise Marketer Staff

(The Wise Marketer) We are fans of mapping out industry trends and predictions at the beginning of each year. It’s part of our mandate as the voice of the global Loyalty Marketing industry, but we recognize that our list is just one among dozens of others. So, how is our perspective for our loyalty trends in 2020 formed to make it worth your reading time?

My Comment: Following up on the last article about loyalty programs, here’s another. This time with trends of what customers are enjoying – or not – in their loyalty programs. As you read the article, consider whether what you want is a true loyalty program, one that drives connection and customer loyalty, or if you want to have a marketing program (points, awards, etc.), which drives repeat business. Both are great strategies. Just be aware of the difference.

Merge Lanes: Four Tips To Integrating AI Into Your Customer Service Workflow by By Leonie Brown

(Forbes) Managing the handoff points between man and machine can be a challenge. This article shares five strategies that can help smooth the transition.

My Comment: This is a very short article, but with several very good points. The premise is that there are two sides to the AI argument regarding human contact versus automated self-service. My opinion has been AI can’t replace the human experience (at least not yet), but it can support it. And, what I most appreciate about this article is the second point, where AI supports the customer service agent – not the customer.

Travel Megatrends 2020: Subscription Travel Is the Next Frontier of Loyalty by Andrew Sheivachman

(Skift) The travel industry tends to view its products as a must-have for consumers. This mindset has led the sector to lag behind the entertainment and e-commerce world when it comes to building lasting relationships with digital-first consumers.

My Comment: While this article focuses on the travel industry, the main topic is around the subscription model. There are many companies out there (B2B and B2C) that have not given enough consideration to a subscription model. One of the author’s comments summarize why this model works: Consumers who buy into subscription services are committed beyond just a one-time purchase…

BONUS

Live Chat Benchmark Report 2020 Comm100 Network Corporation

(Comm100) How do you measure your team’s impact and success? See how you stack up against others in your industry.

My Comment: In the customer contact/support center, live chat is a hot topic. This is the fifth report from Comm100 about how chat is being used to support customers. Some interesting stats and facts are included. If you’re involved with customer support, you’ll enjoy this article. It’s “gated” so you’ll have to provide your name and email, but it’s worth it.

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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