Shep Hyken is a known persona in the customer service industry. An expert in customer service, Shep Hyken is a sought-after speaker and a best-selling author on matters about developing a winning customer service culture in businesses.
His blog and Twitter account are rich resources of customer service wisdom which thousands of individuals, as well as businesses, follow and adhere to when it comes to building customer loyalty and improving customer engagement.
We have gathered some gold nuggets of customer service insights from Shep’s Twitter and we are sharing it with you:
1. Hire for attitude first, then train for skills.
While it is important that you hire in your customer service team the applicant with the best credentials, we echo Hyken’s advice here. Your employees should have customer service as their second-nature. Skills can always be learned but attitude hardly comes by easily. Building up skills from a servant-heart attitude will gain you customer satisfaction in every interaction.
2. Reward your customers with small gifts that will reinforce your brand & make people positively reflect on their experience with you.
Customers remember those brands who make them feel valued. A small token or a simple shout-out from your brand matters a lot to them.
3. Recognize and celebrate the big days in your customers’ lives, such as birthdays and anniversaries.
When you take time to celebrate these milestones with them, customers will embrace you as part of their trusted circles and you will win not only their loyalty but their family and friends’ as well.
4. Identify customer feedback that’s both objective & measurable that everyone in your organization can use as a benchmark.
Filter the feedbacks you get from customers, especially those with negative remarks. You don’t have to take into account every comment or suggestion. Identify only those that will help improve your current customer service processes and make sure you work on it.
5. Always think ‘how will it affect my customer?’
Your perspective should always be customer-centric.
6. Create a brand promise that’s so strong & so compelling that it makes your customers want to become your partner.
Because it is what your customer will associate you with for a long time, make sure that it is something that your customers can embrace and can partner with you.
7. After a follow-up call, the customer should feel it was more about listening to & thanking them, & less about gathering information.
Let them feel that you wanted to connect with them in a more meaningful way and not merely contact them because you needed something from them.
8. In today’s fast-paced world, a personalized thank-you note is often unexpected, sometimes memorable, & always appreciated.
As we have mentioned in previous posts, a personal touch to your customer engagement is more heartfelt and genuine that wins loyal customers every time.
9. Throw away the script; give your people more autonomy to identify and solve problems.
Do not limit your customer service teams with canned responses. Let them discover new ways to solve issues and entirely map out an innovative customer service approach to situations that is unique to your company.
10. Identify and recognize repeat customers. Make them feel special and amaze them.
Take care of your loyal customers. If you put effort in making new customers feel good, put double effort in making repeat customers feel much more valued for staying with you.
11. Make the customer’s problem your problem.
Only when you sincerely understand your customers’ perspective on a matter will you genuinely extend the extra mile. Empathy is important in customer service, so practice that always.
12. Adopt a strategy of proactive customer engagement; doing this exceeds the customers’ expectations.
Do not wait for an issue to arise before you connect with customers. Isn’t it much better to build relationships with them that did not begin with a problem?
13. Give your most creative people the opportunity to spend some time on projects they choose that will also create value for the customer.
You just might be surprised with how many solutions to problems and groundbreaking customer engagement approaches you come up with when you foster creativity among your teams.
14. Make access to hard-to-get resources, people, experience, ideas, & tools a benefit of doing business with you.
It is all about making it convenient for your customers in every interaction they have with your brand. Simplify it for your customers and they will love your for it.
15. Identify first-time customers and create a special welcoming or initiation ritual for them.
It may be a cliché but the statement “first impressions last” applies well to this. Make your first-time customers feel that they made the best decision in choosing to do business with you and follow through with it.
If you have a Twitter account and you are not yet following Shep Hyken, we suggest you do. Not only will you be exposed to the expert himself, but you get served with bite-size proven practices of excellent customer service that your business can apply and benefit from.
