Category Archives: Customer Experience

Six Ways to Put Customers At the Center of Your Business

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Six Ways to Put Customers At the Center of Your Business

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

It’s not uncommon to hear leaders say, “We must put the customer at the core of everything we do.” What does that really mean? I had a chance to interview Howard Moodycliffe for Amazing Business Radio. Moodycliffe is the CEO of TimeToReply, a SAAS company that empowers employees to deliver fast, efficient, consistent responses through email. In our interview, he gave his take on the “customer at the core of your business” comment and more. Below are some of what he believes goes into a successful customer experience, followed by my commentary.

1. Put the Customer First – According to Moodycliffe, this is the most important strategy. Here’s his advice. Answer the question, “What experience do you want your customers to have?,” and then create it. Customers must feel valued and respected, and their needs must always be at the forefront of anything you design—both the product or service and the process of doing business with you.

2. Be Proactive and Respond Quickly – A fast response is good, but proactive communication is better. Moodycliffe can look at customers’ data and determine if they should receive a proactive email. He’s also quick to point out that email is just one channel. His concept applies to customer communication regardless of the channel. In our interview, I shared that one of my clients in the internet/cable industry gathers all of the ways a customer can be contacted: email, phone, social channels, WhatsApp, etc. If there is a problem, they send announcements to all channels, hoping to reach the customer on one of them. As for responding quickly, knowing what the customer expects is essential. He quotes Jay Baer, who says, “Response time should be just a little faster than the customer expected.” And realize that each channel has different expectations. You probably won’t be happy if you call customer support and are put on hold for fifteen (15) minutes. But you would be elated if you sent an email and received a response within two hours.

3. Personalize the Experience – Moodycliffe says, “Customers want to feel like they are more than just a number.” Our customer experience research found that 71% of customers believe a personalized experience from an agent or company employee is important. However, making a customer feel as if they are an account or a number could be worse than a generic, un-personalized experience.

4. Use Technology to Your Advantage – Tech in customer service can be used to automate tasks, provide self-service options, and collect/analyze feedback. Moodycliffe emphasizes that technology should empower employees when they interact with customers. If you bring in a new program that is cumbersome and difficult for employees, that pain will eventually be felt by customers on the outside.

5. Empower Your Employees – While this has been preached by many (including myself), we all need to be reminded of the importance of letting your employees do what they are being paid to do: take care of customers (or other employees). In addition, another advantage of using technology is that it empowers users (employees) to be more effective and efficient at what they do.

6. Measure and Improve – The first thing that came to mind when Moodycliffe mentioned this was the quote often attributed to Peter Drucker: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” You can’t assume that you’re delivering a great customer experience. You must measure your performance and use feedback to create a better experience.

In today’s competitive landscape, the notion of putting customers at the core of your business isn’t a cliché — it’s a mandate for success. From Moodycliffe’s insights to research-backed strategies, it’s clear that proactive, personalized, and technology-empowered strategies are not an option but essential.

Image Credit: Pexels

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Playing to Win the Customer Service Game

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Playing to Win the Customer Service Game

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

One of the more enjoyable activities in my life is playing hockey. When I’m in town – not out speaking at conferences – I lace up the skates several times a week to play in a friendly hockey game. In close games, when my team is up by one or two goals, I remember my school days when our coaches encouraged us to continue playing to score, even when we were winning, versus switching to more defensive play to prevent the other team from scoring.

So, what does this have to do with business, specifically customer service and CX? Plenty!

In any team sport, the goal is to win. In the customer service world, we should create a “game plan” to deliver an experience that is perfect, never requiring a customer to reach out to us because of problems. Consider what Jeff Bezos of Amazon said many years ago: “The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.” That’s a perfect example of playing to win.

But that doesn’t always work. Bezos quickly discovered that as perfect as Amazon might be, once the package left the warehouse, control was in the hands of delivery companies such as the USPS, FedEx, or UPS. If there was a delivery problem, even if it wasn’t Amazon’s fault, the customer still called Amazon.

