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

How to Create a Good Loyalty Program

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GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

What is a loyalty program? It’s a program designed to get customers to come back. That’s different than true customer loyalty, but it’s a pretty darn good start. In our 2024 State of Customer Service and CX research (sponsored by RingCentral), we included a section of questions that focused on customer loyalty and rewards programs. Before we get into the findings, let’s look at three examples of some of the best.

1. Amazon Prime: When I Googled the question, “Is Amazon Prime a membership program or a loyalty program?” the first answer came from an NBC News article that included this description: “Amazon Prime is Amazon’s paid loyalty program. …” First, Amazon offers tremendous value for its program, including free shipping, Prime TV and more, which by itself is worth paying for. However, there is also the psychology that if you pay for something, you want to get value from it, so use it. Therefore, many Amazon customers choose Amazon over competitors because they pay for the loyalty program and want to get the most value from it. Of course, Amazon is known for its stellar customer experience, so that combined with the Prime program gives it a competitive advantage over other online retailers.

2. Restoration Hardware: When you pay $200/year for its RH Members Program, you get 25% off all full-priced merchandise and 20% additional savings on sales items. In addition, you get complimentary access to its designers. The RH program is more of a discount program than a true loyalty program, but it does what it’s supposed to do, which is to get customers to come back. Like Amazon, I Googled the RH Members Program to see what others said, and many referred to it as a “Premium Loyalty Program.” And with that premium price, an RH customer expects a premium customer experience, and Restoration Hardware delivers.

3. American Airlines: American Airlines consistently ranks high among frequent flier programs, and The Points Guy rates AA as the best for earning status without ever flying. Using the AA credit card (most airlines have affiliations with credit card companies), you can rack up miles for free trips and status. An Omnisend.com article on loyalty programs included AA as the only airline in its list of 10 Businesses with the Best Loyalty Programs. I’ve been in the AA program since the 1980s and have amassed miles, perks and status. Reaching any level of status on the airline gives you more than perks. Employees recognize when passengers are members of their program and, quite simply put, “They treat you right.”

These are examples of paid and/or free loyalty programs and membership programs. There could be a book written to describe the many versions of loyalty programs. Most are marketing programs, focused on repeat business. There are points, discounts, perks, and now, experiences. Zsuzsa Kecsmar, co-founder of Antavo, a customizable loyalty platform and publisher of the Global Customer Loyalty Report, adds, “Loyalty programs used to be earn-and-burn. You spend a dollar and earn a point. But today’s loyalty programs can do much more with experiential rewards, early access and rewarding other activities outside of purchasing.”

As mentioned, are many versions of loyalty programs. A restaurant may offer a punch card where every fifth sandwich is free. Customers may be willing to pay to be part of a “loyalty program” to get perks and discounts. With all that in mind, here are some interesting findings from our research to help you decide if the effort to create a loyalty program is worth it:

  • 61% of customers said rewards programs were important to giving a company or brand repeat business.
  • 46% are willing to pay more for a company or brand that has a good loyalty or rewards program.
  • 76% are more likely to return to a company that has a good customer rewards program.
  • 57% would choose to switch to a brand that has a loyalty program if another brand did not.
  • 55% have recommended a brand or company to others because of its loyalty program.
  • 39% have made an unplanned purchase just to earn more points or rewards.

If a loyalty program is part of your business model (or if you’re considering it), these findings make the point. The numbers make a compelling argument for developing a loyalty program. The last finding is especially intriguing. Almost four in 10 customers made a purchase just to earn more points or rewards.

Realize that a loyalty program is more often a marketing program. Some consumers become loyal to the program more than to the company or brand. True loyalty is about a customer being emotionally connected to a company, not just to the perks and points in a loyalty program. If you combine an amazing customer experience with a loyalty program, you have a winning combination.

