Posts by Shep Hyken

I had the privilege of watching U.S. Navy Commander Mike Abrashoff as he delivered a speech at a conference where we both were speaking. It was a pleasure to share the stage with this amazing man. In short, Commander Abrashoff was assigned to take over the USS Benfold, a ship that was considered one of…

The best customer service doesn’t just deliver on the things that a business must provide; you have to do more. If you want to be a customer-focused company, there are other things you must do, above and beyond the minimum. What amenities might your customers appreciate? Think about your customer-focused musts, and identify the things…

Are you feeling disconnected from your customers? Maybe you, or some of your employees, don’t have an opportunity to interact with customers on a regular basis. If so, beware! You’ve entered the customer-free zone. It’s important to stay in contact with the front lines of your business, and know what customers want and need. In…

Next week is National Customer Service Week, celebrated each year in the first full week in October. It’s about not only your customers, but also your employees who serve those customers and create the customer experience on the front lines. This is a time to celebrate the things you’re doing right, and to refocus on…

Every business has to make tough decisions. Unfortunately, none of us get to just make easy calls all day; the reality is that we have to face difficult challenges head on. Choosing to do nothing about a problem because the solution is uncomfortable will lead you to failure. You can’t just hope things will get…

“The customer is always right!” Well, not always. But even if the customer is wrong, you can still treat them the right way, with dignity and respect. When you run into a situation like this, choose your words carefully. Avoid phrases like, “It’s your fault,” or “You’re wrong!” In this week’s video, we’ll look at…

I posed the following question to a group of business owners at the International Franchise Association convention: How do you ensure a great customer service experience for your customers? There were some commonalities among the answers. Even with the diverse collection of businesses, from quick serve restaurants to online businesses, most of them agreed that…

Woody Allen once said, “80 percent of success is just showing up.” To that I would add, “80 percent of customer service is just being nice.” This fits in well with my recent focus on the simplicity of customer service. Not to over-simplify, but really, being nice is the greater part of customer service. With that…

Have you ever gotten the handoff? Everyone has at some point. You know, when you are talking to a customer service representative and he or she transfers you to someone else to resolve your issue. It can happen on the phone or in person. Sometimes they say, “It’s not my department.” (I hate that one!)…

People hate friction in the customer experience. Anything that gets in their way and causes frustration is a problem to solve. Some of the biggest sources of friction in businesses today include making customers wait, forcing customers to repeat their problem to multiple people, inconsistent information, and more. Once you’ve identified the key friction points…