That’s where Amazon learned to play great defense, typically managing complaints or issues so well that the company has earned a reputation for amazing customer service. And they still play to win. They continue to open more distribution sites and grow their fleet of airplanes and vehicles to manage the entire experience, so they don’t have to rely on outside vendors as much. And as perfect as they try to be, there will still be problems, so a good defense, as in a good customer service experience, supports the effort to win.

While we can’t all be Amazon, we can play a similar game. We need defense, which is the ability to respond to our customers’ questions, problems, needs, and complaints in a way that renews confidence for them to continue doing business with us. However, we must also play to win, which means continuously improving the customer experience, including eliminating or mitigating any of those customer issues.

Shep Hyken Award Cartoon

In the customer service world, playing to win in customer service means eliminating the reasons customers call us for problems and complaints. Playing defense is focusing on being good at handling our customers’ problems or complaints. We need to be good at both.

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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Why Employees Must Do More Than Expected

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(Even When It’s Not in Their Job Description)

Why Employees Must Do More Than Expected

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

As customers, we appreciate it when someone we’re doing business with does more than we expect. Even if we don’t consciously recognize it when it’s happening, the value of that “something extra” makes us enjoy the experience and want to come back.

The same thing happens with employees inside an organization. You can usually find someone who seems to be doing more than expected – something that’s not in their job description.

The other night I was at a restaurant that had an outside patio. It looked like it was going to rain, so we opted to eat inside. About 20 minutes later, the sky opened up, and it didn’t just rain. It stormed. The wind blew over the tables and chairs, and one of the umbrellas blew onto the street. Without hesitation, our server, who was dressed neatly in black slacks, a dress shirt and a tie, ran outside in the pouring rain and moved the umbrella and all the tables and chairs into a covered area of the patio. He came back drenched. As he walked through the restaurant, all the customers who had been watching him through the window gave him an enthusiastic round of applause. I also noticed that the manager thanked him for being the “hero of the moment.”

When our server had dried off and returned to our table, I had to ask him, “When you applied to the job, was moving patio furniture in the rain included in the job description?” We laughed, and he smiled and said, “I just do what it takes.”

I loved that answer.

Doing More Than Expected Shep Hyken Cartoon

How many employees do what it takes? This comes in many forms, from working a little later when needed, coming to the office over the weekend if necessary or doing anything outside of a typical job description. By the way, I’m not suggesting employees should not be appropriately compensated for their hard work. They should be. And there’s nothing wrong if employees do only what you hired them to do, especially if they’re really good at it. You don’t want to lose them, so don’t expect them to do more and don’t be upset when they don’t. If you expected more, that should have been discussed and agreed upon when you hired them.

The point is you’ll find people willing to go above what’s expected and those who won’t. As a customer, which employee would you want to do business with? As an employer, which employee would you prefer to be taking care of your customers?

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pixabay

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The Biggest Customer Service Opportunity

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The Biggest Customer Service Opportunity

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I was asked the same question three times in the last week: “What is the biggest opportunity in customer service?” If you had asked me this question a month ago – or asked it a month from now – there could be a different answer. But today’s answer is not just timely, but also timeless. And the answer is:

The Speed to Happiness

The meaning of this short answer is simple. If a customer has a problem, issue or question, the speed in which you move them from concerned or upset to happy could be the difference between the customer coming back or not. And when I refer to happiness, I’m not talking about utter delight or elation. I’m talking about a result that does three things:

  1. The customer’s problem, issue or question is resolved or answered.
  2. The interaction is managed quickly, efficiently and with as little friction as possible – ideally, without friction.
  3. The interaction is handled so well that the customer wouldn’t mind going through the process again if they had to.

