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

Bringing a Hospitality Mentality to Customer Experience

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Bringing a Hospitality Mentality to Customer Experience

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Want to know the secret to creating an amazing customer experience? It’s simpler than you might think. I recently interviewed Michael Cecchi-Azzolina on my podcast, Amazing Business Radio, and his answer was refreshingly straightforward: “Be kind. Just be nice.”

Cecchi is the owner of Cecchi’s restaurant in New York City and author of Your Table is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D’. With nearly 40 years in the hospitality industry, he’s learned that kindness trumps everything else.

It’s Called “Hospitality” for a Reason

Cecchi noticed something interesting. Customers weren’t just thanking him for good service—they were specifically thanking him for his “hospitality.” This shift represents something important. People don’t just want service. They want to feel welcomed, valued and cared for.

Cecchi said, “This is new. I’ve been doing this for almost forty years, and I’ve only been hearing this the past year and a half or so.” The trend in what customers want and expect—for all industries, not just hospitality—is an experience that includes employees who are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. That’s hospitality.

The Food or Service Question

Years ago, Cecchi interviewed for a job with legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer, who asked him a question that would stick with him for decades: “What’s more important, food or service?” After years of working with world-class chefs, Cecchi’s answer is clear: “It always came down to the service.”

His point is, you could have the best product in the world, but if your service is poor, customers won’t come back. As Cecchi put it, “If you have a surly waiter, a maître d’ who’s rude, a bartender who doesn’t acknowledge you … chances are you’re not coming back.”

My annual customer service and experience research backs this up. Every year, my survey finds that rudeness and apathy are the top reasons customers leave businesses. Sure, the product is important, but kindness — the opposite of rudeness and apathy — is what keeps them coming back.

We Don’t Sell Products—We Sell Experiences

One of my favorite quotes from our conversation was when Cecchi said, “We don’t sell food. We sell an experience. The experience begins when our front door opens. If the lights are perfect and the music is right and you’re getting this wonderful smile from the person at the door … you’re winning.” This is true for every business. You aren’t selling insurance, software or consulting services. You’re selling an experience wrapped around those things.

What does this look like in your business? What’s your equivalent of perfect lighting and the right music? It might be as simple as answering the phone with a smile in your voice or remembering a customer’s name.

The Broadway Principle

Cecchi’s first job out of high school was working at Playwrights Horizons. They had no money to pay him, but he wanted the experience. His boss knew Cecchi needed money to live, and it would be a short time before Cecchi would have to move on, so the boss got him a job at the restaurant across the street.

Cecchi compared restaurant service to Broadway theater: “This is a theater. We’ve got a script. We’ve got a set … those actors who were crushing it, they might have had a breakup that day or someone died in the family. You must put that aside.”

I call this the Broadway Principle. Legendary actor Richard Burton used to tell himself before performances (paraphrased): “Tonight, I want to be so good that I cheat the audience that was here last night.”

What if everyone, no matter their business or industry, approached customer interactions with that level of commitment?

Hiring for Heart, Not Just Experience

Cecchi’s hiring philosophy is not focused on the experience that employees have in the restaurant industry. Although that helps, he’s looking for people who genuinely love interacting with others. “I don’t hire people because of their resume,” he explained. “It takes a really special person to understand what real hospitality is.”

In 2011, I interviewed Jim Bush, former SVP of Worldwide Customer Experience at American Express. His hiring philosophy was similar. I’ll never forget his advice about hiring. Bush explained that given the choice between someone with 10 years of experience in a contact center or someone who worked at a restaurant, he’d hire the restaurant worker every time because they understood how to take care of people. In other words, they understand the hospitality mentality.

It’s All About Emotion

At its core, business is emotional. As Cecchi put it, “Restaurants are an emotional experience. People come in because they’re on a date, or celebrating a birthday or an anniversary.” Again, this isn’t just true for restaurants. Whether you’re buying a car, choosing a healthcare provider or selecting a software vendor, emotions drive decisions.

