Author Archives: Shep Hyken

About Shep Hyken

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New York Times, bestselling business author. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken

Second Complaints Are the Most Expensive Ones

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Second Complaints Are the Most Expensive Ones

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

During our customer service workshops, we do an exercise we call the Moment of Misery™ Grid. The short version is that participants are asked to write down all the complaints they hear and how often they hear them. We then list them in order, with the most common complaints at the top.

It always surprises me when someone says, “We hear this all the time.” I then ask, “Why?” If you hear it all the time, why haven’t you done something about it?

The next part of the exercise is to discuss ways to eliminate or at least mitigate the problems.

Before we go further, I recognize that some organizations already have this dialed in. This exercise seems obvious, but many are surprised by the responses. They know there are problems, but they can’t always tell you how often they happen, or what they cost the organization.

So, let’s take this concept to the next level. Instead of how often we hear about the same problems, consider this question:

How often do we find ourselves fixing the same problem two times (or more) for a customer?

It’s one thing to have many customers calling and complaining about the same problem. If you can eliminate the problem, consider how much time, effort, and funds could be put toward more productive opportunities.

Most Expensive Customer Complaint

But when a customer has to call you twice (or more) for the same issue, this unnecessary call wastes time and energy for both the company and the customer. How often does this happen? Just as many companies have a goal and a metric for first call resolution, there should also be metrics for the number of calls and the amount of time required to resolve the same issue. You’re looking to measure at least four issues:

  1. How often do we fail to resolve the customer’s issue the first time?
  2. How many times do customers contact us after the initial contact for the same problem?
  3. How long did it take to finally resolve the customer’s issue (one day, one week, etc.)?
  4. What’s the average time it takes to finally resolve the problem versus how long it would take if it was solved on the first call?

That last one may be the most important metric. This will tell you how much time and money were spent because you couldn’t resolve the problem on the first call.

The point is that, just as you look to eliminate problems overall, you should also look for ways to eliminate the second (or third, or fourth …) call for the same problem. If customers are calling you twice for the same issue, the problem isn’t the customer. It’s the system … so fix it! Every repeat call that is eliminated pays dividends in the form of time, money, and customer goodwill. And that’s what a great customer service experience looks like: fixing problems once, not apologizing for them twice!

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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The Secret to Sweetwater’s Billion-Dollar Online Business

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The Secret to Sweetwater's Billion-Dollar Online Business

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Sweetwater is an online retailer specializing in selling whatever musicians need, from instruments to audio equipment and lighting. In 1979, Chuck Surack founded the company in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It started as a mobile recording studio and over time, evolved into a retail business selling musical instruments. In 1995, the company launched a website, and just a few years later was selling most of its inventory online. Surack was an early adopter of online retailing, and today, with 2,500 employees, Sweetwater is the largest online retailer of musical instruments and audio equipment in the U.S., serving millions of customers with $1.7 billion in sales.

I had a chance to interview David Fuhr, Sweetwater’s chief sales officer, for an episode of Amazing Business Radio. We discussed the secrets to creating an exceptional customer experience that drives repeat business. It turns out, it’s not a secret at all. It’s a common-sense approach to putting the customer at the center of all decisions. When a company becomes customer-focused—even customer-obsessed—magic happens. Here are six lessons any business can learn from our discussion:

1. Creating Experiences Out of Love for Your Customers Beats Just Chasing Money

This seems like a good place to start. Fuhr shared Sweetwater’s philosophy: “Our team is in it for the love of the game.” Surack started Sweetwater out of love and passion for the business, and success followed. Fuhr started playing clarinet when he was young, eventually decided to teach music, and now he gets to sell music. There are many similar stories from Sweetwater employees. They love what they do!

2. Hire the Right People

Even if you love music, it’s not easy to get hired to be a salesperson at Sweetwater. Keep in mind, Sweetwater is in Fort Wayne—not a major city like Chicago, LA or New York. All employees are expected to work in the Sweetwater office. With a smaller population, one might think Sweetwater would have difficulty hiring enough staff to support its customers. Only 5% of applicants vying for the coveted role of selling and serving customers with a shared passion for music are hired. They choose the best.

