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

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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10 Ways to Build Customer Trust in Customer Experience

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10 Ways to Build Customer Trust in Customer Experience

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Are organizations not only paying attention to the feedback customers give but also to the feedback they unintentionally withhold?

In the past few months, I’ve been writing and speaking about how trust fits into the customer experience. Trust is earned, and once earned, it results in a customer who has confidence to keep doing business with you. I created a metric, the Customer Confidence Score (CCS), to measure how much a customer trusts you. So, let’s say the customer gives you a 10 on a scale of 1-10. Why do they give you that perfect score? Here are ten reasons why:

  1. You Keep Your Promise: This is simple. You do what you say you will do, and always when you say you will.
  2. Fixing and Owning Mistakes: You don’t make excuses and blame others. You simply focus on fixing whatever needs fixing.
  3. Transparency: There are no surprises, such as hidden fees or rules hidden in small print.
  4. You Protect Your Customer’s Data: Your customer’s privacy and security aren’t negotiable. How the customer’s information and data are protected and how breaches are handled will add to your customer’s trust. Customers must know you guard their information.
  5. You Show Respect: Treat your customers with dignity, respect, and appreciation. This builds trust.
  6. You Embrace Feedback: Your customers know their voice matters. You listen and act on their feedback, and, just as important, you acknowledge them for sharing it.
  7. You Give Back: A company that has a social cause or gives back to the community enjoys more trust than companies that don’t.
  8. You Don’t Take Advantage of Customers: Your customers never feel manipulated by sales tactics, small print, or anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or taken advantage of.
  9. Consistency: When customers do business with you, they know what to expect.
  10. Ethics: This is non-negotiable. There should never be any question about your ethics.

Customer Trust Formula Cartoon

Bonus: Give the customer a great customer service experience. Our annual customer service and CX research found that 83% of customers said that a good experience increases their trust in the person or company they are doing business with.

Trust is more than a business strategy. It’s a promise you keep every day. It is part of your company’s DNA. When customers trust you, they believe in you. They become your fans, your evangelists, and your best source of growth. Earning trust isn’t about one big moment. It’s built over a period of time when your customers know their experience is consistent, you’ll keep your promise, and you’ll do what’s right. Do that and your customers will say, “I’ll be back!”

Special Bonus: If you want a copy of a short eBook I created on the Customer Confidence Score, go to www.Hyken.com/customer-confidence-score.

Image Credits: Gemini

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De-Googlize Your Company

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De-Googlize Your Company

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: How can a company grow and outperform competitors without relying on Google search rankings or paid advertising?

What company doesn’t want to rank high in Google searches? When a customer is looking for whatever you sell, wouldn’t you want to be ranked at the top of the first page? Unless you’re willing to pay and advertise, you have to naturally get there, and that typically takes quite a bit of expertise and effort.

But, what if Google didn’t matter to your business? What if there were another way to get new customers without vying for high search engine rankings?

If you’ve been following my work, you probably know the answer. Once you have a customer, provide the experience that not only makes them come back, but makes them want to tell others about you. And if you want to make it competitive, like outranking your competition on Google, then out-service them.

De-Googlize Your Company Shep Hyken Cartoon

So, how do you out-service your competition? Here are five ways:

  1. Ensure your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is high. For those who don’t know, NPS is about the likelihood of a customer recommending you. The question on a survey usually is this: On a scale of 0-10, what’s the likelihood that you would recommend us? If the customer gives you a high score (a 9 or 10), they are a promoter. Depending on the type of business, don’t just feel good about the number. If appropriate, follow up with a customer and ask them, “Who would you recommend us to?”
  2. Find out why your customers would choose to do business with a competitor. This one and the next one come from my “I’ll Be Back” conversation to get customers to say, “I’ll be back.” What are they doing that you aren’t? If it’s something you should be doing, do so, but make it your own. Don’t just copy a competitor. Put your own spin on it to make it yours.
  3. Have a discussion with your team about favorite companies to do business with outside of your industry. Discuss what they do to make you love them. If there is something they are doing that would work for your business, do it. This is a powerful idea that can take you from best-in-your-industry to world-class.
  4. Ask customers why they left. If a customer is willing to share with you why they no longer do business with you, it’s a gift. Learning firsthand from past customers could help save future customers from leaving for the competition.
  5. Ask customers why they didn’t choose you. If there is a way to follow up with customers who you thought would do business with you but didn’t, take advantage of the opportunity. Their feedback is a gift.
  6. Measure how easy it is to do business with you. You may have a great product, and you may offer friendly and knowledgeable customer support, but is it easy to do business with you? My annual customer service and experience research finds that 71% of customers said a convenient experience alone would make them come back. Be easier than your competition, and you’ll win more business.

