Guest Service

When employees are deeply engaged in their work, they are more likely to go the extra mile to provide exceptional service, resulting in satisfied and loyal customers.

But how can organizations foster and maintain high levels of employee engagement? One innovative and effective approach is through gamification.

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

It’s time to come back to a very important topic in customer service and customer experience. It also falls under leadership and management. The topic is communication and transparency. I was recently interviewed by Megan Jones, an editor for Call Centre Helper magazine. We were talking about how to turn Moments of

Many companies still believe that customer service is what happens when something goes wrong. However, that is only one part of customer service. The bigger picture is that customer service happens throughout a customer’s entire experience while doing business with you. It starts the moment they interact with your

Duplicate or triplicate (or more) effort is a waste of time! If you’re making your customer go through the same process multiple times, you’re creating a negative customer experience.  I recently had to get an MRI for a medical issue and was asked to fill out some online forms before my appointment. (And in case

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

Happy New Year! What’s 2024 going to be like? I recently wrote two articles in my weekly Forbes column with my top predictions and trends for customer service and customer experience. I’ve taken five of my favorites from the list to share here in The Shepard Letter. Here are my top predictions for 2024. You can

If I asked 10 people who they thought could be planet Earth’s most customer-centric company, I bet a majority would have the same answer. I’ll share that company’s name at the end of this article. For now, you can guess.   Cindy, from my office, had a customer service issue. Here are the steps she took to

I recently bought a software solution. The advertising said, “Easy to install and easy to use.” It was half right. I had no problem installing the software. However, using it was a different story.   The good news is that when I reached out to technical support, I had a response within minutes. Despite the quick

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

Last week, I introduced you to The Customer Hierarchy of Needs based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. This week, we focus on our employees. Before you can have a strong customer experience, you must have a good employee experience. So, here are the five levels of the pyramid that make up The Employee Hierarchy of

Many of you who read my articles or watch my videos may not have jobs related to customer service or CX measurement, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to what I’m about to share. I recently wrote an article that included 14 customer service and CX metrics that CX leaders should consider, and

Functionality versus customer experience: Do they belong together? Yes! And here’s a story to make the point:   Two guys are buying new cars. One buys a Ford EcoSport, and the other buys a Ferrari Roma. The Ford costs about $25,000. The Ferrari costs about $250,000 – 10 times more!  Both guys live in the same

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

Happy New Year! 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 10 ideas. Many, if not all, will apply to

Customer service and customer experience (CX) are more than what happens after the sale. It’s not just a department to call when there is a problem. It actually begins long before a customer ever makes a purchase. Then, there’s the experience during the sales process and what happens after the sale, which could

In a confrontation with a customer, you have a goal: win the customer, not the argument. I’ve written about this before, and it’s worth coming back to this topic from another angle with a different example.   First, an interaction with a customer should never result in an argument. The best people in customer

Three simple messages can dramatically enhance the customer experience, but companies are reticent to publish them. I discuss the messages, why companies are afraid to say them, and the payoff when they do.