Cecchi shared a story that perfectly captures the power of hospitality: “I had six women at one table who’d been in the restaurant about 12 times. I jokingly said, ‘Thank God there are no other restaurants in New York City.’ And one of them looked at me and said, ‘Michael, there’s no restaurant in New York City that treats us the way you do here.’”

That story summarizes what we should all aim for—to be the one business that treats customers like no one else does. And it starts with something as simple as being kind, the core of the hospitality mentality.

Image Credits: Unsplash, Shep Hyken

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

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When You Don’t Have What the Customer Wants

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When You Don't Have What the Customer Wants

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I recently responded to a question on LinkedIn: A customer is furious about an out-of-stock item. How do you turn their frustration into satisfaction?

I added a second part to that question. What if what the customer wants is something you’ve never had in stock? Some customers might still be angry that you do not have what they want. And even if they aren’t, whether the item is out of stock or you just don’t carry it, that doesn’t mean you can’t make the customer happy.

Before we go further, let me do a very quick recap of how to deal with any upset or complaining customer. This is my five-step process for handling complaints:

Apologize for the problem.
Acknowledge what the problem is.
Discuss the resolution. (In a moment, I’ll cover this in detail.)
Accept ownership. It may not be your fault, but now you own taking care of the customer.
Act with urgency.

So, back to #3, the resolution. Is the item the customer wants temporarily out of stock? If so, when will it be in, and when can the customer expect to receive it? Giving customers information gives them a sense of control.

Shep Hyken Empty Shelves Cartoon

What if you’re out of the item and won’t get any more back in inventory? This is an opportunity to shine. If you can’t suggest a reasonable alternative, does a competitor have what the customer wants? Yes, I’m suggesting sending the customer to a competitor. Even if the sale goes to a competitor, the customer will realize you’re more interested in getting them what they want and need versus making a sale, which can go a long way in building trust that takes the relationship to a higher level.

One of my favorite examples comes from an Ace Hardware store. It was a very cold winter, and a customer was upset to find out the store was out of space heaters. Rather than say, “Sorry,” and send the customer away, the associate called a competitor, confirmed they had a space heater, and asked them to hold it for his customer. And who do you think the customer loved after that experience? (It’s a rhetorical question, but just in case you can’t figure it out … Ace Hardware!)

Any time a customer is unhappy or has a complaint, it’s an opportunity to resolve the problem and turn a Moment of Misery™ into a Moment of Magic®. For inventory issues, it’s an easy fix. Always think to yourself, even if you have to give up the sale to a competitor, “Is what I’m doing right now going to get the customer to come back?” When you have the customer’s best interest in mind, they will!

Image Credits: Unsplash, Shep Hyken

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I Quote Dead People

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I Quote Dead People

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

The other day, I was talking to a friend about famous movie lines. He said one of his favorite movies was The Sixth Sense starring Bruce Willis, and his favorite line came from 9-year-old Cole, played by Haley Joel Osment, who said, “I see dead people.”

I responded, “That’s funny. I quote dead people.” He looked at me strangely. He laughed. We’re both speakers, and we often use motivational quotes to emphasize our points. I told him the story of a client who felt one of my quotes was outdated. She said, “Nobody knows who you were referring to,” even though I prefaced the quote by mentioning that most of the audience wouldn’t recognize the actor I was about to quote, but that what he said was still relevant.

I could have quoted my father, my third-grade teacher, the 16th president of the United States or Aristotle, who died in 322 B.C. The point is, it doesn’t matter if the person is recognizable, living or dead. It’s what we can learn from them.