Image Credits: Unsplash

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

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Transactions versus Experiences

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Transactions versus Experiences

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

In the past few months, I’ve been to several concerts. I’d say the entertainers were legends in the industry. Two of them were Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr (of the Beatles). Both are talented beyond words. They both have successful careers. They have both been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s important for you to know this, just in case you don’t know who they are. It’s a generational thing. If you were born in this century, you probably don’t know either of them, but trust me, they are rock stars and legends!

There was a difference in their shows. Bob Dylan came out and played. He barely spoke a word to the audience. His music was enough for his true fans. But for some of us who saw the legend for the first time, we might have expected more than just songs. If all we wanted was the music, we could have listened to his albums on iTunes or Spotify.

Ringo Starr, on the other hand, did more than just play songs. He brought energy and enthusiasm to the stage. While he and his all-star band played their most popular songs, there was more to the show. He shared commentary and stories, so the audience felt they had a glimpse into the personality of one of the most famous and iconic musicians on the planet.

This is the lead-in to today’s lesson, which is to understand the difference between experiencing a company or brand, and simply doing business with it.

Shep Hyken Magician Cartoon

The concert examples are not unlike two companies competing for a customer’s business. A company that doesn’t showcase its “personality” may be missing an opportunity to create a personal connection.

If you want to see this in action, go visit a Trader Joe’s grocery store and ask several of the crew members – their term for employees – some questions. Experience their reputation for fun, which goes beyond the employees’ personalities and includes a uniform, which is a somewhat “loud” Hawaiian shirt.

So, which company or brand are you? You don’t need outgoing employees wearing loud Hawaiian shirts for a customer to experience your brand. The point is to do something that makes the customer feel as if they are experiencing more than, for lack of a better description, placing an order and having it fulfilled. The distinction between merely conducting business with a company and truly experiencing it lies in the unique personality and engagement the company and its employees bring to every interaction.

Image Credits: Pexels

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Difference Between Customer Experience Perception and Reality

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Difference Between Customer Experience Perception and Reality

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

This is an important topic that every CEO, business owner, leader, manager, and supervisor must understand. When it comes to customer service and customer experience (CX), there is a difference between perception and reality.

First, how we think our customers perceive our customer service and CX is often not the reality. It’s just our perception. Reality isn’t what we think or believe. It’s what our customers say. Often, there is a big difference between our perception and the reality of our customers’ experiences.

Some may be saying, “Shep, you’ve covered this before.” Yes, however, it is worth covering again, especially since my friend Stephen Van Belleghem released his excellent book, A Diamond In the Rough, where he quotes a Bain survey finding that “80% of CEOs think their company is customer-centric, but only 8% of customers agree.”

One of my LinkedIn followers, Rajat Chawla, read my Forbes article about Van Belleghem’s book and asked, “What’s your best advice to bridge the gap?” As I always promise, if you reach out to me on any social channel and ask a question, I’ll answer it there or in my newsletter, videos, podcast, or on my TV show, Be Amazing or Go Home. So, here’s my answer:

There are at least three strategies for narrowing the gap between these perceptions:

  1. Leaders need to pay attention to their data. After they do a self-assessment, which is their perception, they should – if they haven’t already – survey their customers to discover their reality. That’s the most accurate way to measure the difference.
  2. Leaders should “mystery shop” their companies themselves. They should learn firsthand what it’s like to be a customer. They should be looking for the experiences their customers receive during peak hours or in the middle of the night, what a sales call is like compared to a customer service call, and more.
  3. Finally, leaders should spend time on the front line, either shadowing (listening in) on customer support calls or taking the calls themselves. I addressed spending time on the front line in my first book, Moments of Magic when I covered the All Aboard program in which executives spent one day each quarter with a salesperson visiting customers. In my most recent book, I’ll Be Back, I wrote about how Bill Gates visited the customer support center and asked to take customer support calls. The power of spending time on the front line is undisputed! Experiencing firsthand comments from customers is a powerful dose of reality – hopefully, good reality!

