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Tag: Customer Service

  • AT&T and Verizon phone, internet services reportedly impacted by outage

    AT&T and Verizon phone, internet services reportedly impacted by outage

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    CHICAGO — AT&T is experiencing some type of an outage Thursday morning.

    The website Downdetector.com has reported more than 32,000 outage reports Thursday morning.

    The most reported problems are in Los Angeles, Dallas, San Diego, Houston, San Antonio, Honolulu, Chicago, San Francisco and Atlanta.

    Downdetector.com is also reporting roughly 1,500 outage reports for Verizon servies as well.

    This outgae is mostly said to be impacting Philadelphia, Chicago, Brooklyn, Houston, New York City, Dallas, Los Angeles, Spokane, San Ramon.

    We have reached out to AT&T for more information.

    This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.

    Copyright © 2024 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.

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    KTRK

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  • How Customer Success Can Supercharge Your Revenue | Entrepreneur

    How Customer Success Can Supercharge Your Revenue | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Today’s business environment is tough — as such, customer success has become a crucial aspect of generating revenue. It’s no longer enough to simply acquire new customers; retaining and expanding existing customers is equally important for sustainable growth.

    In this article, we’ll explore how customer success can drive revenue and provide strategies for maximizing its impact on your bottom line.

    Related: The How-To: Delivering Great Customer Service

    Understanding customer success

    Before we dive into how customer success can propel revenue forward, let’s first define what it is. Customer success is the process of ensuring that your customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service.

    It involves proactively engaging with customers, understanding their needs and providing them with the resources and support they need to be successful, which in turn increases customer loyalty.

    The importance of retention revenue

    One of the key ways that customer success management can stimulate growth is through customer retention. Retention revenue refers to the revenue generated from existing customers who continue to use your product or service. We all know that net new customer acquisition costs more, yet so many companies insist on following this playbook. However, today’s investors are paying closer attention to retention rates and churn rates than ever before.

    According to research by Bain & Company, increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by 25% to 95%. This is because loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases and are also more likely to refer others to your business.

    By focusing on customer success and ensuring that your customers are achieving their desired outcomes, you can increase customer satisfaction and loyalty, leading to higher retention rates and, ultimately, more revenue. There is no more compelling reason to introduce a solid customer success strategy.

    The power of expansion revenue

    Another growth strategy is through expansion revenue. This refers to the additional revenue generated from existing customer relationships through upselling, cross-selling and renewals.

    By proactively engaging with customers and understanding their needs, you can identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling. This not only increases revenue but also strengthens the relationship with your customers by providing them with additional value, so bake this into your customer onboarding processes.

    The key here is ensuring your customer success team is a part of the revenue team, aligning it with sales (and also marketing) and making it responsible for part of the financial targets. Not only does this spread your revenue risk, but you’re also putting the customer experience front and center. No one wants to be chased by a salesperson they haven’t spoken to in a year for a renewal — a sale is far more likely to convert if driven by a trusted advisor who’s built a relationship with the account. According to Forrester research, trust is the most important brand attribute for buyers — so lean into it.

    Related: 3 Pillars of Client Retention Every Brand Needs to Implement

    Strategies for driving revenue through customer success

    Proactive engagement and personalization

    Proactively engaging with customers and providing personalized support is crucial for growth via customer success. By regularly checking in with your customers and understanding how their business needs may be shifting (aka really knowing them), you can identify opportunities for that all-important upselling and cross-selling. The best companies, however, will plan this as part of the customer lifecycle and lifetime value. It can be usage-driven for SAAS companies and service-driven for business services; wherever an opportunity is available, you should have a natural progression plan.

    Additionally, personalized support can help customers achieve their desired outcomes, leading to higher satisfaction and retention rates. This can be achieved through personalized onboarding, regular check-ins and tailored resources and support.

    So much of content marketing is focused on bringing new customers on board, that existing ones often get overlooked. That playbook is dead. It costs more and doesn’t have great ROI — it’s time to flip the script. This is why customer success and marketing teams must work together to build more long-term client relationships and achieve negative churn.

    Utilizing customer data

    Data and the resulting insights are another powerful tool. By analyzing customer data, you can identify patterns and trends that can help you better understand your customers’ needs and behaviors. For example, by tracking customer usage data, you can identify which features are most popular and which are underutilized. This can help you tailor your upselling and cross-selling efforts to offer customers the features they need and are most likely to purchase. It will help you identify what features, additional products or services to develop based on the most desired outcomes of your customers.