3. Training Never Stops

Sweetwater wants to ensure its salespeople have the technical information they need to sell and the soft skills to communicate effectively with customers. It’s all done through training. Once hired, new employees complete 13 weeks of training at Sweetwater University. They are paid to be in a classroom for the first 90 days of their Sweetwater journey, and it doesn’t stop there. Each week, salespeople go through 90 minutes of additional training. This reinforces something I’ve preached to my clients for decades: Training isn’t something you did. It’s something you do.

4. Core Values Create the Foundation for Strong Business

Surack was successful because of his core values-based rules, and his No. 1 core value was simple: Just do the right thing. Fuhr used my salesperson, Blake Strickland, as an example. I recently bought a guitar from Sweetwater, and he not only helped me choose the right guitar, but also took the time to go downstairs to their “store” to compare it with similar models, ensuring I would receive, in his opinion, the best guitar of the lot. This was time spent away from the phone when he could have been talking to other customers. But, as Fuhr points out, Strickland wanted me to have the best experience. In addition, Strickland didn’t want my new guitar to spend a week in various locations and climates in the back of a truck or in a warehouse while en route to my home, so he surprised me by upgrading my purchase to overnight delivery. Fuhr says, “Who are we to stop him? He’s doing the right thing for you. … We empower our employees to do the right thing.”

5. Small Acts of Generosity Surprise Customers

One of the fun things Sweetwater does is include a small bag of candy with every order. Pun intended, it’s a “sweet” gesture that gets people to smile. Fuhr says, “Generosity doesn’t need to cost much. It’s about showing you care.” A small bag of candy, a follow-up email or phone call after a sale to make sure the customer is happy, or a surprise upgrade to overnight shipping are the small acts of generosity that pleasantly surprise customers.

6. Don’t Solve Problems—Solve Customers

I asked Fuhr how Sweetwater handles complaints. He said, “We solve the customer.” His point was that the problem or complaint is not the most important factor. Sure, you must fix what needs to be fixed, but more important is to “solve the customer.” That means the customer walks away with renewed confidence that Sweetwater stands behind its products and takes care of its customers. Once “the customer is solved,” the complaint or issue is escalated to a team to discuss how to mitigate or prevent it from happening again.

Final Words

As a musician, I’m a big fan of Sweetwater. But as someone who studies customer experience for a living, I’m an even bigger fan of how they do business. The company reminds us that a great customer experience isn’t complicated. And as important as anything, they don’t just chase dollars. They chase and build relationships. Their relentless focus on the customer experience is why their customers say, “I’ll be back!”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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Customer Experience Without Exceptions

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Customer Experience Without Exceptions

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: How can organizations deliver consistently excellent customer service even when customers are difficult, rude, or unappreciative?

Last year, I wrote an article on a “rule” in customer service that I called the Reality Rule: Treat customers well, regardless of how they treat you. This was inspired by a book I read, Give Hospitality by Taylor Scott. In the article, I talked about four rules.

So, first a little review:

The Golden Rule: We all know this one. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It shows up everywhere, from religion to leadership to customer service training.

The Platinum Rule: My friend Dr. Tony Alessandra came up with this one. Do unto others as they’d like done unto them. I’ve always loved this spin on the Golden Rule, because not all customers want the same experience.

The Employee Golden Rule: I came up with this years ago. Again, it’s a spin on the Golden Rule, but it’s focused on how employees are treated. Do unto employees as you want done unto customers. You can’t expect great customer service to come from employees who aren’t treated well by their managers, leaders, and colleagues.

The Rosa Parks Rule: In Scott’s book, there is a quote attributed to Rosa Parks, who in 1955 refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, defying the racial segregation laws: Nothing in the Golden Rule says that others will treat us as we have treated them. It only says that we must treat others in a way that we would want to be treated.

I’m bringing all of this up again, because it’s worth doing so. And I have more to say about this.

If Rosa Parks’ words were to apply to business, they remind us that great customer service is unconditional.

By the way, this isn’t easy. I’ve seen great customer service reps go to great lengths to help customers, only to be met with indifference, rudeness, and a lack of appreciation. This can cause even the best of us to think, “Why should I care if they don’t?”

There is an answer: It shouldn’t matter!

How you respond is always your choice. Creating an amazing experience isn’t just for customers who say please and thank you. It’s for every customer, even if they are angry, rude, or difficult to please. By the way, abuse is never acceptable. There is always a line that should not be crossed.