Customer Experience Reality Cartoon

What I love about these three strategies is that other than a little time and effort, there is little or no expense to implement them. So, what are you waiting for? If you haven’t already done so, discover the difference between your perceptions and your customers’ reality. And my wish for you is that there is little or no difference between the two!

Image Credits: Unsplash

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Are Your Customer Surveys Costing You Business?

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Are Your Customer Surveys Costing You Business?

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Why does a company send out a customer satisfaction survey? Generally, it is to find out if they did a good job or what they can do to make the experience better.

In the weekly Super Amazing Show I do with Brittany Hodak, we talked about surveys. The general consensus was that shorter was better. After the show, we heard from John Hughes, who is connected with me on LinkedIn. Here is a shortened version of his comment:

“Saying, ‘Short surveys are better,’ is a bit like saying tall people are better at basketball. Yes, it helps, but you still have to be talented and have that extra ‘something’ to be a professional basketball player. … Rather than focusing on short surveys, I would say companies should truly investigate the principles by which customers choose them and then try to match the survey to the customers’ willingness to help. Ironically, customers at top service companies (think Ritz-Carlton, USAA, Chewy, Amazon, and Navy Federal Credit Union) are actually more willing to take longer surveys because they appreciate the relationship. An unwillingness to take a survey can be the most direct measure they do not value the relationship.”

First, I love John’s comment, especially the analogy to professional basketball. I won’t argue that some brands have customers who are more willing to take the longer surveys; however, Brittany and I were talking in general terms. And in general, short surveys get higher response rates. I shared with John that depending on how many surveys are sent out – as in a large number – the company can keep the surveys short and ask different questions, which should give them similar feedback as if they sent out fewer longer surveys.

Shep Hyken Customer Survey Cartoon

Here are some findings from our 2024 Customer Service and CX research (sponsored by RingCentral) that back up my comments:

  1. In 2024, 67% of customers said they don’t complete surveys if they are too long.
  2. Furthermore, almost one in five (19%) of customers stopped doing business with a company or brand because its satisfaction surveys were too long.
  3. And 23% of customers stopped doing business with a company because it kept sending too many surveys.

It’s not all gloom and doom for surveys. There are plenty of people who are happy to complete surveys, and we’ll share some of those findings later this year.

Back to John’s comment about customers at top service companies who will take the time to answer longer surveys. There are some rock star brands that are so good that customers are compelled to share their experience in a survey, be it long or short. But for most of us mere mortals, we should pay attention to what most customers are telling us about customer satisfaction surveys.

Image Credits: Unsplash

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Is Customer Obsession a Two-Way Street At Your Company?

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Is Customer Obsession a Two-Way Street At Your Company?

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

One of my favorite ways to measure a customer’s satisfaction level with a company or brand is by using the Net Promoter Score (NPS) question, which is, “On a scale of zero to 10, how likely are you to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?” If the customer answers with a nine or a 10, they are known as a “promoter.” The insight is obvious. The customer experience was good enough for them to recommend the company. That would be sufficient if all you were interested in was customer satisfaction, but taking this to the next level is to wonder if the customer will actually recommend the company to another person.

That’s what led Marbue Brown, founder of Customer Obsession Advantage (COA), to create a study. His goal was to find out what type of customer would go from saying they would recommend a company to actually doing so. The COA interviewed more than 1,200 consumers who rated 22 recognized brands to compare customers classified as NPS promoters and customers who were obsessed with a brand.

Consider the following findings from the COA study:

  1. 82% of obsessed customers say they will recommend you to others.
  2. 42% report they have already recommended you more than five times in the past year.
  3. 44% say they always/usually share their feelings about the company with others when given the opportunity.
  4. 26% say they have placed online reviews.
  5. 88% say they will “absolutely” repurchase in the next 12 months.

These are more than just findings. These are behaviors. Consider that 42% of customers have already recommended the company or brand five or more times in the past year. That’s huge! Or, that 26% placed online reviews. How would you like one in four customers to leave positive reviews about you? (Rhetorical question). These are significant actions that create positive word-of-mouth marketing moments.