    It can also help with churn. We recently implemented a Net Promoter Score process for a client who’d never done one before. When low scores came in from several customers, it was a wake-up call for the team, who had thought everything was ticking along just fine. This allowed them to react, drill into the issues and save the accounts.

    With metrics and insights in place, you become proactive instead of reactive by keeping a regular pulse on your customers. Note: You should implement a 360-view of them across one CRM to facilitate this and achieve the best results.

    Collaboration between customer success and sales teams

    As highlighted above, collaboration between customer success and sales teams is crucial for driving revenue growth and a seamless customer experience. For example, the former can provide sales teams with insights into customer must-haves and behaviors, helping them tailor their pitches.

    According to Gartner, 43% of vendor-related regret happens at the handoff between sales and implementation. Why? Many teams still work in silos, and as such, there tends to be a gap in communication and handover — allowing for buyer remorse and worry about big-ticket investment. By working cross-functionally, you can nip this in the bud and ensure a smooth transition.

    Leveraging technology

    Technology can play a significant role here as well. For example, a customer success platform can track usage data and trigger automated emails or notifications when a customer reaches a certain usage threshold, indicating an opportunity for upselling. You can also build automated workflows within your CRM, ensuring those valuable check-ins and customer satisfaction surveys aren’t missed — achieving a level of personalization at scale.

    Related: How to Measure Your Customers’ Happiness Score (and Why That Matters)

    Times are tougher than ever, and buyers are in the driving seat. Therefore, customer success is even more crucial for nailing those sales targets. You can win bigger and maximize this team’s impact on your bottom line if you, 1) tear down those team silos and start working together and 2) be proactive instead of reactive by using technology, data insights and good old-fashioned relationship building.

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    Paul Sullivan

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  • Don’t Talk to Another Customer Until You Learn This Simple Customer Service Secret | Entrepreneur

    Don’t Talk to Another Customer Until You Learn This Simple Customer Service Secret | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Here’s a simple principle of exceptional customer service that is essential to learn and take to heart: Every customer is at the center of their own world.

    The person a customer cares most about (at least when conducting business with you) is themself. They don’t care about, or at least don’t give any thought to, the challenges that an employee serving them may be navigating. They don’t care that other customers also need to be served or about the behind-the-scenes realities at your business, least of all your company’s organizational chart.

    In your customers’ day-to-day lives, when they’re not buying from or being served by you, they may be the most open-hearted, considerate, and even philanthropic people in the world. Yet, as customers, they’re almost universally focused on themselves (as well as their kids, pets, partner or their boss).

    And that’s OK — it’s the way it should be.

    A charitable way to put this? It’s not that your customers don’t care. Rather, they simply don’t realize that any extraneous (to them) elements and challenges are involved in serving them. From the viewpoint of your customers while doing business with you, they are at the center of the world.

    My suggestion is that, rather than resenting this reality, lean into it by making the customer feel that they’re at the center of your world as well. Revamp your attitude by recognizing that embracing your customers’ self-focused reality isn’t a negative; it isn’t demeaning. Instead, it’s a way to get the cash registers to ring.

    Related: What I’ve Learned Training the Top Hotel Brands in Customer Service

    Serve one customer at a time

    If you want each customer to feel like they’re at the center of your world, learn to focus your attention on just one customer at a time.

    Here’s the mantra that should be seared into the soul of every employee in an organization: The only customer who matters is the one in front of me right now. Strive to bring a laser-like focus to the customer in front of you (or on the telephone or video call) and let the rest fade into the background.

    I can’t pretend that focusing on one customer at a time will be easy. In any business, there will always be competing priorities and multiple customers clamoring for attention. Nevertheless, making a focused connection with one person, even briefly, is supremely powerful. On the front lines, this power is self-evident. In the back office, it’s also powerful, leading to less abrupt communications and correspondence. In leadership or strategic positions, it keeps you from so completely aggregating how you look at customer feedback and data that you miss the nuances of what individuals are asking of you.

    Related: 4 Surefire Ways to Be Exceptional With Your Customer Care

    Does putting the customer in the center mean moving the employee out of the center?

    The short answer is “no!” — though this is certainly one of the ways I worry that my teachings will be misapprehended and misapplied.

    The longer answer: learning to look through a customer-focused lens when you are providing customer service is entirely compatible with having a company that is focused — in a broader sense — on the needs and aspirations of its employees.

    Customer focus shouldn’t be used as a rationale for unpaid overtime, unfeeling scheduling practices, or HR trickery couched as pro-customer decision-making.