When you “de-Googlize” your business, you stop chasing clicks and start creating customer evangelists who not only love you but also tell their friends about you. The best search engine in the world isn’t online. It’s in your customers’ minds. Deliver an experience that’s so good customers don’t search for you. They remember you, return to you, and recommend you. That’s how you outrank your competition!

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Unsplash

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What Happens When AI Becomes Your Customer?

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What Happens When AI Becomes Your Customer?

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

What if AI started making buying decisions for your customers?

Breaking news! It already is! And that means your marketing, sales and customer experience strategy may be in need of a major overhaul.

One of my favorite business authors is Mark Schaefer. His books are always thought-provoking, relevant and accurate. His most recent book, How AI Changes Your Customer: The Marketing Guide to Humanity’s Next Chapter, may even be a little disturbing. His message is clear.

Schaefer makes the point that AI is thinking on behalf of your customers, and when AI becomes your customer’s brain, AI becomes your customer.

Reread that last sentence, maybe more than once or twice, and let it sink in.

Schaefer’s book makes the case that people increasingly delegate their thinking and decision-making to AI. He illustrates this point with a simple yet powerful analogy: If you’re in the diaper business, babies are the end users, but they are not the decision-makers. Decision-makers are the caregivers responsible for the end users. Therefore, diaper companies know to market to the caregiver responsible for the baby, not the baby.

In business, AI is becoming the decision-maker. Customers aren’t Googling to look at different websites. They are using ChatGPT-type platforms to engage in discussions about the pros and cons of various products, brands and other topics.

As I’m writing this article, I realize that I’m one of those customers. Just yesterday, I researched my choices for a new barbecue pit using ChatGPT. I used Athena to help me make my decision. Yes, I named my voice version of ChatGPT Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and knowledge. (By the way, Athena appreciated that. She told me so!)

That conversation with Athena changed my mind about the original barbecue pit I had planned to buy. It also changed which store I was going to buy it from. Athena did my thinking for me. It wasn’t a salesperson. It wasn’t a friend’s suggestion. It was AI.

So what happened here? Schaefer’s point that AI is thinking on behalf of customers is what happened.

The most important mantra in marketing has been “know your customer.” Yet AI changes that when it begins to “rewire the customer’s brain.” The book draws insights from a study by 300 global experts that reveals how AI is transforming not just what people do, but also how they do it. It’s changing who they are. We’re watching the psychology of marketing changing in real time.

Before I go further, I’m not an expert on how technology works. My focus is on how technology impacts customers. So, as I write a summary of what I think are the most important points in the book, I’m doing so with the customer in mind. Here is my summary of five of Shaefer’s most important points that every leader must understand if they want their company to stay relevant and survive:

1. The Death of Deep Thinking

AI-driven “cognitive offloading” is eroding our ability for critical thinking. MIT and University of Pennsylvania studies reveal that frequent AI users show diminished capability for analytical reasoning. The implication for businesses is that you are now selling to both humans and the AI apps that make decisions on their behalf. AI is removing emotional decision-making from the equation. Schaefer’s point is that thinking can become optional when we allow AI to help us make—or completely make—decisions for us.

2. When Artificial Empathy Wins

Schaefer makes the case in the early part of this chapter that, “if a machine makes you feel seen, heard and understood, does it matter if it’s a machine?” It’s now reported that AI chatbots outperform licensed therapists on empathy. Customers are forming strong bonds with technology that guides them through decision-making. However, when a company relies on AI for customer support and care, while it is efficient, it is removing the emotional conversation that live agents have with customers from the relationship equation—at least for now.

