Posts by Shep Hyken

Every business should be thinking about how to get customers to come back. Building customer loyalty is the surest road to a successful business. But actually getting there is a long process, with no shortcuts, and what customers are looking for changes over time. Right now, in the midst of a deadly pandemic, people are…

Some people in customer service are real heroes. They give to others, and do for others, because that’s who they are, and they do it with no expectation of return. They take the extra time to do right by the customer, and create a delightful experience, without an agenda. Is that how you approach your…

What do you see in the future for your business? Now that we’ve finally made it to 2021, I wanted to share some predictions for what trends I’m expecting to see in this year. Of course, a lot of these predictions are things that have been building for the past several years—but that doesn’t make…

I’m optimistic. In fact, I’m very optimistic. But I’m not overly optimistic. Confused? I hope for the best…but I’m also prepared for things to not go the way I expect. A common mistake some people make is being so optimistic that they convince themselves everything will always go according to plan. That’s not the way…

When you’re looking at ways to improve your customer experience, of course you want to start by making sure that you’re not missing something that other competitors are offering. But you shouldn’t stop there. That’s just baseline thinking. What are things you can do differently, to stand out from the competition? Get beyond baseline thinking!

We all develop processes for various things in our business. Customer service is no exception. You may have a process for the customer experience, or maybe now is the perfect time to develop one. But I would suggest that you could take it even further, and find ways to ritualize that experience. What does that…

Great customer service isn’t just about one thing. It takes a combination of things, covering all different aspects of your organization, to deliver that amazing experience every time. While the exact mix might be a little different from one organization to the next, there are some common ingredients that you have to get right if…

One of the big differences between an amateur and a professional is taking the extra step. I love to play hockey, and I’ve noticed that many players will take a shot but then fail to follow through on a possible rebound. A professional follows through every time. I see the same thing in customer service.…

There’s often a temptation to think of customer service as a cost…the cost of spending time talking with customers, the cost of providing extra service, the cost of providing feedback channels. But if you’re really doing it right, customer service should not be seen as a cost center. It should pay for itself, and then…

Many businesses try to do a little something special to surprise their customer, when it’s possible. But if you’re going to do that, make sure that the surprise actually delights the customer, too! A surprise that doesn’t delight, or even inconveniences, the customer might be counted a good effort, but still not a great experience.…