    Happily, most (though sadly, not all) pro-customer organizations are also pro-employee. Why? There are multiple reasons: the overall health of most pro-customer organizations, the empowerment employees tend to have there, and the happy phenomenon that when such companies deploy pro-customer efforts, it’s nearly inevitable that such efforts will positively affect how a company treats employee needs and aspirations as well.

    Related: 10 Reasons Why Your Startup Isn’t Getting Customers

    Eight simple ways to put the customer at the center of your world

    Here are eight simple ways to provide the kind of recognition that lets a customer know you’re putting them at the center, which I frequently stress when I’m delivering customer service training:

    1. Use your customer’s name. (Within reason! Don’t overdo this and start sounding like those irritating fill-in-the-blank salespeople.)
    2. Offer the customer your name.
    3. If a customer takes the time to ask, “How are you doing?” answer them and volley the question back to them: “I’m doing great! And how are YOU, [Jeremy]?”
    4. If you know where a customer lives (it’s quite possibly included right there on the invoice filling your screen) and you’re familiar with the area, comment on how it’s a nice or convenient area, that you used to live there, that your daughter lived there when she went to college, etc. (I wouldn’t do this, however, with a high- net-worth individual [HNWI] or celebrity—going on about how luxe their neighborhood is may make you sound a bit creepy or stalker-like.)
    5. If you know anything about a customer’s hobbies, interests, pets, kids, spouse, partner, family members, etc., check in on them.
    6. Show gratitude to the customer for being a longtime (or first-time) customer, for choosing your company, for allowing you to work on their account, and so forth.
    7. Use “spark words,” little phrases that ring in a customer’s ear with reassurance that this matters to you: both their issue and the pleasure of conversing with them. Here are four such phrases:
      • “Nice [or “Great”] to hear from you [again]!”
      • “I’m your person to resolve this for you from here on out.”
      • “If you ever need anything, here’s my direct extension.”
      • “Now that you have me working on your issue, I will get you the absolute best resolution.”
    8. To make sure customers who are on your premises never feel unrecognized, use the 10–5–3 sequence:
      • When a customer is 10 feet away (this assumes that they’re walking toward you or you toward them), acknowledge their presence with a nod and direct eye contact.
      • At five feet, smile.
      • At three feet, say “hello,” “good morning,” or “good afternoon,” assuming the customer is not otherwise engaged (e.g., on their cell phone or talking to a companion with whom they’re shopping). If they are thus involved, leave them alone!

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    Micah Solomon

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  • How to Eliminate the Sales Funnel | Entrepreneur

    How to Eliminate the Sales Funnel | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As entrepreneurs, you know how challenging it is to prospect new clients. It is often the most challenging part of running a successful business. Finding the right sales strategy to meet your business needs and objectives can take time and effort.

    You’ve probably gone through various iterations of trial and error, from cold calling to email campaigns, experimenting with a mix of strategies rooted in the traditional sales model. While the conventional sales funnel works for many businesses, it’s not the only approach. You can tailor or even eliminate the sales funnel, the route we chose for Rentec Direct, the property management software company I founded. The traditional sales model didn’t make sense for us, so we focused on service instead of sales.

    Before I dive in, below is an overview of the typical sales funnel that most companies rely on:

    • Awareness: A prospect becomes aware of your business and its products and services, perhaps through an advertisement, Facebook post or Google search.
    • Interest: A prospect gathers more information about your company by visiting your website, reading a case study, or signing up for your newsletter.
    • Decision: A prospect decides whether or not to buy your product or service. Many companies entice customers by offering a promotion or discount code.
    • Action: A prospect buys your product or service. Many companies offer training, education and support at this final stage.

    Related: How I Built a Sales Funnel That Generates Over $80 Million

    The typical sales process also includes a lot of cold calls and prospecting through third parties. Through trial and error of the above, we discovered what worked for our business. We realized we were losing people at the top of the funnel when we didn’t establish that relationship early on. That’s when we shifted to building customer relationships at the very beginning through our free two-week trial, onboarding and training programs. As soon as a potential customer signs up for our trial, a dedicated account specialist reaches out to walk the prospect through the account setup process, provide step-by-step training, and go over how to access helpful resources on our blog to get the most out of the user experience. This personalized approach might seem like a high overhead to invest in a trial client who has yet to pay for the service, but we’ve found that the additional attention is of significant value to these new users.