3. The Confidence Crisis

This chapter starts with these words: “Once upon a time we trusted ourselves. … Now we outsource our confidence (to AI).” AI can handle everything from dinner reservations to career advice. People are developing learned helplessness and doubting their own judgment. According to Stanford psychology professor Russell Poldrack, “When people can easily use AI to perform tasks they used to struggle with, it’s likely to lead to a lack of confidence in one’s own reasoning and ability to solve problems.”

4. Purpose, Meaning and Values are Changing

Schaefer says, “Of all the ways AI will reshape humanity, the theft of purpose may be the cruelest.” He used the example of how he toils over writing an article, let alone a book. Now, he can ask AI to write an essay on a marketing topic, and in seconds, it will return a decent draft. When AI can operate at this level, we must be aware of how people will start thinking, acting and doing. This will have a huge impact on how we design a customer experience.

5. When the Algorithm Becomes Your Customer

Back to my example of how AI changed my mind about the barbecue pit I was going to buy. AI helped me make my decision. A recurring theme throughout the book is the growing trust we have in AI. That means that as leaders, we must learn how to influence the influencer. To do that, Schaefer says you must learn to write for the algorithm, not just the customer. “Today, AI sits between your brand and your buyer.”

Final Words

Schaefer’s book combines warning and opportunity. We’ve barely scratched the surface of how customers’ buying decisions are changing. The brands that will survive, according to Schaefer, are the ones that aren’t resisting this change, are embracing it, and at the same time, realizing they still need to find the balance between AI and the heart. In the end, it’s a human that is paying for what you sell, using what you sell and enjoying it enough to (hopefully) come back and buy more of what you sell.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credit: Shep Hyken

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Showing Respect for Your Customer’s Time

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Showing Respect for Your Customer's Time

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: How do you prove to customers that you value and respect their time throughout the customer experience?

A customer takes the time to buy a product, which could include research, visits to a store, calls to a salesperson, and many other tasks that go into a pre-purchase routine. So once they buy it, the work should be over. But sometimes it’s not. Something goes wrong, or the customer may have a question. Regardless of what it is, they are about to spend more time related to their purchase that isn’t just the actual use of the product.

My point is that when the customer has to spend more time than they should, make it so easy and reasonable that they have confidence that if there is ever another problem, you’re a company that is easy to do business with and respects the customer’s time.

Superhero Customer Service Shep Hyken

When you show respect for a customer’s time, it pays dividends in the form of repeat business, customer loyalty, and word-of-mouth referrals. So, how can you prove this to the customer? As I was preparing for an upcoming customer experience keynote speech, I created an acronym for the word TIME.

  • T is for Timely: Respect the clock and quickly respond. Return calls, emails, and messages when promised – or sooner. Fast response shows respect, and the longer the wait, the less customers trust you. Every unnecessary minute equals disrespect.
  • I is for Individualized: Make efficiency personal. Know and remember your customer. Use information and data on the customer to anticipate needs and create a more time-efficient experience.
  • M is for Minimal Effort: This is about being easy. Reduce transfers, logins, and redundant questions, and streamline processes. Two words sum this one up: eliminate friction.
  • E is for Efficiency: Efficiency is the combination of the T, I, and M. Solve issues in one interaction. Use technology to accelerate an experience, not complicate it. More efficient also means “more easier.” (I know, that’s poor English, but it makes the point.) Efficient means easy, and easy creates confidence.

Time is the one resource your customers can never get back. Every minute they spend navigating your phone system, repeating information, or chasing down answers is a minute stolen from their day. When you make things easy and fast, you’re not just solving a problem, you’re proving that your customers’ time matters to you.

So, here’s a homework assignment. Look at your customer touchpoints. Find if there is friction that’s wasting their time. What process can be streamlined? What one step can be eliminated? Create the experience that’s easy and saves your customer’s time. In a world where everyone is stretched thin, being the company that values time is more than just good service. It’s a competitive advantage.

Image Credit: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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5 Ways IKEA Creates A Luxury Experience

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How IKEA Creates A Luxury Experience

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

IKEA is a retailer known for furniture that the customers have to assemble. Its showrooms feature ongoing displays of its products, and delicious Swedish meatballs are sold in restaurants located inside its stores. It is also known as affordable, which may make you ask, “How can an affordable brand, like IKEA, create a luxury experience?”