I Quote Dead People Cartoon Shep Hyken

So my line, “I quote dead people,” is now in my standard explanation prior to quoting someone who has passed and whose name may not be recognizable. Here are six of my favorite quotes I’ve used in customer service and experience keynote speeches:

Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Companies that are easy to do business with will win over competitors that offer complicated, cumbersome and inconvenient experiences.
Aldo Gucci said, “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.” Our customer service research shows that people will pay more for a quality experience.
Zig Ziglar said, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” Help your customers get what they want – not always what you want to sell them – and they will reciprocate by giving you business.
The 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” There are many ways you can interpret this. I’ll go with the importance of preparation. When you have an important meeting, your customers deserve your best. Take time to prepare!
Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, said, “There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” Keep that in mind each and every time you’re interacting with a customer.
Tony Hsieh, the founder of Zappos, said, “Customer service shouldn’t be a department, it should be the entire company.”

I’ve quoted many great minds of the past – some well-known, others less recognized. Their words can be powerful, educational and inspiring. But no matter who said them, always give credit where it’s due. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do, and as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wisely said, “The time is always right to do the right thing.”

Image Credits: Gemini, Shep Hyken

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Mediocrity is the Enemy

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How Successful Companies Reclaim Their Competitive Edge

Mediocrity is the Enemy

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

In 1983, I read In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. This iconic business book featured case studies of successful companies. Forty years later, many of these companies are no longer considered “excellent.” Some are no longer in business. Many organizations that once stood as industry leaders started operating on autopilot, allowing standards to slip, not paying attention to the competition and not keeping up with their customers’ expectations.

I recently interviewed John Rossman, a former Amazon executive, on Amazing Business Radio. We discussed the business challenge of sinking into mediocrity that he writes about in his new book, which he refers to as a manifesto, The Pig, the Lipstick and the Playbook of Champions.

One of the intriguing sections in his manifesto is titled The Tragic Tale of Competitive Advantage, where he refers to Kodak, Blockbuster and Xerox as “examples of once category-defining companies that could not move beyond the success that made them disrupters.” These are the types of brands whose leaders could have benefited from reading this short but powerful work.

Below are several key takeaways from our interview. These are leadership principles that can help us avoid mediocrity—or worse, failure—and improve our chances for success.

Leadership: The Pig and the Lipstick

Rossman explains that the “pig” in the title of his leadership manifesto refers to a successful business. The “lipstick” represents the lies we tell ourselves. For example, leaders say, “Next year, we’ll grow more.” “Next year, we won’t disappoint customers.” “Next year we’ll innovate.” These lies create two challenges that businesses face today:

Once a company becomes successful, it has an increasingly difficult time reinventing its value proposition.
A gradual acceptance of mediocrity in how the employees work together, serve customers and measure success can creep in. Over time, mediocrity doesn’t just become acceptable. It becomes the target.

Embrace Humility

To break free from mediocrity, Rossman emphasizes that change must begin with humility. Companies must be willing to admit their shortcomings, whether they’ve disappointed customers or employees or failed their own ambitions. He recommends instituting a formal Voice of the Customer program and paying close attention to disappointed customers. Rossman says, “I truly believe in humility as a starting point for change. Recognizing where we fall short with customers is crucial to being able to innovate and thrive.”

Don’t Play Defense

Rossman talked about “gold standard” companies that slipped from playing at the top of their game, including Boeing, Intel, Nike and Starbucks. Rossman referenced an interview with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, who summed up what happened as the company started changing its model. Schultz said, “The worst thing that a company can do, like a sports team, is start playing defense because you’re afraid to fail. That’s a disease.”

Rossman’s response to companies in that situation came from his Amazon days, when he learned about the concept of Big Bets.

Taking Big Bets

The concept of Big Bets is about ambition. Rossman explains, “The concept of big bets at Amazon is that the ‘big’ is the ambition, not the size of the bet. Everything is an experiment with the intention of winning, realizing that many won’t. Understanding that failure comes with the game of innovation is a critical mindset.”

In other words, an innovation mindset comes from running many small experiments with big intentions, knowing full well that many will fail, but also knowing that the ones that succeed will keep you competitive and can potentially transform the business. You must constantly place these bets, or your successes may eventually fall to the level of mediocrity as competition catches up and potentially passes you up.