Whatever metric you have chosen to measure customer satisfaction— NPS, CSAT (Customer Satisfaction), CES (Customer Effort Score), Time Well Spent, etc.—they are all good tools that serve a purpose and provide important information, but they must be used for more than vanity. A high NPS is just a number, and it should offer more than bragging rights. While it’s nice to know you’re making your customers happy enough to recommend you, leave reviews, etc., it’s more important to recognize that these high scores are opportunities to take action. In other words, actions speak louder than words. A high NPS does not guarantee a customer will promote your business. You must determine if they are obsessed with your brand. While the customer with a high COA score may promote without prompting, why take a chance that they won’t?

For example, a high NPS is especially powerful in the B2B world, where salespeople often call on their customers. When a customer gives a high score, follow up with a phone call or personalized email to thank them for the high score and ask them, “In our survey, you mentioned you would recommend us. Would you be willing to share the names or make introductions to those people?” You may be pleasantly surprised at the positive responses you get from customers who are obsessed with your company.

The insights from Brown’s COA study highlight the behaviors of obsessed customers. The challenge is for us to take traditional metrics like NPS, CSAT and others to another level. A willingness to recommend (a Net Promoter) is just another way to measure customer satisfaction unless you do something with the data. The magic happens when this willingness turns into a tangible action that includes repeated recommendations, online reviews and a customer who says, “I’ll be back” and means it! That’s the difference between a willingness to promote and customer obsession.

Image Credits: Pexels

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

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Never Stop Looking for Improvement

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Never Stop Looking for Improvement

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

If it’s working fine, why mess with it?

Well, whatever “it” is may work just fine, but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be better.

This idea came to me as I read an article about United Airlines changing the way passengers board the plane. Most airlines put passengers in groups and call them in order. United will continue doing this but make changes to some of the groups. First-class passengers and higher-level frequent fliers won’t notice, but there will be a change once Group 4 is called. Passengers with window seats will board first, followed by passengers in middle seats, and eventually, passengers with aisle seats. This new process will save two minutes.

Now, you might be thinking, “Two minutes. Big deal!” But, in the airline business, two minutes is a big deal. A mismanaged boarding process could delay the departure and cause disruptions throughout the day. So, while two minutes may not seem like much, the goal is to always look for ways to streamline an often chaotic process.

Improvement Cartoon of Shep Hyken

This story has at least two lessons. First, every company should tinker with what’s working by experimenting and looking for better ways to do “what they’ve always done,” even if it’s working. And second, small changes can add up to make a bigger difference when combined.

So, you have two choices:

  1. Do it the way you’ve always done it. Don’t question it. If it works, don’t try to change it. Unfortunately, many companies operate this way and miss opportunities to improve.
  2. Always look to improve everything, even when it’s working well. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been doing something that works, come back on a regular basis – maybe annually – and take a closer look. This is an excellent way to use a Journey Map. Look at every interaction point a customer has with your organization and ask, “Is there a way to make it better?” While there may not be a better way today, keep asking the question; you might find one over time.

Zig Ziglar, the famous motivational speaker, used to tell a story of a little girl who asked her mom, “Why do we cut the end off the roast before we put it in the oven?” Mom answered, “Because that’s how your grandmother taught me to cook it.” So, the little girl went to her grandmother and asked the same question. Grandma answered, “Because that’s how your great-grandmother taught me.” So, the little girl went to her great-grandmother and asked the same question. Great Grandma responded, “Because back then, the ovens were smaller than they are today, so we had to cut off the end to get it to fit.”