The point is this: when you remove expectations, you stop being disappointed, you stop being resentful, and you start delivering consistent and intentional experiences that get customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credits: Unsplash

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Have You Achieved Your 2026 Customer Experience Resolutions?

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Have You Achieved Your 2026 Customer Experience Resolutions?

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

In January many people (and companies) take time to reset and prepare to kick off the new year. Many even make a plan. How well have you done to achieve these twelve New Year’s resolutions in the form of what you should STOP doing! (By the way, earlier in the year I wrote a similar article featuring five of these for Forbes. Read the article here.)

Before we get into the list, I went back over a year’s worth of articles, looking for the concepts I said we should do for our customers. Then I flipped them around and, instead of creating a list of resolutions to do, made a list of what to stop doing. So, here are a dozen resolutions that begin with the word stop:

  1. Stop trying to WOW every customer: To WOW the customer at every interaction is impossible. Instead, focus on consistent, predictable experiences that build trust and confidence with your customers.
  2. Stop wasting your customers’ time: Wasting a customer’s time sends the message that you don’t respect them. A generic example of this is when you call customer support and, while waiting on hold for an unreasonable period of time, you hear a message repeated: “Your call is important to us.” Obviously not!
  3. Stop thinking AI is the answer: The company that thinks they can eliminate the customer support department with AI-fueled customer service is quickly finding out they can’t. AI is an answer, but not the answer. It takes a balance between AI and humans to create the best customer service experience.
  4. Stop making customers repeat themselves: Pay attention to what the customer is saying the first time. Take notes, so if they call back or talk to someone else, there’s a record, and the customer doesn’t have to start over.
  5. Stop hiding behind company policy: It still surprises me to hear employees say, “That’s company policy.” When used the wrong way, those three words are customer loyalty killers. The policy should be to find ways to ensure customers come back.
  6. Stop treating customer service as a cost center: When done well, customer service keeps customers coming back again and again. That’s marketing. When the ROI of your customer service reduces churn and adds to the bottom line, it’s a revenue generator.
  7. Stop using acronyms and company jargon: Using initials and words used on “the inside” of a company may make customers uncomfortable. When they don’t understand or are confused because of what you say, you have to work hard to earn back their confidence.
  8. Stop thinking surveys give you the best feedback: I’m a fan of surveys when done the right way. They get your customers’ feedback, but perhaps a better source of that important information is your front line. So, recognize frontline employees as a valuable source of customer feedback.
  9. Stop thinking “We’ve already put our employees through customer service training”: Customer service training is not something you did. It’s something you do. It takes ongoing reinforcement of your original training to keep good employees customer-focused.
  10. Stop thinking loyalty programs create loyalty: There are a few loyalty programs that create true customer loyalty, but realize that loyalty programs are usually marketing programs focused on getting customers to come back. There’s nothing wrong with that, but remember that repeat customers aren’t always loyal customers.
  11. Stop assuming that if your customer doesn’t complain, they have nothing to complain about: Customers don’t always complain to you, but they will complain about you to their friends and colleagues. Silence does not necessarily mean happiness.
  12. Stop solving problems, and start solving customers: I recently interviewed David Fuhr, the chief sales officer at Sweetwater, for an upcoming episode of Amazing Business Radio. When we were discussing problem-solving and complaints, he said, “We solve the customer.” He went on to say that you first solve the customer, as in resolving the issue and winning back their confidence, and then you work with the team to find out why there was a problem and how it can be prevented from happening again. That’s a perfect example of being customer-focused.

And there you have it. Twelve ideas of what to stop doing. There are many more, and not just from articles that I’ve written. Take a look at the processes that impact your customers. What do they complain about? Create your own list of what to stop doing. It’s not just what you do. Sometimes it’s what you don’t do that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credits: Pixabay

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Lack of Feedback is a Gift

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Lack of Feedback is a Gift

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Are organizations paying attention to the feedback customers give and also to the feedback they unintentionally withhold?

There’s an old expression: Feedback is a gift. Whenever a customer is willing to take time to share feedback by talking to you, emailing you, or leaving an online comment, it’s a gift. It either validates that what you’re doing is working or points out opportunities to improve. Companies obsess over survey scores and online reviews, and that’s smart. But if you only focus on what customers are telling you, you might miss important feedback that’s unintentionally hidden in what they don’t mention.