    By focusing on service instead of sales, we no longer engage in prospecting. Instead, we meet our clients with what they need, proactively scheduling meetings to ensure they get set up correctly on our software. This approach stands out from competitors, allowing clients to ask questions early on and access resources at no additional cost. Consequently, we’ve built trust, resulting in more referrals and long-term relationships, with many clients staying with us for over a decade!

    Here is an example of that approach in action. We worked with a California landlord struggling with manual rent collection. She knew she needed to automate but didn’t know where to start. After a friend recommended us, she signed up for a free trial. Our account specialist contacted her when she signed up to set up her account and train her on automating rent payments. This one-on-one assistance helped her increase efficiency in minutes and gave her the confidence to incorporate the software into her daily routine. Soon after, she became a client. This personalized approach laid the foundation for a long-term relationship.

    Related: 7 Mistakes to Avoid in Your Sales Funnel

    Below is the framework that we use to focus less on sales and more on service, which may be helpful for your business, too:

    • Build relationships early: Build trust early with potential new clients through an educational blog.
    • Offer a free trial or demo: Give potential customers a chance to experience your product or service before committing to a purchase. Like in the use case above, the customer decreased her time processing rent in minutes, demonstrating the value of our software.
    • Provide proactive customer service: Learning a new technology can be overwhelming, and knowing where to turn to get the right help can be tricky. Don’t wait for your customers to come to you with questions or issues. Instead, offer assistance before they ask, showing that you are invested in their success early on.

    To summarize, focusing on service instead of sales has been a game-changer for our business. By providing this early support and training, we have built lasting relationships with our clients and have grown our business. It sets both parties up for long-term success and is worth a trial if you want a new sales approach.

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    Nathan Miller

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  • 5 Ways to Protect Your Company from AI Pitfalls | Entrepreneur

    5 Ways to Protect Your Company from AI Pitfalls | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Going into 2024, AI is shaping more and more aspects of our brand experience, including customer service.

    However, while AI can bring numerous benefits — from automated workflows to increased productivity among team members — there are many potential pitfalls that can harm businesses. Even tech leaders like Bill Gates, Elon Musk and Geoffrey Hinton have warned against AI technologies.

    So, what missteps do you need to avoid when harnessing AI for your business, especially for customer service? And what strategies can you leverage to do so?

    Here’s the full run-down.

    1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of AI

    To begin with, you need to spend some time developing a comprehensive understanding of AI before you think about deploying it. Many pitfalls originate from a lack of knowledge about what AI actually is and what it can — and can’t — do.

    Many businesses see AI as a magic wand to increase their efficiency effortlessly. This impression is fuelled by online hype discourse as well as the sales copy used by providers of AI tools.

    To demystify AI, you should familiarize yourself with basic terminology, the significance of training data and the different types of models and machine learning algorithms out there. This knowledge will also help you seriously assess any AI tools you might consider using in your business.

    Related: Does AI Deserve All the Hype? Here’s How You Can Actually Use AI in Your Business

    2. Resist the urge to rush ahead

    A second strategy to shield your business’ customer service from AI-related pitfalls is to resist an urge to rush.

    Over the past year, AI adoption has been rapid in countless sectors of the online sphere. It’s easy to get the feeling that your company will be left behind if you don’t adopt AI immediately.

    To a certain extent, this is true. AI is quickly becoming standard in many areas. However, it must be implemented with care, especially in external-facing areas like customer service. A botched roll-out of an AI-based customer communication tool, for instance, will do more long-term reputational damage than a longer delay in adopting it.

    3. Understand the liabilities and limitations of AI tools

    Next, you need to gain a better understanding of the weaknesses and limitations of customer-facing AI tools.

    While the capabilities of generative AI like ChatGPT, Jasper and Bard are certainly impressive, it’s important to keep in mind that their performance is based on a huge amount of training data and statistics. These models have been trained to recognize patterns and to imitate them, not to be innovative, understand nuance or solve problems through creative and interconnected thinking.

    For instance, researchers have found that ChatGPT can only solve between 40 and 75% of a set of commonsense questions.

    Similarly, generative AI models are liable to misinterpret colloquialisms, neglect cultural context and fail to consider nuances in professional jargon. All of this may be problematic depending on your niche as well as the location and demographic characteristics of your customers.

    One way to mitigate this is to employ advanced contextual reasoning AI models and models that integrate structured knowledge bases. These tend to perform much better at differentiating between literal and figurative language, for instance.

    Related: Why Are So Many Companies Afraid of Generative AI?