A Perfect Ending

Toward the end of the manifesto, Rossman shares a Michelangelo quote that sums up his way of thinking and is a perfect way to end this article: “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and ache, including Boeing, Intel, Nike and Starbucks. Rossman referenced an interview with Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, who summed up what happened as the company started changing its model. Schultz said, “The worst thing that a company can do, like a sports team, is start playing defense because you’re afraid to fail. That’s a disease.”

Rossman’s response to companies in that situation came from his Amazon days, when he learned about the concept of Big Bets.

Taking Big Bets

A Perfect Ending

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

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Turning Around Declining Customer Satisfaction

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Turning Around Declining Customer Satisfaction

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

One of our subscribers asked, “How can I reverse our company’s declining customer satisfaction ratings?”

Not knowing specifics about the company, its customer feedback, how long the scores have declined, and other details makes it a difficult question to answer. Still, I felt compelled to share something that could help. What I came up with is a list of three “to-dos” that any company should use to find out what’s causing a downward trend.

As I was writing down my ideas, I realized that this list could also be used to find out what is causing customer satisfaction to go up. After all, don’t you want to know why customers are happy – and then do more of the same? Think about that as you read my short list. With that in mind, we’ll focus on the question of declining customer satisfaction.

Feedback Collection Cartoon Shep Hyken

My first response was three words: Find the friction!

Often, there are specific places in the customer’s journey that cause a drop in satisfaction. I refer to those as friction points. We want to eliminate or at least mitigate them. So how do you find these places? Three ideas:

1. Mystery shop your company. If you want to find out what customers experience, become a customer of your own company. Find out what customers experience during busy times, how long they have to wait on hold, how long it takes for someone to respond to an email and more.
2. Ask your customers. Get feedback through surveys and direct communication. When you hear about a complaint, follow up directly with the customer to learn more. Don’t assume it’s a one-off situation. If it’s happening to one customer, it could happen to many.
3. Ask your employees. The people working the front line, which includes the customer support team, salespeople and anyone else who interacts directly with customers, hear customer comments, both good and bad. Have ongoing conversations with front liners to learn what they are hearing.

Learning what customers are experiencing firsthand and having conversations with customers and employees is far different than reading a report. There’s nothing wrong with a report, and I advocate for that as well, but why not both? And once you have the information, don’t just talk about it. Do something about it. Find where there’s friction. Learn what makes customers unhappy. Change what needs to be changed. Then, watch for a trend of declining complaints and start to reap the benefits of rising customer satisfaction.

Image Credits: Pexels, Shep Hyken

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Boring AI is the Key to Better Customer Service

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Boring AI is the Key to Better Customer Service

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Boring can be a good thing. When something works the way it’s supposed to, it shouldn’t be a surprise. There shouldn’t be friction or drama if a customer has a problem or wants a question answered. It should just be easy. And when it comes to customer service, “easy” and “boring” are good. The experience should just happen the way the customer wants it to happen. You might call that boring. I call that excellent.

That was the beginning of a conversation I had with Damon Covey, general manager of unified communications and collaboration for GoTo, on Amazing Business Radio. GoTo is one of the leading cloud communications companies, providing software and solutions to companies of all sizes and helping them implement AI systems that work, without the complexity and stress that can come from new technology. Covey’s goal for our conversation was to demystify AI, cutting through the noise and complexities of flashy AI and taking it down to a practical level. Boring was the word he liked to use, emphasizing it should be easy, simple and uncomplicated.

In our discussion, Covey said that large companies used to make six- and seven-figure investments to implement AI. Today, AI technology is far superior and, at the same time, much less expensive, so even the smallest companies can afford it. They can get advanced technology for hundreds of dollars, not hundreds of thousands of dollars. Covey said, “For example, a small bike shop or an automotive dealership can now provide the same advanced customer service options as large corporations.” With that in mind, here are the main takeaways from our conversation:

Conversational AI

Until recently (within the past two or three years), a basic chatbot had to follow pre-set rules. Conversational AI provides a much broader opportunity, allowing a computer to interact with people in a natural, human-like manner. Today, AI can understand and respond to customers’ questions and issues with much more flexibility. It has the capability to recognize different languages and understand fumbled phrases, much like a human would. By using conversational AI, businesses can provide 24/7 service, allowing them to respond to customer queries and schedule appointments even when the customer contacts them outside of regular business hours.