With that said, I’m going to flip this around and say that sometimes the lack of feedback can be as important as the specific feedback a customer shares.

It’s best if I share an example, and this comes from when I was 12 years old and had a birthday party magic show business. On a good week, I was performing at eight to 10 parties. About a week after every show, I would call the parents who hired me to perform for their child to thank them again and ask, “How did you like the show?” The answer was almost always positive. My father suggested I take it a step further and follow up with, “What magic tricks did you like the best?”

My father told me that over time, I would hear the same tricks mentioned. While that’s nice, what’s just as important, if not more so, are the tricks that weren’t mentioned. This unintentional silence can be a signal. His point was that if people aren’t talking about the tricks, replace them with tricks they will talk about. At the age of 12, I was learning an important tenet of customer service and experience, which is not only to ask for feedback, but also to operationalize it. In this case, it was to create and deliver a better magic show by paying attention to what my customers weren’t saying.

In any business, there are processes and experiences that customers encounter. If we’re customer-focused, we assume that what we’ve created delivers a good experience. Often, we’ll ask for feedback. Sometimes it’s about the overall experience, and other times it’s about something specific. All of that feedback should be appreciated, and while we need to pay attention to what customers say, we should also diligently pay attention to what they don’t say. That unspoken feedback may be the best feedback, and what’s so cool about this is that the customer doesn’t even know they are doing it.

Silence can equal insight. When customers seldom or never mention parts of your experience, ask yourself why. Whatever the reason, that silence may lead to your next big improvement. Look for the feedback customers offer, and look even harder for the feedback they don’t.

Image Credits: Pixabay

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The Secret to Creating the WOW Experience

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Start On The Inside

The Secret to Creating the WOW Experience

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

As I write, I’m looking at a book I just read, Delivering the WOW by Richard Fain, chairman and former CEO of Royal Caribbean Group. If you’ve ever been on a Royal Caribbean cruise, you’ve most likely experienced some of the WOW Fain talks about in his book. That word especially applies to Icon of the Seas, which as of today, is the world’s largest and most spectacular cruise ship, able to accommodate 7,600 guests and a crew of 2,600 employees, coming in at a cost of $2 billion.

I had a chance to interview Fain about his new book where he shared his strategy for delivering WOW. However, before we go further, it’s important to know Fain’s background. Prior to joining RC, he worked for a shipping company. He described it as a commodity business. The customer needed a shipment of something to go from point A to point B. The price, as Fain said, “… [had] to be cheaper than the other guy,” and as long as it was and the shipments were delivered as promised (on time), the company earned repeat business.

However, cruise ships are part of the hospitality industry, where people have different expectations. While customers (passengers) may consider how much the trip costs, they also look at the value proposition for the money they spend. Done well, customers are less concerned about the money than about the experience. Fain said, “I found myself going from a commodity business (the shipping company) where price was all that mattered to a business where wowing the customer, exceeding their expectations, blowing them away and making them desperately interested in coming back and doing it again (was what mattered).”

While I thought I was going to learn specific ways Royal Caribbean delivered guest service, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Fain talk about the true secret to the WOW strategy, and that is to create the right culture. Fain said, “The ships are beautiful. I like architecture, the art and the design, and I’m very proud of the spectacular vessels. But it’s really the crew members who bring that to life and make it (the experience) exceptional.”

With that in mind, here are five of Fain’s strategies to WOW the customer.