It’s the second point of this answer that is most important, and it is where some companies fail. How the interaction is managed ideally leads to the third result, which is the ultimate level of happiness in problem-solving. A better word for happiness could be confidence.

Speed to Happiness Shep Hyken Cartoon

My definition of confidence in this situation is important. It’s more than just the confidence to continue doing business with the company after the interaction. It’s the confidence to enjoy doing business with the company.

There are certain companies that I dread calling for customer support. I know there will be long hold times and that after sharing my issue, I will probably be transferred at least once (probably more) to other people who are supposed to be better equipped to answer my question or resolve my problem. Then, there are companies that make it so easy to resolve an issue that I consider a support call part of the positive experience I have with them.

I’ve preached most of my career that resolving issues and managing complaints isn’t just about fixing problems. It’s about fixing the customer, which means restoring confidence. We want our customers to say, “I enjoy doing business with them. Even when there is a problem, I know they always take care of me, which is why … I’ll be back!”

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pexels

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How to Create Energy with Customers (And Everyone Else)

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How to Create Energy with Customers (And Everyone Else)

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

The heliotropic effect is the tendency for any living thing to be drawn toward energy. For example, if you put a plant on a windowsill, it will eventually lean toward the window where the sun comes in, soaking up those rays as the nourishment it needs to sustain its life.

Dr. Harry Cohen took this scientific concept and applied it to humans. In his book Be the Sun, Not the Salt, he defines the human version of the heliotropic effect as “being kind, authentic, compassionate, grateful and positive. … When you are being heliotropic, you are a positive energizer that uplifts others.”

In this short book that most people could read in less than an hour, Dr. Cohen shares 30 simple yet powerful principles and tactics that will create the energy that draws people to you. For leaders, you will build a stronger following. For managers, you will create a better work environment. And if you deal with customers, which is the focus of my work, you will get them to like you, trust you and want to do more business with you. And the best part about these thirty (30) ideas is that they don’t cost money, and you can put them into practice immediately.

Here are a few of my favorites that will make you think and, if you practice them, will have a heliotropic effect of attracting others toward you.

    1. Do All the Good You Can — Let’s start with the first one in the book. Just do good. People will be drawn to you, you’ll be more effective in what you do, and you’ll feel good yourself. It’s a fulfilling idea. When you do good, you feel good.
    2. Be Helpful — This seems so simple and obvious, but consider this. In our annual customer experience research, we asked more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, “What customer service experiences are most likely to cause you to come back?” The No. 1 answer was helpful. Such a simple concept!
    3. Show You Care — Insincerity is easy to spot, and nobody likes to do business or be around insincere people. You can’t fake caring—so don’t try. Be authentic about it. Maya Angelou said, “If you find it in your heart to care for somebody else, you will have succeeded.” I also like the Theodore Roosevelt quote Dr. Cohen included in this chapter, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”
    4. Apologize Well — When you find yourself faced with a confrontation, mistake or problem, the first words that come out of your mouth should be an acknowledgment and apology. Saying something as simple as “I’m sorry” can start to turn a negative situation around. A clear, sincere apology at the beginning of a conversation does two things. First, it positively kicks off the process of fixing a problem. Second, it helps restore the customer’s confidence.
    5. Hold the Salt — The opposite of the heliotropic sun, as the book title implies, is salt. To “hold the salt” is about not always saying everything on your mind. It’s sometimes better to bite your tongue and say nothing rather than try to get the last word or emphasize a point that doesn’t really need to be emphasized.
    6. Don’t Be a Complexifier — I’ve always believed that part of my success is simplifying the complicated. I recently wrote an article about how to make your business simple. Simplicity usually makes things better. Complex processes make it hard for customers and employees. Be easy, convenient and simple to do business with!
    7. Speak Fluent Gratitude — This is the perfect one to end on. Expressing appreciation to others is powerful. Dr. Cohen shared research that shows “cultivating gratitude makes you and the people around you feel better.” I love people who have an attitude of gratitude. And this is also an opportunity to express my gratitude to you for taking the time to read and share this article! Thank you!