The moral of the story is if something worked yesterday, that doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do today. Always look for improvement.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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24 Customer Experience Mistakes to Stop in 2024

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24 Customer Experience Mistakes to Stop in 2024

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

My friend and fellow Customer Experience (CX) expert Brittany Hodak and I recently began a 52-week series for 2024 titled Shep and Brittany’s Super Amazing Show. In the second episode, rather than talk about what to do in 2024, we shared several tips on what not to do. More specifically, it’s about what we should stop doing. That inspired me and I thought it would be fun to put together a list of twenty-four (24) CX things to stop doing in 2024.

Now, this is important: Not everyone or every company is doing any or all of these. You and your organization may not be guilty of even one of these, but discussing the list can get you thinking about other things to stop doing or give you an idea of something to start doing. So, here are 24 things companies do that annoy their customers and that need to stop:

1. Stop wasting your customers’ time. If you can’t do something for them, tell them. Help them find alternatives. Don’t string your customer along.

2. Stop with long hold times. This is a major way of wasting a customer’s time. Along with this are those recorded messages that say “we are sorry and respect your time” … but we’re still too busy to answer your call. If you can’t stop long hold times, tell the customer how long it will be with an option to call back.

3. Stop using outdated technology. Your competitors will start using newer technologies, and guess what? Your customers might notice.

4. Stop using company jargon and technical language your customers might not understand. They become very frustrated.

5. Stop with the irritating “pop-ups” on websites. People hate when they land on a website and a window pops up before they can start reading the content. Then another, and sometimes another! There’s a right time and right way to do it. Keep the customer in mind when you allow “pop-up windows” on your website.

6. Stop saying, “No problem,” when your customer says, “Thank you.” Was it a problem? Of course not. For some reason, this has become a standard response, and even if it really wasn’t a problem, it is just the wrong response. Just say, “Your welcome,” or, “My pleasure.”

7. Stop with unnecessary apologies. Some people say, “I’m sorry,” again and again. I’m not suggesting you don’t apologize to customers when there is a problem or complaint. You should, but don’t over-apologize. It’s not necessary. An apology at the beginning of taking care of the conversation is appropriate. And a “thank you” and final apology at the end is always appreciated. But repeatedly saying “I’m sorry” could come across as defensive and insincere.

8. Stop focusing only on your customers when working on your CX and service initiatives. Employees must also be considered. A great customer experience starts with a great employee experience.

9. Stop spamming customers with too many unwanted messages.

10. Stop sending your customers generic messages (promotions, notes, emails, etc.). If you’re going to send a message, find a way to personalize it. And even if it is personalized, go back and re-read number nine.

11. Get out of the “one-size-fits-all” mindset. This falls under the topic of personalization, but this is not about a marketing message. We must recognize and embrace people’s differences in today’s diverse culture.

12. Stop causing friction. What part of your process could go away? Do you force your customers to take extra steps to do business with you? Find ways to eliminate anything that causes friction.

13. Stop ignoring your customers’ feedback. If the customer takes the time to share a comment, thank them, and if it is appropriate, do something with it.

14. Stop arguing with customers, even when they are wrong. I’ve written this many times before: The customer is NOT always right, but they are always the customer. So let them be wrong with dignity and respect.

15. Stop making your customers wait for you to respond. Get back to people within an appropriate time. Don’t make them wait.

16. Stop being inflexible. If you have standards and processes that customers don’t like, they will find someone else to do business with. NOTE: Some standards could fall under compliance of legal standards. It’s okay to not be flexible on those!

17. Don’t hide add-on fees from your customers. Some hotels are upsetting their guests with resort fees that can only be found in the small print.

18. Stop nickel-and-diming your customers. This is different than hidden fees. It’s about the customer accruing an extra charge every time they turn around.

19. Stop being afraid to tell your customers bad news. They may not like the news, but they will appreciate hearing about it from you directly.

20. Stop making customers come to you when you can go to them. When it comes to convenience, always put the customer first.

21. Stop ignoring your employees’ suggestions. People on the front line are more in sync with customers than anyone. Make it easy for them to let management and leadership know about opportunities to improve.