Treat AI Like a Team Member

If you hire a new employee, you train them. Treat your AI solutions the same way. Covey said that, similar to training an employee, you need to set specific parameters and provide the AI with the necessary information to ensure it stays within the scope of your business requirements. He emphasized the importance of making sure the AI only draws from the information provided by your business, such as your website, FAQ pages, product manuals, etc., rather than pulling from a source outside of your company, to maintain accuracy and relevance. Covey said that AI should be continuously optimized and trained over time to improve its performance, much like you would train and coach a human employee to expand their capabilities.

Productivity: Automating Processes

Covey talked about automating processes. Anything you do more than three times can be a candidate for AI automation. For example, AI can integrate with a business’ telecommunications system to automate the process of taking notes during calls. It can then summarize the call, put the information into the customer’s record and create a list of next steps, if appropriate. This is a simple function that helps employees be more productive. Instead of an employee typing notes and summarizing the call, AI can handle the task so the employee can move on to helping the next customer.

Augmenting the Business

AI can help businesses do things they don’t normally do, such as remain open for certain functions (like customer support) after hours. It can act as an after-hours receptionist, answering phone calls, setting appointments or providing basic information to customers after business hours. That turns a business that’s typically open during traditional hours to a 24/7 operation.

It is Easier Than You Think

At the end of the interview, Covey dropped a nugget of wisdom that is the perfect way to close this article. For many, especially smaller organizations, deciding what technology to use and how to best use AI can be a daunting decision. It shouldn’t be. Covey says, “Start with the problem you want to solve, and solve for that problem.” He added that you should start using the technology for small problems. Once you understand how it works, the more complicated issues will be easier to solve for.

And that brings us back to where we started. AI doesn’t need to be complicated or flashy. It should be boring—in a good way. Start small, focus on one problem at a time and let AI do what it’s supposed to do: make customer service easier and more efficient. When done right, your customers won’t be amazed by the AI—they’ll just be amazed by how easy it is to do business with you.

Image Credit: Unsplash

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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Are Your Customers’ Calls Actually Important?

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Are Your Customers' Calls Actually Important?

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Recently, I wrote an article about the customer service farce. One of several examples I shared was the line we often hear when calling customer support: “Your call is very important to us.” When we hear it, we hope it’s true. We hope it means that the company is going to respect our time, that someone will pick up the call quickly (versus being put on hold for an unreasonable amount of time), and that the agent we talk to will have the knowledge and skills to answer our question or resolve our complaint, and we’ll not have to repeat our story again and again.

In our most recent customer service and customer experience (CX) research, we asked a number of questions about contact centers that convey the message, “Your call is very important to us.” The answers will make you smile – maybe even laugh. I’ve shared some of these findings from surveys from the previous year. Here are the latest with a couple of new ones:

Cleaning the Toilet: Nearly four out of 10 customers (39%) say they would rather clean a toilet than call customer support. (That’s gross!)
A Root Canal Is Better Than This: A third of U.S. customers (34%) would rather visit the dentist than call customer support. (That’s painful!)
Dinner with In-Laws: Half of the customers (53%) say they would rather have dinner with their in-laws than call customer support. (That could be painful, too!)
Glossophobia (The Fear of Public Speaking): Even though speaking in public is one of the greatest fears, often ahead of death, one in four customers (26%) would rather speak in front of an audience of 1,000 than call customer support. (Yikes, that’s scary!)