    4. Identify sensitive domains

    Another strategy to prevent any negative effects on customer service is to identify domains and situations that are too sensitive for AI to handle.

    For instance, AI chatbots may be able to take care of routine inquiries such as scheduling appointments or giving updates on the status of orders. But when a customer has a complex question that requires an understanding of information fragmented across different conversations, it will most likely require a human agent to handle it.

    Similarly, when an upset or agitated customer reaches out, relegating them to an AI agent can amplify these negative emotions, especially if the AI gives responses that, while correct, can easily appear uncaring or callous.

    Related: How to Turn an Upset Customer Into Your Company’s Best Advocate

    5. Invest in meticulous brand calibration

    Finally, one crucial strategy to keep your company safe while reaping the benefits of AI for customer service is to invest in brand calibration.

    Your voice is an essential element of your brand identity. The voices of successful brands — the tone and manner in which they communicate with customers — are instantly recognizable and consistent. When you implement AI, it’s crucial to ensure that it’s capable of reproducing your voice. Otherwise, your customers will notice the discrepancies, leading to brand dilution.

    As mentioned above, all AIs rely on training data. Many tools out there can use brand-specific data to calibrate and adjust the voices and modes of output.

    Conclusion

    For customer service, AI brings unprecedented opportunities for enhancement, as well as potentially disastrous pitfalls.

    By adopting the strategies above, you’ll benefit from the former without suffering the latter. With them in mind, carefully re-evaluate any tools you use already and thoroughly assess new ones before deploying them.

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    Hasan Saleem

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  • If You Make This Customer Mistake, Prepare to Lose Business Fast | Entrepreneur

    If You Make This Customer Mistake, Prepare to Lose Business Fast | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Maybe your customer service is tip-top in important areas like empathy, efficiency, proper use of language and so forth. Maybe you’ve engaged in effective and ongoing customer service training — whether in person or via eLearning. All of this is absolutely wonderful and very important. Still, you may have a blind spot that is driving customers away.

    In other words, Beware of The Cliff of Dissatisfaction!

    What customers expect in terms of speed is growing more emphatic and extreme every day, accelerating apace with technological, communication and competitive development. Broadband internet, ubiquitous smartphones and tablets, intuitive search functions, always-on GPS, innovative delivery options and greater competitive choice have all influenced customers’ expectations for timeliness. The old business expression, “Quality, price or speed: pick two,” no longer rings true.

    Related: Don’t Get Defensive — Avoid These 7 Phrases When Talking With an Angry Person

    The “cliff of dissatisfaction” is a metaphorical edge where customers lose patience with your company due to slow service (as defined by the customer, not by you). Before reaching the precipice, this timeframe can fluctuate depending on various factors like business type, location and time of day. It’s an inherent risk in service industries and business relationships.

    Starbucks, for instance, has a good grasp of how long their average customer will wait, from when they are acknowledged to when they receive their customized drink. The company employs strategies like interesting decor to make the wait pleasant and proactive countermeasures like baristas taking orders from the line when wait times threaten to exceed the acceptable limit. Technological solutions like their highly successful mobile app also help manage wait times. These strategies guide Starbucks’ expansion plans; when data indicates that demand and resulting wait times negatively impact customer satisfaction, a new store is opened nearby.

    Related: Want Your Business to Succeed? Use These Tips to Understand Your Customer

    Casino management is another example where waiting times are meticulously managed. Some casinos know precisely how long the average gambler will wait for a complimentary drink before getting frustrated. They utilize data analysis and staff-tracking technology like RFID tags concealed in their servers’ uniforms to improve staffing decisions and workflow.

    However, recognizing that your company has a problem can be challenging when industry standards lag behind customer expectations. For instance, in the furniture sector, a 12-week delivery time may actually be considered (at least by the merchants) to be normal. But if all businesses in your industry are too slow, it’s time for you to revolutionize your field before an innovative competitor like Uber or Amazon does.

    Letting customers control the tempo of support

    In addition to improving your speed of service — for example, by reducing hold times, cutting down on in-person waiting and returning emails more quickly — there are creative ways to match the customer’s timetable. Extending your hours is an obvious one. Allowing appointments and doing so in a way that requires minimal effort for the customer is another. And in telephone support, even when you aren’t actually answering calls any quicker, you can still answer them more conveniently by taking a page out of some of the airlines’ playbook and offering a callback option: When a customer calling in would be faced with a long hold time, give them the alternative of having their call returned at a time of the customer’s own choosing.

