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Top 5 Customer Service & CX Articles for the Week of May 16, 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. Are You Tracking the Customer Service Metrics That Really Count? by Jonathan Byrnes and John […]

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.

Are You Tracking the Customer Service Metrics That Really Count? by Jonathan Byrnes and John Wass

(Harvard Business Review) The biggest customer service problem for many managers is that they focus almost exclusively on day-to-day tactical customer service issues and fail to develop the latent, strategic customer service opportunities that would lock in and grow their most important customers.

My Comment: We kick off this week’s Top Five roundup with an excellent article about the best customer service metrics. Yes, metrics matter. Peter Drucker is often quoted as saying, “You can’t manage what you can’t measure. In addition to the traditional metrics, my take is that you should also measure customer behavior. Does the customer come back? How often? How much do they spend when they do? Typical metrics are history lessons that are valuable. Measuring behavior gives us real-time information.

How to Measure CX Impact by Jim Tincher

(CustomerThink) We CX folks love to discuss measurement. If you want to fill a room at a conference, just put the word “metric” in your session title, and you’re good to go. Mention “Net Promoter Score” or “Customer Effort Score,” and you’ll need to order more chairs. That’s because we spend so many of our waking hours – and for some, sleepless nights – trying to figure out how to measure CX impact.

My Comment: While on the theme of measurement, here’s an article by CX thought leader, Jim Tincher. He believes in NPS, CSAT, and others, as long as they are used correctly. He also believes it’s important to measure the touchpoints found in a customer journey map. There’s quite a bit packed into this short article.

Here’s How To Maintain Customer Service, Even When You’re Short-Staffed by Forbes Business Council

(Forbes) 14 members of Forbes Business Council shared how managers can ensure high-quality customer service with a lean workforce. They offered some key insights on how to keep a short-staffed team’s morale and a business’s reputation afloat, despite the challenges being faced.

My Comment: The labor shortage is taking its toll on many businesses. Customers are complaining that service is worse than ever. The ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) is at a low. Many companies are struggling to deliver customer service with fewer employees. Perhaps this article, with 14 ideas from the Forbes Expert Panel, can give you an idea or two you can use.

How to Calculate: Customer Lifetime Value Formula (CLV) by ClientSuccess

(ClientSucces) When a new customer joins your book of business, there are some things that are known right out of the gate. The ‘sale’ of a new customer – aka the monetary amount of the contract – is often looked at as the be-all-end-all metric to determine the value of the customer. This number is also used to determine ARR (annual recurring revenue), which shows how much revenue will come in each year from this initial contract.

My Comment: I’ve shared articles on this topic in the past, yet I’m still asked the question, “How do you measure customer lifetime value (CLV)?” It’s important to know the number, as it helps guide important decisions. Here’s a short article that includes a formula and some additional information.

Be a ‘Method Customer’ to Improve Customer Experience by Justin Racine

(CMSWire) Brands spend exorbitant amounts of dollars, resources and time to connect with their customer base to understand them better. What makes a consumer tick? What is important to them? How can we transmute our brand to connect emotionally with our consumers to evoke human-like connotations and synergy?

My Comment: This is a fun article. You may have heard of “method acting,” which is a technique that is used by some of the most talented and successful actors. They become the character they are portraying, both on and off camera. This intriguing article brings the concept to customer service and CX. It starts with “becoming your customer.”

BONUS

Southwest to Invest $2B to ‘Transform’ Customer Experience by Donna M. Airoldi

(Business Travel News) Southwest Airlines plans to invest more than $2 billion on enhancing its customer experience, the carrier announced Wednesday, the same day it was named as the carrier with the highest customer satisfaction score for the economy segment in the J.D. Power 2022 North America Airline Satisfaction Study.

My Comment: This is more of a press release announcing the investment that Southwest Airlines is making into the customer experience. I share it as an example of a company that is considered one of the best in their industry but still is willing to invest (billions) into keeping up with their customer’s expectations and creating an even better experience.

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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