That’s the question answered by Neen James, the author of Exceptional Experiences: Five Luxury Levers to Elevate Every Aspect of Your Business, who uses IKEA as a case study to prove that even brands known for low prices can create a luxury experience.

In my interview with James on Amazing Business Radio, she makes it clear that luxury experiences aren’t always about high-end and high cost, although they can be. An evening at the Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons will cost significantly more than an inexpensive roadside hotel, and the experience will be distinctly different. However, the experience at an inexpensive hotel can be elevated by triggering the five luxury levels in James’ book.

Luxury Is About Experiences, Not Things

This is the title of Part One in the book and makes the case for my hotel comment above. James says, “You don’t have to have a luxury product to provide a luxury level of service.” Luxury experiences don’t have to be costly or limited to fancy products like expensive handbags or high-end cars (or fancy hotels). Even a small business or budget hotel can deliver what feels like a luxury experience if it focuses on how it treats its customers. It’s more important to make people feel special, valued and appreciated than to give them material things. True luxury comes from the way you make someone feel, not just from the price tag.

The Five Characteristics of Luxury

According to James, “In the Luxury Mindset Study, we learned that luxury is defined with five words: high quality, long lasting, authentic, unique and indulgent. These characteristics apply whether you’re at Motel 6 or the Ritz, except maybe the word indulgent.” These words can shape the way your company or team interacts with customers, making every experience feel exceptional. By focusing on these qualities, even basic products and services can seem luxurious. It’s the way you make customers feel. James says, “Always look for ways to make your service authentic and memorable.”

The Five Luxury Levers

James talks about “champagne moments,” about elevating the ordinary and making it extraordinary. Any company can have these types of moments. It’s about elevating these moments and creating a human connection. The experience elevation model has five levers:

  1. Entice: Create the experience that will captivate your customers’ interest and make them pay attention to you.
  2. Invite: Communicate your offerings in a way that makes them feel exclusive and desirable. Make your customers feel special by making them feel as if they have been “invited” to do business with you. When possible, make it feel personal.
  3. Excite: The experience should be exciting enough to be share-worthy. If your customers are talking about you, you’ve triggered this level. James writes in her book, “When clients think of your brand, you want them to ask, with awe and wonder, ‘What else will they do?’”
  4. Delight: This lever comes from making a customer feel unique and special, offering excellent customer service and anticipating your customers’ needs.
  5. Ignite: This is where you create advocates. The experience is so good that customers want to tell others about you.

How IKEA Creates a Luxury Experience

While not traditionally associated with luxury, according to James, IKEA hits a number of luxury triggers. First, they engage all five senses—even taste and smell, thanks to the brand’s delicious Swedish meatballs. The in-store experience allows customers to touch fabrics and see how easy products are to assemble. Its use of “sensory elements” (touch, taste, smell, sight) makes shopping at an IKEA store feel special and memorable.

Additionally, there is the incredible experience of the IKEA effect, in which customers feel a sense of accomplishment when they assemble furniture themselves, creating more satisfaction than simply receiving pre-assembled furniture.

And to emphasize that luxury is about experiences, not things, James points out that luxury is not about the price tag. IKEA offers the luxury experience in a way that makes customers feel special, not just through expensive items. In short, it’s all about the experience.

Final Words

Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the five characteristics of luxury or James’ luxury levers. They may seem like common sense, but common sense isn’t so common.

Dig into these ideas and strategize around how you can activate them throughout your customers’ journey. Ask yourself questions like, “What do we do to entice our customers?” “Do we make customers feel special, like they are invited guests?,” or “Are we creating the type of experience that our customers would want to tell others about?”

Questions like these will get you into a luxury mindset. Remember, the luxury experience is tied to the customer experience more than it is to fancy and expensive products.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credit: Shep Hyken

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10 Reasons Why Customers Hate Calling You for Help 

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10 Reasons Why Customers Hate Calling You for Help 

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Why do customers hate calling customer support, and how can companies fix the experience?

I have good news. Calling customer support is getting better, even if you don’t notice it yet. Part of the reason you might think it’s not improving is that past bad experiences have left such a “metaphorical scar” that you avoid making the call for many reasons I’ll share in just a moment.