22. Stop relying solely on digital interactions. Some companies have eliminated customers’ ability to connect with a live customer support agent. Don’t become so enamored with technology that you forget that the most powerful relationship builder is the human-to-human experience.

23. Stop with the bad survey strategy. Surveys can be sent too quickly, too frequently and are often too long. A bad survey taints the customer experience.

24. Never stop trying. Never be complacent. Customer service and CX are continuing journeys that must continually be refreshed and renewed to keep up with the competition and your customers’ needs.

Hopefully you didn’t recognize yourself in any of these scenarios that frustrate customers, but if there’s something you need to work on, now is the time. Most importantly, number twenty-four applies to everyone—never stop trying! There’s always something new on the horizon to advance your customer service and customer experience (CX).

This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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Ten Customer Experience and Service Tips for 2024

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Ten Customer Experience and Service Tips for 2024

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I want this year to be your best year ever for creating amazing customer service and experiences. And for everything else, too! But as it applies to the customer experience, I thought it would be fun to share some ideas we need to do more of. With that, here are ten (10) ideas. Many, if not all, will apply to you and your business. Do more in 2024!

  1. Be more responsive – We start with one of my favorites. How fast do you respond to customers? Trust me, the faster you respond, the better. Customers appreciate a quick response. I often joke about a company that took four days to get back to me with an answer. If I wanted the answer in four days, I would have waited four days to ask the question! A speedy response creates confidence.
  2. Be more accountable – Don’t make excuses or blame others. Don’t deflect blame if a customer complains about something, even if it’s not your fault. It may not be your fault, but it’s now your opportunity to solve a problem.
  3. Be more flexible – Don’t be so rigid with rules unless they are legal rules. In most instances, the word guidelines are better than rules. You know where you want to go. Be flexible in your thinking when it comes to taking care of customers.
  4. Be more engaged – Your customers want to feel that you’re focusing on them. Actively listen and respond with questions that show you’re paying attention and want more information. Get customers to feel connected to you because they know you care.
  5. Be more consistent – I’m surprised when employees of the same company have different answers to the same question. Or when a company or brand delivers a great experience, but then the next time, it’s just okay. Consistency creates confidence, and confidence can lead to customer loyalty.

  1. Be more accessible – Make it easy for your customers to reach you in multiple ways: phone, email, text, app, and more. Today’s customers will reach out to you in the most convenient way. Today, they may call you. Tomorrow, they may email you. Regardless of the channel, you need to be there and meet their communication expectations.
  2. Be more convenient – Convenience is about being easy to do business with. It used to be a significant competitive differentiator. Today, it’s table stakes. It’s expected that your customer’s experience will be easy with little or no friction. Find ways to be easier to do business with, and customers will spend more money, won’t be as concerned about price, and most importantly, will come back!
  3. Be more proactive – When there’s a problem that you know about, reach out to your customers before they reach out to you. They might not even know there is a problem at all, and the fact that you were proactive builds confidence and trust.
  4. Be more transparent – Don’t hide important information in “fine print.” Be open about policies and anything you know the customer might question or simply not like. Have you ever been hit with a surprise fee? Of course, you have, and I’ll bet you didn’t like that surprise. You don’t want your customers to say, “I’m disappointed. I wish that you told me about that in the beginning.”
  5. Be more memorable – Let’s close with a powerful one. When I’m hired to do a customer service keynote speech, my walk-on music is Bonnie Raitt’s hit song, Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About. That’s what I want you to do with your customers. Give them something (good) to talk about. Why? Because when you give them a memorable experience, it will make them say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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Do What’s Right, Even if It is Not Expected

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Do What's Right, Even if It is Not Expected

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Often, it’s just a tiny bit more effort.

Not long ago, I wrote an article and created a video on Doing More Than Expected – even when it’s not included in your job description. I used the example of the server at a restaurant who ran outside during a storm to move the outdoor furniture blowing across the patio to a safer, more secure spot. He returned to the restaurant, drenched from the rain, to applause from the guests. I jokingly asked him, “Was moving patio furniture included in your job description?” He said, “I just do what it takes.”