    .

    This article originally appeared on Forbes.com

    Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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A New Innovation Sphere

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A New Innovation Sphere

GUEST POST from Pete Foley

I’m obsessed with the newly opened Sphere in Las Vegas as an example of Innovation.   As I write this, U2 are preparing for their second show there, and Vegas is buzzing about the new innovation they are performing in.  That in of itself is quite something.  Vegas is a city that is nor short of entertainment and visual spectacle, so for an innovation to capture the collective imagination in this way it has to be genuinely Wow.  And that ‘Wow’ means there are opportunities for the innovation community to learn from it. 

For those of you who might have missed it, The Sphere is an approximately 20,000 seat auditorium with razor sharp cutting edge multisensory capabilities that include a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technology, and 4D haptic physical effects built into the seats. The exterior of the 366 foot high building features 580,000 sq ft of LED displays which have transformed the already ostentatious Las Vegas skyline. Images including a giant eye, moon, earth, smiley face, Halloween pumpkin and various underwater scenes and geometric animations light up the sky, together with advertisements that are rumored to cost almost $500,000 per day.  Together with giant drone displays and giant LED displays on adjacent casinos mean that Bladerunner has truly come to Vegas. But these descriptions simply don’t do it justice, you really, really have to see it. 

Las Vegas U2 Residency at the Sphere

Master of Attention – Leveraging Visual Science to the Full:  The outside is a brilliant example of visual marketing that leverages just about every insight possible for grabbing attention. It’s scale is simply ‘Wow!’, and you can see it from the mountains surrounding Vegas, or from the plane as you come into land.   The content it displays on its outside is brilliantly designed to capture attention. It has the fundamental visual cues of movement, color, luminescence, contrast and scale, but these are all turned up to 11, maybe even 12.  This alone pretty much compels attention, even in a city whose skyline is already replete with all of these.  When designing for visual attention, I often invoke the ‘Times Square analogy’.  When trying to grab attention in a visually crowded context, signal to noise is your friend, and a simple, ‘less is more’ design can stand out against a background context of intense, complex visual noise.  But the Sphere has instead leapt s-curves, and has instead leveraged new technology to be brighter, bigger, more colorful and create an order of magnitude more movement than its surroundings.  It visually shouts above the surrounding visual noise, and has created genuine separation, at least for now. 

But it also leverages many other elements that we know command attention.  It uses faces, eyes, and natural cues that tap into our unconscious cognitive attentional architecture.  The giant eye, giant pumpkin and giant smiley face tap these attentional mechanisms, but in a playful way.  The orange and black of the pumpkin or the yellow and black of the smiley face tap into implicit biomimetic ‘danger’ clues, but in a way that resolves instantly to turn attention from avoid to approach.  The giant jellyfish and whales floating above the strip tap into our attentional priority mechanisms for natural cues.  And of course, it all fits the surprisingly obvious cognitive structure that creates ‘Wow!’.  A giant smiley emoji floating above the Vegas skyline is initially surprising, but also pretty obvious once you realize it is the sphere! 

And this is of course a dynamic display, that once it captures your attention, then advertises the upcoming U2 show or other paid advertising.  As I mentioned before, that advertising does not come cheap, but it does come with pretty much guaranteed engagement.  You really do need to see it for yourself if you can, but I’ve also captured some video here:

The Real Innovation Magic: The outside of The Sphere is stunning, but the inside goes even further, and provides a new and disruptive technology platform that opens the door for all sorts of creativity and innovation in entertainment and beyond. The potential to leverage the super-additive power of multi-sensory combinations to command attention and emotion is staggering.

The opening act was U2, and the show has received mostly positive but also mixed reviews. Everyone raves about the staggering visual effects, the sound quality, and the spectacle. But others do point out that the band itself gets somewhat lost, and/or is overshadowed by the new technology.