But seriously … as humorous as some of these findings are, there’s some truth behind them. Consider these three findings from this year’s report:

Half of U.S. customers (51%) say that when they call customer support with a question or to resolve a problem, the company does not value their time.
And speaking of respecting time, over half of the customers we surveyed (55%) say they stopped doing business with a company or brand because it kept them on hold for too long.
Six out of 10 customers (63%) say they have stopped doing business with a company because of the inability to connect with someone from customer support. </li?

It sounds like I’m being negative, but the reality is that this information gives me hope – for the companies that get it right. The more serious findings mean that more than half of customers are ripe to switch companies, and if you’re doing it right, they are hopefully going to switch to you.

Whether your company has just a few dedicated employees to support your customers or a large contact center, this information and the opportunities we take from it are applicable to you. Your customers deserve attention and respect. Don’t make them feel as if their call is NOT very important to you!

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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Transforming Metrics into Action

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Customer Experience (CX) Leaders At Verizon, Autodesk And Prudential Are Going Beyond NPS

Transforming Metrics Into Action

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Is Net Promoter Score (NPS) still relevant? How can you transfer insights and data into meaningful actions? And how do you hire the right people to meet your Keep Performance Indicators (KPIs) and success metrics? Those were the questions I asked a panel of esteemed executives at a LinkedIn Live interview.

The guests were Brian Higgins, chief customer experience officer at Verizon Consumer, Elisabeth Zornes, chief customer officer at Autodesk, and Abhii Parakh, head of customer experience at Prudential. Their answers are important to any leader making decisions that impact the customer experience.

NPS Is A Foundational Metric, But Its Role Is Evolving

NPS is a powerful metric when used properly. It’s a simple question that determines whether a customer likes you enough to recommend you. From that single question, a follow-up question could seek further insight or action can be taken to improve what’s not working and elevate what is working. So, the first question I asked was about using NPS as a primary metric.

Parakh led off by saying, “No metric is perfect. Whether it’s NPS or something else, it’s always about a combination of tactics and measurements to get the insights on what our customers and advisors want. … We run the numbers on how much more value is being driven by our promoters or passives versus detractors, and we see a very meaningful connection between the two.” He cited three key benefits: effectively tracking long-term relationships, correlation with growth metrics and providing actionable insights.
Higgins said that Verizon uses NPS to benchmark in two important places. He said, “I want to look at how we are benchmarking against the competition and then against ourselves.” He looks at three areas: one, is Verizon growing or churning? The second is measuring interaction, both digital and with their reps. The third is taking a look at the overall health of the business. And in addition to measuring customer satisfaction, Verizon also uses NPS for employee satisfaction. If employees aren’t happy, the customer is going to feel it.
Zornes uses the measurement to strike a balance between Autodesk’s long-term relationships and direct engagement. She explained, “NPS is a great, long-lasting customer impression measurement for services, solutions and products, but we are in the age of digital first engagements, so we, of course, also measure specific moments in the digital journey along with customer effort scores.” While NPS is a foundational metric at Autodesk, they also use the Deloitte Trust ID to assess transparency, capability, reliability and care.

Bring Numbers To Life Through Employees

Competition turns companies and their products into commodities. All three companies represented on the panel have competition. Assuming the products and services do what they are supposed to do and meet their customers’ needs, what differentiates them from competitors is experience. Often, that experience is driven by employees. The next question focused on the hiring criteria that align with CX KPIs.

Zornes said, “The internal team and culture are really what determines the customer experience for our customers. So it’s absolutely critical we bring the right talent on board and foster it accordingly.”
Higgins focuses on three big areas for hiring. First, Verizon wants a wide range of experience and knowledge. Second, they want employees to act as “CX detectives,” meaning they never let small details get by. Listen and pay attention to the customer feedback and recognize the power of the details. Third, and what Higgins says is most important, is empathy. “A little voice in the back of your head says, ‘I don’t know if the customer is right, but that doesn’t matter. You’ve got to believe in them and make it right for them.’”
Parakh says, “It’s super important for any customer-facing role. But I would also say that in addition to customer experience roles, I think that a customer-obsessed mindset is important for any business role. It’s not just the CX team. I think customer experience is everybody’s job. So, across the company, we need to be looking for folks who have empathy for the customer, a growth mindset and familiarity with CX, as well as business knowledge.”