Yes, we may still encounter friction when calling for help or support, but with the latest technology, which includes AI-infused chatbots that either talk or message with you, the experience of getting help is improving. And even without technology, it’s still possible to create an experience that makes customers love you. You just have to know what they hate about calling for support and eliminate those from the experience. So, with that in mind, here are the ten reasons customers hate calling for help:

  1. Making It Hard to Find Contact Information: This is where customer support starts. Some companies seem to bury contact information, making it hard for customers to find, which creates or adds frustration.
  2. Long Hold Times: Nobody wants to wait. At best, keep hold times short. At worst, which isn’t so bad, let customers know how long the wait will be and give them the option of a call-back.
  3. Making Customers Repeat Themselves: The more times you make customers retell their story, the more frustrated they become.
  4. Being Transferred: The goal should be to not transfer a customer, but if you do, make sure it’s only once. And multiple transfers most likely mean customers are repeating themselves multiple times.
  5. Agents Who Aren’t Empowered: If you hire good people and train them well, they should be empowered to take care of customers, eliminating the need for customers to repeat themselves and be transferred multiple times.

Agent Representative Customer Service Shep Hyken Cartoon

  1. Inconvenient Hours of Operation: Some companies make support available only during normal working hours. This is fine if your customers are unemployed, but for everyone else, be accessible. And with AI being able to handle many issues, some questions and problems can be answered 24/7.
  2. Bad Phone Trees or IVRs (Interactive Voice Response): If you have called for support and none of the choices offered are what you need, or you find yourself trapped in a loop of options, you’ve experienced this. By the way, our annual customer support research found that 76% of customers have been caught in an automated menu system and screamed “Agent” or “Representative” into the phone, before eventually hanging up.
  3. Clunky and Ineffective Self-Service: Customer support of any type should be easy. Self-service systems should be intuitive and easy to navigate.
  4. Telling Customers, “You Have to ____ ”: It’s okay to tell a customer what to do, just phrase it in a way that’s helpful, not forceful. And if you can do it for them, even better.
  5. Customer Anxiety: This may be the most important one! There’s a reason that 34% of customers we surveyed said they would rather go to the dentist than call customer support. It’s because they’ve experienced one or more of the above reasons that customers hate calling customer support. This anxiety causes customers to be frustrated even before they decide to reach out to you.

Yes, there are other reasons that frustrate and anger customers when they have to call customer support. A short summary of the above is to be easy, eliminate friction, respect customers’ time, and give them the right answer the first time. This will make customers love you and say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credit: Shep Hyken, Unsplash

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CX Leadership Insights from Disney, Ritz-Carlton and MasterCard

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CX Leadership Insights from Disney, Ritz-Carlton and MasterCard

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

If you look up the definition of customer experience in the dictionary, you might find a picture of Lance Gruner, whose leadership, customer service and CX training come from his stints at some of the most recognizable brands on the planet, including Disney, The Ritz-Carlton and MasterCard, where he served as executive vice president of global customer care in his most recent role.

After retiring from MasterCard earlier this year, Gruner decided to share the lessons he learned from a lifetime of leadership and customer experience in his new book, Ten Things They Hate About You: A CX Playbook for Leaders. If keeping customers is important to you — and you know it is — then this is the next book you want to read.

I interviewed Gruner on an episode of Amazing Business Radio, and we talked about some of the most valuable lessons he learned from working for those iconic brands.

1. Walk the Property

Gruner says, “Today, a lot of leaders make decisions from the boardroom, but they rarely experience their customers’ friction points firsthand.” He learned the importance of “walking the property” from his days at the Ritz-Carlton, where he would walk through the hotel daily and notice what guests were seeing, smelling and experiencing. This “walk the property” ritual applies to any type of business. It simply means stepping outside of the office to buy and use the products you sell, just as a customer would. Or calling the company to ask a question during busy times. Observe the experience from the customer’s point of view. To make good decisions, you must experience what customers experience.

2. Pick Up the Trash

Employees pay attention to their leaders, and they notice everything. One of the most powerful leadership principles Gruner shared was how leaders teach everyone else how to act at work. We talked about his days at Disney and how Walt Disney used to walk the property. All cast members (Disney’s term for employees) paid close attention to Mr. Disney. They noticed whether he walked by a piece of trash or stooped down to pick it up and throw it away. Gruner says, “If a leader walks past a piece of paper on the ground and doesn’t pick it up, you condone that activity.” In other words, as a leader, you are giving permission for your employees to do the same. Picking up trash is a metaphor. Make sure the behaviors you model are the ones you want your team to repeat.

