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

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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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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