  1. It’s the Culture: Fain’s culture is about a dedicated team of employees who are never satisfied and always finding ways to improve. Fain said, “We’re looking for the kind of people who really feel passionate about their jobs. You need to love doing your job. I’m amazed at our crew members who seem like they’re the ones on vacation.”
  2. Finding the Right People Is the Key to the Culture: When the culture is good, you’re going to attract the right people. Fain shared that the best way they find new employees is when current employees tell their friends, “This company is really amazing and working for them is exciting and fulfilling.” Just as you want customers to evangelize a brand, you want employees to do the same.
  3. Create the Culture Where People Don’t Leave: Fain was excited to share that he’s had the pleasure of awarding employees for 50 years of service to the company, and that the senior executives have a tenure of more than 15 years. The point is, Fain says, “People don’t leave us that easily.” When you treat employees right, they stay.
  4. The Defining Statement Aligns the Culture: I asked Fain if he had a mantra or credo for the company. His answer was simple. The WOW concept is the most common. It’s not just about providing a good cruise. Employees are expected to go above and beyond, and everyone understands (and is trained) in what that means. It’s not about an over-the-top moment, although it could be. Above and beyond can be as simple as a small gesture. Fain explains, “If you’re dealing with a child, you don’t just bend down, you get down on a knee and talk to that child. If someone asks where something is, you don’t just say, ‘Go down the corridor, turn left, then take your first right.’ You take them there.” In other words, do a little more than expected, sometimes just a tiny bit more, and you’ll be delivering an above-and-beyond experience.
  5. Your North Star Gives You Direction: As I wrapped up the interview, I asked Fain to share one final tip from his book, Deliver the WOW. He said that a company’s defining statement becomes its North Star. This is the direction you are always headed. It’s physically thousands of light years away, and it’s impossible to actually get to the North Star, but that’s the direction you are headed. Fain shared his final comment: “Mariners navigate the ship by looking at where the North Star is. And we navigate our business by constantly thinking of our North Star.” His point was that his people are focused on what makes next month better and next year better. They are always looking to make a positive change. And not just modest incremental change, but big critical changes that make a real difference.

No matter what business you’re in, you need a North Star to guide every decision and every employee. It doesn’t matter if you call it WOW or something else. What matters is the relentless focus on getting better. That overarching strategy must be ingrained in the culture. People must make that happen. Without it, you risk staying where you are while a competitor improves and passes you by. Commit to constant progress, keep your team aligned and you’ll create an ever-improving experience that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credits: Pexels

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Why Going Above and Beyond Doesn’t Work

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Why Going Above and Beyond Doesn't Work

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Should organizations aim to go above and beyond in every interaction, or focus on consistently meeting customer expectations?

This is a story about a disagreement I had with a client. I should mention, this was a friendly disagreement. His idea of an amazing experience was to go above and beyond, always exceeding the customer’s expectations.

His company is the one you call when a disaster, such as a flood, tornado, or fire, hits your home or office. The company specializes in cleanup and restoration. The owner believed it was important to go above and beyond in every interaction. So, I asked him for an example.

He said that when a customer calls – day or night, 365 days a year – someone will be there, and an emergency team will be dispatched immediately.

As nicely as I could, I told him that what he described was not an above-and-beyond example. No, what he described was what every customer expected. While the customer may be elated with how quickly the company responds to their emergency, that’s what his company is supposed to do.

Above and beyond experiences are reserved for unexpected moments. Not long ago, I wrote about the story Steve Wynn, the chairman of Wynn Resorts, a group of hotels and casinos, shared about how an employee helped a guest get medicine she had left at home. That was truly an above-and-beyond example.

It doesn’t always have to be something big.

However, it doesn’t always have to be something big. For example, the surprise piece of cake with a candle the server at a restaurant brings to the table, not because someone told him it was a guest’s birthday, but simply because he overheard the patrons talking about the birthday. He took advantage of that information and created the surprise-and-delight moment, another version of above-and-beyond.

But you can’t count on emergencies and birthdays to happen every time. You can take advantage of those moments when you know they’re coming, but if every day, in every interaction, you focus on giving the customer your best effort to meet, and even slightly exceed, their expectations, you’re operating in the zone of amazement.

Going above and beyond should never be the goal for every interaction. It’s not sustainable, and it’s definitely not a realistic goal. What is realistic is delivering consistent and predictable experiences that meet expectations every time and occasionally rise just a bit above them. The point is, customers don’t demand fireworks unless that’s the kind of experience you sell. What they want is reliability, ease, and empathy. When those are in place, the occasional above-and-beyond or surprise-and-delight moments become icing on the cake, not the foundation of your service. Do what customers expect, every time, and you’ll amaze them with your consistency. That’s what builds trust, loyalty, and the kind of reputation that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back.”