Rethinking How Technology And People Support CX

As the CX landscape evolves with new technology, so do the roles of employees. How do these three iconic brands rethink talent development to support the team’s ability to deliver an exceptional experience?

Higgins kicked off with a call back to Parakh’s comment about CX being everyone’s job. “If everyone owns CX across the company, it also means they have to get comfortable with the new sets of tools we’re putting in place. I think about AI, gen AI and agentic AI. You have to make sure employees are comfortable with these new tools that are engaging directly with customers.”
Parakh emphasized the importance of keeping up and changing with the times. “You can’t survive for 150 years by doing what you’ve always done. We’ve been through multiple stock market crashes and multiple pandemics, and we’ve done that by constantly reinventing, so when it comes to talent, we have to have the same mindset. Everybody in the company, starting from the top leadership, has to understand where things are going because everything is changing so fast.”
Zornes believes that the future is now. “AI is not coming. AI is here. And with that, there is a huge opportunity to really convert those transactions that we might have done in the past to a more smooth and self-service experience. … Some of the profiles of what jobs looked like in the past, what they look like now and what they will look like in the future continue to evolve.”

The future of customer experience lies at the intersection of meaningful metrics, empathetic teams and evolving technology. As Higgins, Zornes and Parakh shared in their answers, success comes not from any single measurement tool but from creating integrated systems that consistently detect, analyze and improve the interactions customers have with the brand. And when you add the right people who are able to demonstrate empathy, curiosity and adaptability, you have a winning combination of KPIs, technology and people that gets customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

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This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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Embracing Convenience as a Strategy

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Embracing Convenience as a Strategy

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I just received an email from the Dollar Shave Club. I’ve been a member (as in customer) of the “club” for more than 10 years. I joined the club after watching their irreverent, R-rated (for language) YouTube video that has more than 28 million views. The concept was simple. Pay a small monthly fee and new razor blades are delivered to your mailbox. The member never has to worry about running out of fresh razor blades ever again.

After giving them a try, I joined the club. For years, I received a package of four blades every month. I never worried about whether they would show up – they always did. It was so convenient, which is the reason for this article.

I’ve written about Dollar Shave Club and convenience before. Nothing new there, but what I want to share is the subject line of the email. It read:

More like Dollar Convenience Club

There’s nothing special about razor blades, but what makes Dollar Shave Club special is its customer experience model, which is built around convenience. When they first started selling razor blades in 2012, the subscription model was not as popular as it is today. The word “subscription” was tied to newspapers and magazines. Today, almost any business can come up with its own version of a subscription model.

So, back to Dollar Shave Club. What I love is how they promote convenience as much as, if not even more, than the actual razor blades and other “bathroom needs” – their words, not mine!

While it is still called Dollar Shave Club, inflation has led to a higher price. Not to worry. Their customers still buy from them. Why?

Convenience: This is the overarching reason they are in existence.
Quality products: If the blades weren’t good, it wouldn’t matter if they were called the “Less than a Dollar Shave Club.” Quality is important to them.
Price: Even though people are willing to pay more for convenience (the proof is in my annual CX research), they have chosen to go the opposite direction and have a low price that’s almost as compelling as the convenient experience.
Consistency and reliability: Customers know exactly what to expect and when to expect it. The predictable schedule and consistent quality create trust and confidence in the brand.
Fun: This is a bonus, but who doesn’t like a little fun? Its brand of fun may not be appropriate for everyone, but it is for some companies. Dollar Shave Club’s commercials are funny, which helps them stand out in a crowded market.

Shep Hyken Convenience Cartoon

The Dollar Shave Club doesn’t sell better blades. They sell a better experience. And that is the lesson for the day. If your product does what it’s supposed to do and you add the experience that customers want – and for the members of Dollar Shave Club, that’s convenience – you have a winning combination. And like Dollar Shave Club, consider promoting the specific experience.