That’s a great attitude to have. First, you have to be the kind of person who innately knows you should do something right, even if it isn’t expected. Second, you have to be empowered to make those choices and act on them.

I’m reminded of an employee who fixed things around the office. If he saw something that wasn’t right, he made it right. For example, we had a frame with a motivational quote that we changed every week. One week later, the quote and picture frame were crooked. I noticed it, and while it bothered me a bit, it wasn’t worth saying anything about it. By the end of the day, it was fixed.

If I don’t do it, who will?

I knew who did it, but I still asked loud enough for others to hear, “Who fixed the weekly quote?” The answer, of course, was the same guy who fixed everything around the office. I thanked him and asked him why he handles things like this. He said, “If I don’t do it, who will?”

I love those seven words. “If I don’t do it, who will?” is right up there with “I just do what it takes.” These are the mindsets of people who go the extra mile, and by the way, it’s not really an extra mile. Often, it’s just a tiny bit more effort, if any. It’s just doing it because, “If they don’t, who will?”

When someone comes to work for you, whatever their role and responsibility, you hope they are good at it. If all they do is that role and don’t care to do anything else, such as fixing a crooked piece of art in a frame, you would still be happy with their work. But what if another employee did the same and, in addition, was willing to fix the metaphorical piece of art in a frame, even without being asked? Who would you rather have working for you?

Your answer is most likely the second option. That employee is the type of team member who will do whatever they can to take care of their internal and external customers. Why? Because they do what it takes and know, “If I don’t do it, who will?”

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Unsplash

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Customer Experience Lessons From My World Travels

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Customer Experience Lessons From My World Travels

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I experienced something worth sharing recently, and we can take at least three lessons from it.

I’m always looking for good customer service stories that teach or remind us about creating an amazing customer experience. I experienced something worth sharing recently, and we can take at least three lessons from it.

I booked an international trip for a speaking engagement. On the day of departure, I was dropped off at the airport and went directly to the ticket counter. It would take two flights on two airlines to get to where I was going, so I expected two boarding passes. The agent only gave me one and told me to get the next boarding pass when I landed.

I’ve done this many times before and never had trouble getting both boarding passes at the outset. Rather than argue with her, I thanked her, went to the other end of the ticket counter, and talked to a different agent who was happy to get me the second boarding pass.

I had to ask the second agent, “Why didn’t the other ticket counter agent give me the second boarding pass?” She quietly answered, “She is just lazy. She’s been here a long time and doesn’t seem to care anymore. Because it’s a different airline, it takes an extra couple of steps, and she didn’t want to do it.”

Yes, the second agent took great care of me. However, she also made a mistake. What was it? Let’s find out! There are at least three lessons we can learn from this story:

1. Laziness: That should never be an excuse for providing poor customer service. If the agent really was lazy, shame on her for taking a job where she supports customers. And is it her fault or the manager who oversees the ticket counter agents? Put the right people on the front line. At a minimum, they shouldn’t be lazy.

2. Inconsistency: One agent said, “No,” and the other said, “Yes.” Who do you believe? There must be consistency in the level of service and answers you get from different employees. Any inconsistency creates a lack of confidence and can erode trust.

3. Disparagement: The second agent was friendly, apologetic, and took great care of me, but she made one mistake. She made a disparaging remark about a colleague. Instead of saying, “She’s lazy,” she could have told me, “I’m not sure why she didn’t give you the second boarding pass. I’ll talk to her and make sure she knows how for next time.” Don’t make negative comments about fellow employees or the company.

We may learn other lessons from this story, but these are three that jumped out at me. To summarize, laziness should never enter the customer experience. An inconsistent experience always makes customers wonder, “What will next time be like?” And a disparaging remark about others – even the competition – is unprofessional.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pixabay

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