3. Pay Attention to Details

Small details make a big difference. It’s often the little things customers remember. Gruner insists that companies pay attention to every touchpoint, no matter how minor, to find opportunities to enhance the experience and earn a customer’s trust. Details aren’t just details. They can be the difference between losing a customer or creating a fan for life.

4. Automate Where You Can

One of my favorite questions to ask high-level execs in the CX world is whether or not AI will take away jobs. Every one of them has said, “No,” and Gruner agrees, saying, “AI is going to automate the simple things that you currently have your team doing, freeing up time for them to really take care of customers.” By removing the simple, mundane tasks, employees have more time to focus on complex issues and do what AI can’t do, which is old-fashioned human-to-human relationship building.

5. The Top Reason a Customer Hates You

Hate is a strong word. Using that word implies customers do not want to do business with you. To wrap up our interview, I asked for one lesson from his book, Ten Things They Hate About You, that we must know. His answer was quick, simple and something we already know (and have probably experienced). It’s having to deal with untrained and unempowered employees. When companies look to cut costs, one of the first areas they cut is training. Yes, taking people away from their normal productive responsibilities to train them is expensive, but what happens when you don’t? What happens when a customer interacts with an employee who hasn’t been properly trained or doesn’t have the knowledge to help the customer resolve their problem? We know what happens … the customer disappears.

Final Words

Customer experience isn’t built in a boardroom. It’s built where your customers live, buy and interact with your brand. Gruner’s insights remind us that the best leaders stay close to the front line, empower their people and never stop paying attention to the little things. That’s how you turn ordinary moments into extraordinary ones, and keep your customers saying, “I’ll be back!”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

Image Credit: Shep Hyken

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How to Hire Like the Richest Man in the World

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How to Hire Like the Richest Man in the World

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This article answers the question: Is it better to hire employees for attitude or for skill, especially in customer service roles?

The old saying in business, when it comes to hiring people, is this:

Hire for attitude, train for skill.

I’ve shared ideas related to this quote in several articles and videos. So, why bring it up again? First, it’s a concept worth revisiting to remind us of this important truth, especially in the world of customer service and experience. Second, I recently heard a version of this that captures the essence and further emphasizes the importance of attitude versus skill.

As I write, the richest man in the world is Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, with an estimated net worth north of $500 billion. Whether you like the way he does business or not, we can’t ignore that he may have ideas worth paying attention to, and his take on this old quote is one of those ideas. The concept of hiring for attitude is driven home when he says, “Skills can be taught, but attitude changes require a brain transplant.”

Another man worth paying attention to is Jim Bush. In my book The Amazement Revolution, I interviewed Bush, who at the time was the executive VP of world service for American Express, responsible for customer support centers around the world. He shared that if he could hire someone with years of experience at a support center or working at the front desk of a hotel, he would choose the person with the hotel front desk experience.

Shep Hyken cartoon illustrating why you should hire for attitude and train for skill

Bush said, “We’re talking about human engagement, and that requires the ability to connect.” That’s why American Express began hiring people with hospitality experience. They had the attitude American Express was looking for. After being hired, they could be trained on the technical skills needed to work the computers at a contact center.

Now, before I go further, some of you might be thinking that certain jobs require specific skills, regardless of employees’ attitudes, and you are correct. A surgeon must graduate from medical school before operating. An electrician must learn the trade before wiring a home. Certain jobs require technical proficiency. However, if you hire someone with those skills who has the wrong attitude, they can harm your culture and potentially drive customers away. So, take this concept in the spirit of its meaning.

So, back to Musk’s line about attitude changes requiring a brain transplant. The comment is a bold way of saying that attitude isn’t something you can download like software. It’s hard-wired. People’s attitudes have been formed over their entire lives, from the time they were babies. Leaders who understand this focus on recruiting people who come to the job with the right mindset, with an attitude that fits the personality of the company. The takeaway is simple. Hire people who care. Then, teach them the specific skills they need to perform their job effectively. You can train for competence, but you can’t train for caring.

Image Credit: Pixabay

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