Image Credits: Pexels

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2026 Customer Service and CX Trend Predictions

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2026 Customer Service and CX Trend Predictions

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Welcome to my annual article featuring customer service and customer experience (CX) trends and predictions. This year is another two-part article divided into two specific categories. Part One features trends and predictions that have little or nothing to do with AI. It may be that technology, including AI, helps drive the trend, but the overarching concept is not specific to AI. Part Two (coming next week) will include my AI and technology predictions. With that in mind, here are the first five of my 10 predictions:

  1. When it comes to customer service and CX, customers continue to be smarter. I’ve opened with this same trend for several years, and it is becoming more relevant each year. Our customers know what great customer service is. They don’t compare you to your direct competitor. Instead, they compare you to their favorite company or brand to do business with. That sets a subconscious benchmark for what they consider good service. Brands like Amazon, Apple, Costco, Ritz-Carlton and others known for delivering a great experience are who you are now compared to.
  2. Proactive service will become a new competitive advantage. Convenience and speed have been important competitive differentiators. Now, we can add the concept of proactive service. Proactive service equates to “no service,” meaning customers don’t have to reach out because you’ve already fixed the problem or communicated with them before they needed to. For example, you receive an email or text message from your internet provider informing you of an outage, with updates on the progress they are making to repair the problem. Or the airline that informs you of a travel delay and automatically re-books you so you don’t have to pick up the phone and wait on hold to talk to an agent.
  3. Customers will expect companies to value and respect their time. My annual customer service and CX research finds that the importance of a company valuing its customers’ time is increasingly important. Customers equate speed with respect, and anything that they consider a waste of time, such as waiting on hold, repeating themselves, being transferred numerous times or anything else that steals their time away, is inconvenient friction that will cause customers to switch to a competitor, hoping for a better experience.
  4. Employees will expect the same experience internally that customers expect externally. Getting and keeping good employees has never been more important—and difficult. Customer experience starts on the inside of the organization. Treating employees the same way you want customers to be treated sets a standard. In addition, employees can’t deliver a great experience if they are struggling with broken systems, unclear processes and outdated tools. While I’ve written about this many times over the years, it seems to be one of the topics that comes up in almost every conversation I have with the leadership of a company.
  5. Trust will be recognized as part of the customer experience. Of course, the customer expects you to do what you say you will do. It’s always been that way. Customers want to do business with a company that delivers what it promises, with integrity and aligned values. And when companies deliver a better customer experience, they earn greater trust from their customers. (According to my annual CX research, 83% of consumers said a good customer experience increases their trust in a company or brand.) However, no matter how friendly and nice a company treats its customers, if the customer doesn’t get what they expect or there are ethical issues, it’s game over.

Most of these trends and predictions shouldn’t surprise you. The customer’s knowledge and experience with companies that excel in CX play a role in putting these trends and predictions in the spotlight. To make these trends actionable, consider the following:

  • Don’t compare your service experience to your direct competition, but instead to your favorite companies to do business with outside of your industry.
  • Be proactive and fix problems or communicate with customers before they contact you.
  • Identify the friction that causes customers to “waste time,” and work to eliminate or mitigate the friction.
  • Treat your employees the way you want your customers to be treated. Your CX strategy starts on the inside of your company.
  • Do what you promise. Whenever a customer decides to do business with you, there is an implied contract. In addition, an ethical breach becomes a bigger issue than just losing one customer. It puts your company’s reputation in jeopardy.

These trends aren’t complicated, but they are important. When companies focus on what customers value most (ease, honesty and consistency), they earn trust, loyalty and repeat business.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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AI’s Absurd Response to an Absurd Question

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AI's Absurd Response to an Absurd Question

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Can AI be fully trusted to handle customer service issues, and what are the limitations of relying on AI for customer support?

As I write this article, I’m at the CX Malaysia conference, where I was the opening speaker, watching Dr. Shreekant Vijaykar of COPC Inc., one of the other speakers, talk about AI and how you can’t always trust its responses.

Dr. Vijaykar said that he asked ChatGPT the following question:

“I just bought a pair of shoes from Amazon, and they messed up the order. The shoe for the right foot was for the left foot, and the shoe for the left foot was for my right foot. What should I do about this mistake?”

He then shared that the response was to contact Amazon to let them know about the mistake, and they will refund the purchase price or exchange the shoes. I didn’t believe him, so I asked ChatGPT the same question. To my surprise, here was the answer:

That’s definitely a strange mix-up – and something Amazon should fix quickly. Here’s what to do:

  • Start the Return/Replacement Process: Go to Your Orders on Amazon. Find the shoe order and click “Return or Replace Items.” Choose the reason: “Wrong item was sent” or “Item defective or not as described.” Amazon will usually offer a free return label and a replacement option.
  • Describe the Issue Clearly: In the notes, explain exactly what happened–something like: “The right shoe is shaped for the left foot and vice versa. The pair I received cannot be worn properly.” That level of clarity helps Amazon’s quality control team flag the issue for the seller or manufacturer.
  • Choose the Replacement (if you still want the shoes): If you like the shoes and they’re still available, request a replacement instead of a refund. Amazon will often ship it out before your return even arrives.