But this is just the beginning.   The technology platform is truly disruptive innovation that will open the door for all sorts of innovation and creativity. It fundamentally challenges the ‘givens’ of what a concert is. The U2 show is still based on and marketed as the band being the ‘star’ of the show. But the Sphere is an unprecedented immersive multimedia experience that can and likely will change that completely, making the venue the star itself. The potential for great musicians, visual and multisensory artist to create unprecedented customer experience is enormous.  Artists from Gaga to Muse, or their successors must be salivating at the potential to bring until now impossible visions to life, and deliver multi-sensory experience to audiences on a scale not previously imagined. Disruptive innovation often emerges at the interface of previous expertise, and the potential for hybrid sensory experiences that the Sphere offer are unprecedented. Imagine visuals created and inspired by the Webb telescope accompanied by an orchestra that sonically surrounds the audience in ways they’ve never experienced or perhaps imagined. And of course, new technology will challenge new creative’s to leverage it in ways we haven’t yet imagined.  Cawsie Jijina, the engineer who designed the Sphere maybe says it best:

“You have the best audio there possibly can be today. You have the best visual there can possible be today. Now you just have to wait and let some artist meet some batshit crazy engineer and techie and create something totally new.” 

This technology platform will stimulate emergent blends of creative innovation that will challenge our expectations of what a show is.  It will likely require both creative’s and audiences to give up on some pre-conceptions. But I love to see a new technology emerge in front of my eyes. We ain’t seen nothing yet. 

Las Vegas Sphere Halloween

Image credits: Pete Foley

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The Best Way to Impress Your Customers

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The Best Way to Impress Your Customers

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

We have the privilege and honor of working with some amazing clients. One of them asked us to work with her team on a customer experience initiative that included every company employee. One of the regular assignments for employees there is to share examples of how they created a Moment of Magic® for a customer or colleague. They do short write-ups and share them with their managers. Here is a great example of the power of this exercise.

The client is a travel company and had a VIP client that had worked with them for more than 20 years. His agent, Katie, referred to as a relationship manager, made a hotel reservation for a trip to Europe to work on a very important court case.

Katie decided to surprise him with a unique gift that she knew would have more impact than a bottle of champagne or a bottle of wine, which is the typical room gift her agency sent her VIP clients. Instead, she arranged for a pair of boxing gloves to be placed in his hotel room when he arrived with a note saying, “Knock them out!”

The client wrote Katie a thank-you note:

I had a busy day, as you would expect, but this is the most thoughtful and creative present I have ever received. And after a long day, I can’t stop laughing. They (the gloves) are going in a glass box and will be kept in my house with your card, so I can look at it every time I have a fight on my hands. Katie, you have no idea how this made me feel. Thank you!

Wow! The client referred to this as “the most thoughtful and creative present” he had ever received!

There are several lessons here:

1. Surprise Appreciation – It’s nice to surprise a customer with a gift for the right reason. It doesn’t have to be extravagant, but it needs to show you care. It just has to be unexpected, appreciated and memorable.

2. Make it Unique – It’s customary for travel agencies to send clients a surprise welcome gift in their hotel room. It’s usually a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine or something the hotel can provide. This gift was unique and, at the same time, very appropriate. It’s doubtful that Katie will send a pair of boxing gloves to a client again – unless there is a perfect reason to do so.

3. The Note Is Important – Katie’s note was just three words, but they were the right three words. It proves Katie was listening to her customer. That’s why her title is “relationship manager.”

Gifts don’t have to be extravagant to impress. They have to be appropriate and meaningful. If you want to learn more about how to properly gift your customers, read this article about my friend John Ruhlin and his book Giftology.

Image Credits: Pexels, Shep Hyken

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Allow Your Customers to Die with Dignity

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Allow Your Customers to Die with Dignity

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

I’m sorry for the somewhat morbid title, but I wanted to catch your attention. Here is a short version of the story that sets up this week’s Shepard Letter.