So, in addition to promoting what you sell, what experience do you create and promote that makes your customers love you even more? That answer is what will get your customers to say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credit: Unsplash

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Why Customers Pay More for Brands with Purpose

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Why Customers Pay More For Brands With Purpose

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

How important is a social cause to your customers? More than half of the customers (62%) we surveyed for our 2025 annual customer service and customer service (CX) study said they prefer to do business with a brand that supports a social cause that is important to them. Fifty-two percent of customers said they would be willing to pay more to do business with a brand that gives back.

Patagonia is one of the most recognizable brands in business known for “giving back” to the world. Sustainability is a big part of its brand promise, and it is a model of how to practice commitment to the planet. For the customers who care about sustainability—and many of the brand’s customers do—this is an important reason they spend more money for a Patagonia product and remain loyal to the brand.

Money

Let’s start with money. Its 1% for the Planet program pledged 1% of sales to the “preservation and restoration of the natural environment,” and since starting the program in 1985, it has given back more than $140 million in cash and in-kind donations to environmental groups around the world.

Buying Back Used Merchandise

If you own used Patagonia or gear that’s in good shape, the company will pay you to send it back, provided it’s still usable. Patagonia’s Worn Wear program pays customers 25% of the MSRP in the form of credit that can be redeemed in-store or online.

Recycling

If you have worn-out Patagonia merchandise that is not usable, the company will take it back and recycle or repurpose it for you at no charge. All you do is send it back to its service center or drop the items off at a Patagonia store, and they will make sure it doesn’t end up in a landfill.

Repair Could Be a Better Option than Replacement

Imagine a company that would rather keep you using its merchandise and repair it for you or give you what you need to repair it yourself, even if it means you might not replace it for years. That would be Patagonia, which will do most of the repairs on its items at no charge. The company will also send free patch kits to repair tears and small holes in its apparel.

While Patagonia is a case study for sustainability, you don’t have to be an international brand to make an impact. Small, local companies give back to their communities. Regional chains support various charities and causes that are important to their customers. The size of your business doesn’t matter. A significant percentage of your customers care that you care.

Here are additional facts from our annual research that could compel you to start, continue or grow your cause and philanthropic efforts:

Trust

In the U.S., 52% of customers say a company’s involvement in a social cause increases their trust in that company. If you want customer loyalty, you must create trust. Without it, there’s no confidence. Caring for something more than the bottom line increases trust.

Customer Experiences Improves

Almost six in 10 customers (57%) in the U.S. believe that companies and brands that support social causes are more likely to treat customers better. When the customer has a great experience and the company gives back, you have a winning combination.

Know Your Customers

Some customers appreciate a company supporting a social cause more than others. Specifically, 53% of Gen-Z customers rate companies giving back as “important” compared to 29% of Baby Boomers. And price becomes less sensitive to Gen-Z’s as 60% of them say they would pay more, versus 27% of Baby Boomers. While there is a big difference between the generations, that doesn’t mean a company that caters to older customers shouldn’t be philanthropic. Twenty-nine percent of Boomers is almost one-third of the generation.

Conclusion: A Social Cause Is a Good Marketing Strategy

Social causes can be part of a company’s marketing strategy. There’s nothing wrong with that. More companies should “give back” if the result attracts and retains more customers. While the business benefits of supporting social causes are clear—increased trust, stronger loyalty and potentially higher sales—the most powerful social and charitable programs come from authentic commitment to the supported causes.

We can learn from companies like Patagonia. They make their cause part of their mission and core values, and customers feel their authenticity. Regardless of the type of business or industry you are in or how large or small your company is, when a social cause or charity matters to a company’s leadership, customers sense it and respond with their wallets. Yes, the financial returns are a natural byproduct, but not the primary goal. In today’s world, doing good is good business. It’s that simple.

Image Credit: Unsplash

This article was originally published on Forbes.com.

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