Shep Hyken ChatGPT Cartoon
I took this absurd response a step further and wrote: “Maybe there’s a better response. It’s not really a mistake. … Just put the shoes on the opposite feet and they will work just fine. Thoughts?”

ChatGPT’s response was:

“Ha! That’s a funny way to look at it, but unfortunately, that’s not quite how shoes work. Even if you can technically put them on opposite feet, they’ll be uncomfortable and could mess up your posture or cause pain after a while – especially if you wear them for long periods.”

Dr. Vijaykar’s experiment revealed an important truth about AI: It makes mistakes. ChatGPT treated two normal shoes as if they were defective, offering a detailed explanation of Amazon’s return process.

AI is powerful, but just like humans, it can make mistakes. This ridiculous exchange is why some customers fear using AI for customer support. If you use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or others, you must have a way to check answers. Apparently, common sense isn’t something that can be programmed. At least, not yet!

Image Credits: Pixabay

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Amazon Connect Combines Human Empathy with AI to Redefine Service

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Amazon Connect Combines Human Empathy with AI to Redefine Service

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Will AI replace people?

This is a question I’m often asked. In the customer service world, there are many who say AI will replace human-to-human support. It’s been predicted by the world’s most reputable consulting firms. However, executives from some of the largest and most recognizable brands on the planet have said that while AI is making for a better customer experience, people are still needed and their companies are continuing to hire.

That sentiment was recently confirmed when I interviewed Pasquale DeMaio, vice president and general manager of Amazon Connect, on Amazing Business Radio. His specific approach to AI and human-to-human customer service is summed up in two words: Better Together.

Human and AI: Better Together

Customer service works best when technology and humans come together. While AI and automation can make things faster and easier, there will be times when customers still want to talk to a live customer support agent.

The point is to automate the simple requests and questions and empower agents to manage more complex issues. DeMaio said (referring to customer service agents), “No one is enjoying a password reset, neither talking to someone about it nor listening to the request.” Let AI take care of the simple questions and requests, and let humans manage the more complex problems and emotional issues.

AI Can’t Do Empathy — That’s What People Do

DeMaio said, “People aren’t really looking for technology to form that emotional connection when they’re trying to achieve an outcome.” While AI can talk to a customer and sound like a human, the customer knows it’s just a machine. It can say, “I’m sorry,” and sound empathetic, but it’s not, and the customer knows it. Authentic empathy is a human-to-human experience.

DeMaio shares his philosophy of friendly, empathetic service. He says, “At Amazon, we actually tell people to treat the customer on the phone like they’re your friend. But what we don’t say is the person on the phone is your friend. … What’s natural is to treat them the way you would treat a friend.” And that is how empathy begins.

Customer Support Doesn’t Cost — It Pays

Traditional contact centers have focused on quick, efficient resolutions. Metrics like AHT (Average Handle Time) are efficiency measurements. The goal of handling as many calls as quickly as possible is not as effective as using customer support to not only solve customer issues but also enhance customer relationships. Once again, let AI-fueled self-service tools handle simple problems and have people (customer support agents) spend a little more time with customers to drive repeat business and loyalty. In addition, DeMaio points out that businesses should aim to understand why a customer might want to leave and proactively create positive experiences well before they escalate, to get customers to want to come back. For example, Amazon Connect’s real-time analytics empower agents to detect customer sentiment, identify at-risk relationships and take the necessary steps to save the customer.

Finding the Balance Between Technology and Human-to-Human Conversations

The balance between technology and human support will vary. However, the future of customer service is not about choosing between AI and humans. It’s about using the strengths of both to create a convenient, efficient and seamless experience. Customer service is not just about fixing. It’s about caring and building long-term, loyal relationships. DeMaio summed it up by saying, “Think about the long-term value of the customer. And then think about how you would want to be treated as a human being. And then think about how AI can help you do that better.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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