A friend shared that one of his in-laws passed away a few months ago. Afterward, the family tried several times to cancel a newspaper subscription, but the publisher’s customer service agent kept saying, “No.” The newspaper continued to be delivered every day. Even after the subscription expired at the end of the month, the paper continues to be delivered.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard stories like this. Companies that charge their customers monthly or annually using a subscription model – this could include newspapers, magazines, software, utilities, and almost any type of product – should have processes in place to deal with a customer passing away or any other tragic or unusual scenario. They should make it easy for the family or whoever is managing the affairs. And, help them easily and empathetically close an account. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. All you have to do is a Google search, and you’ll find plenty of horror stories similar to my friend’s – and even far worse.

Shep Hyken Death Cartoon

Chewy.com is an online pet supply that operates a subscription model in which pet food, treats and many other items are shipped regularly. Known for amazing customer service, Chewy is a role model for handling the delicate situation of a customer who passes away. In this case, the customer is a pet. Yes, the pet owner is the paying customer, but their furry friend is the real recipient of Chewy’s products.

When a pet owner informs Chewy that their pet has passed away, the company not only makes it easy to cancel the subscription, but they also do it with style, class and empathy. They send bereaved pet owners flowers, cards and refunds for recent purchases. They also request that the pet owner donate any unopened pet food and treats to local pet shelters.

It’s obvious that Chewy has a process, and there is a protocol for handling delicate situations like these. Its people are properly trained in not just what to do but also what to say and how to say it.

It may be the death of a customer, or perhaps just someone going through a difficult or emotional time; we must have a process mapped for these situations. Our people must know how to properly manage these delicate experiences with:

  1. Empathy
  2. Sympathy
  3. Care

Image Credits: Pexels, Shep Hyken

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AI Actually Leads to Increased Customer Experience Employment

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AI Actually Leads to Increased Customer Experience Employment

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

That title is a bold statement in a world where AI, ChatGPT and other technologies are doing many tasks that employees have typically performed. Sometimes, the technologies perform even better.

Earlier this year, Goldman Sachs economists predicted that generative AI tools could impact 300 million full-time jobs worldwide, which could lead to a significant disruption in the job market. That is a lot of jobs, but it’s important to note that the word used was “disrupt,” not “eliminate.” According to Statista, there are approximately 3.32 billion workers in the world. At first, one might think that 300 million is just 10% of the 3.32 billion workers on the planet, but consider some of these jobs fall under the labor category and won’t be impacted at the level other jobs are.

While it may appear to be doom and gloom for many employees, I have a rosier outlook. I’m not so naïve to think AI won’t eliminate any jobs. Of course, there will be some elimination, but perhaps we should be more focused on the word “displacement” when discussing AI’s impact. If you look at trends in business, it’s very typical that as one product becomes obsolete, another product resurfaces and replaces lost jobs. For example, the vinyl record industry lost out to 8-track tapes, which were eventually replaced by cassette tapes, followed by CDs, which now are being replaced by streaming services. In the music industry, the jobs shifted to new products, or people found similar work in other industries.

As new technologies like AI and ChatGPT increase in capability, employees must be flexible, learn new skills and be willing to go where the jobs are available. One of the big areas of concern is the customer service and support world.

Almost everyone has experienced a digital self-service customer support tool like a chatbot or interactive voice response system. My annual customer experience research found that just 31% of customers prefer using these self-service digital customer support solutions. The phone still continues to be the No. 1 preferred method of communication.

I had the opportunity to collaborate with Capterra on its recent CX survey to understand how companies are investing in technology that drives a better customer experience. The Capterra 2023 CX Investments Survey was conducted in June 2023 to explore CX strategies and investment decisions at U.S. businesses with 5,000 or fewer employees with respondents being decision-makers at the manager level. When we asked about the impact AI has on increasing or decreasing CX staff, here’s what we found:

  • 63% of companies have increased staff.
  • 28% indicate no change.
  • Just 9% of have reduced staff as a result of AI.

With all the hyperbole surrounding the elimination of jobs in the customer support world, only 9% of companies have reduced staff, far from eliminating all staff. In fact, the majority of companies increased staff. What AI and other technologies are doing in the customer support world is taking care of lower-level questions and problems that simply require automated responses, allowing agents to focus on bigger, more complicated issues.

As an example, it was in the 1990s when airlines started selling tickets online. Before that, the only way to purchase a ticket was to call and make a reservation or go to the airport. In just a few years, almost all airlines were going digital. The customer service agents, also known as reservationists, feared for their jobs. While the shift to passengers booking their own tickets reduced the demand for traditional travel and reservation agents, new jobs were created in the airline industry. More employees were needed to manage and maintain online booking platforms and to support passengers with problems or more complicated travel itineraries. Furthermore, the convenience and accessibility of online reservations made air travel more accessible to more people, allowing airlines to expand their operations, and in turn, hire more customer service agents and other employees important to the overall passenger experience.

The airline example is similar to many other industries. Undoubtedly, AI eliminates some jobs, especially those requiring low cognitive skills, but it also creates new jobs due to the need for people to develop, maintain and improve new technologies. And consider that new industries will be discovered and developed because of more advanced technologies. They will need workers.

The point of all this goes back to the title of this article. AI will not eliminate jobs—but it will change the job market. Just as some people see a glass of water as half-full or half-empty, you can decide if AI will create scary or exciting times.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

Image Credits: Shep Hyken

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Customer Wants and Needs Not the Same

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Customer Wants and Needs Not the Same

GUEST POST from Shep Hyken

Many years ago, I walked into an Ace Hardware store to find a new hinge for a swinging door. When I showed the salesperson my broken hinge, he asked if I was open to a suggestion. He sold me a better hinge that was less expensive. Who could argue with that? I had no idea that years later, I would write about this example in one of my books, Amaze Every Customer Every Time.

After that, I noticed when salespeople were more helpful than “salesy.” And guess what happens when they practice helpful behavior versus typical sales behavior? They make the sale.

Another example of this “helpful” level of service happened at B&H Photo. I had made a list of equipment I would buy to upgrade my studio so I could create better virtual keynote speeches for my clients. I was getting ready to spend more than $20,000 on equipment. The woman helping me asked me several questions and made some suggestions. She said I was overspending and didn’t need all the gear I thought I did. Her recommendations saved me more than $12,000!

The same thing happened at one of my favorite music stores, Eddie’s Guitar, where I’ve purchased some beautiful-sounding guitars over the years. I had my sights on a jazz guitar that I thought was the best for my budget. Nate, the owner, and Granville, the salesperson, said almost in unison, “You don’t want that. What you want is this one.” It was the same price, yet it sounded so much better.

What I love about these examples is that the focus was on selling me the best. Saving money was a nice perk, but even if they suggested higher-priced items, if they could prove it was more about what I needed versus what I thought I needed, I’d buy. They asked the right questions to understand my needs and made the appropriate suggestions for what was in my best interest. Consider what happened:

  1. They were interested. They asked questions to understand what I needed.
  2. They demonstrated expertise that led to appropriate suggestions.
  3. Money was less important than the customer’s long-term happiness. In these examples, the salespeople cared as much – maybe more – about me than the sale. The result, by the way, is that I’ve been back many times to both stores.
  4. Trust was created. When the salespeople proved they were helping more than selling, they won me over. And by the way, selling with service is a great sales strategy!

The result of these experiences is everything I speak and write about. It doesn’t matter if it’s sales, customer support, or anything else in the customer’s journey. Create an experience that makes them say, “I’ll be back!”

Image Credits: Shep Hyken, Pixabay

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