    Related: Use This Secret Customer Service Technique to Boost Your Customer Retention and Loyalty

    In-app support can be a step even beyond real-time

    In-app support is another way to align yourself to the timetable of your customers. If a customer is using your app and comes across a bug or something else they need to bring to your attention, in-app support, such as that offered by Zendesk, provides your customers with a “Click to Chat’ button, allowing them to chat with one of your customer support agents right there within the app. Also impressive is that this in-app solution promises to give companies a complete picture of the customer so that customers don’t feel like they’re starting over every time they interact with your company.

    Even more futuristically, certain flavors of in-app support can be, in a sense, a step beyond real-time. (Or if that sounds like a nonsensical statement, think of it as a step toward proactive assistance, or pre-sistance, so to speak.) For instance, when your company deploys Apptentive’s in-app solution, here’s what happens when a customer using your mobile app experiences a crash: A note pops up right within the app with an apology and reassurance that the issue is being fixed — before they even have to take any steps to complain.

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    Micah Solomon

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  • Free Report: How To Grow Your Customer Base By Making Personal Connections

    Free Report: How To Grow Your Customer Base By Making Personal Connections

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    We live in a digital world, but consumers still crave the human touch. While online marketing has the unrivaled power to reach massive groups of potential customers, consumer behavioral data reveals that 60 percent of interested prospects like to follow up with a phone call. This is a critical moment when companies can either land or lose new business.

    Customers want to speak with a knowledgeable person who can answer their questions quickly, but there is a big gap between those expectations and many businesses’ ability to meet them. Research shows that 70 percent of consumers expect a response within five minutes of reaching out, but the truth is that the average response time for websites is 17 hours.

    Smart companies understand that the faster they can move from a digital to a personal connection, the better their chances of winning the business. This free white paper will explore two proven methods for accomplishing that goal efficiently and economically: online live chat and virtual receptionist services.

    In the following pages, we will provide data, tips and best practices for implementing these scalable strategies into your business, allowing you to make personal and lasting connections with customers without adding headcount to your company.

    In this report, you’ll learn:

    • Why live chat and virtual receptionist services are more effective than chatbots and FAQs for converting sales and building customer loyalty.
    • Consumer expectations for response time and knowledge from business representatives and how to meet them.
    • The most effective digital tools to educate consumers about your business and CTAs that get your desired results.

    Complete the form below to access our free report.

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  • 10 Expert Principles For Designing Better CSAT Surveys | Entrepreneur

    10 Expert Principles For Designing Better CSAT Surveys | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As a customer service consultant and customer service transformation expert, I’ve felt like cringing a few times (or more than a few!) when my client companies send out customer satisfaction (CSAT) surveys that are less accurate and customer-friendly than I’d want them to be.

    This is risky for any business, so I work with them immediately to make the needed improvements.

    Sending out poorly designed surveys can try the nerves of even your most loyal customers, mislead you with spurious results and waste the time of everyone involved — those who send it out and those who receive it. When designed and deployed correctly, however, surveys can reveal essential insights into how customers view their experience with your company and allow customers to vent!I encourage you to spend a few minutes with me learning the do’s and don’ts of designing and deploying customer surveys.

    Related: How to Measure Your Customers’ Happiness Score (and Why That Matters)

    1. Every survey question should be clearly worded and easy to answer

    It shouldn’t require your customer to do math or think too much about the inner workings of your company. Avoid anything like, “Compare this interaction with interactions you’ve had at similar departments at other fintech companies in our broadly competitive cohort.” Also, don’t ask questions you don’t care about and already know you’re not going to act on. (This seems obvious, but it happens all the time.)

    2. Don’t ask your customers to grade you on a scale of 1–10

    When you request their opinions on a scale of 1-10 (or 0-10), you’re confounding your customers at best. Why? You’re essentially asking your customers to determine the difference between a “six” and an “eight” or a similar nuanced gradation when choosing how to rank you. Provide your customer with no more than approximately five choices. (Why do I say approximately five? Well, I’d go with five, but I confess that there is an argument to be made for making it four or six: If you choose an even number like this, you take away an easy midpoint response, thus perhaps getting more reasoned answers.)

    Related: 4 Ways to Use Customer Feedback for Business Innovation

    3. The order in which you ask your questions matters

    The order matters because a prior question brings up images in a customer’s mind that will influence their answer to the next one. So, be sure to ask for your customer’s overall impression first. You don’t want to influence how a customer answers this central question by asking more nitpicky questions before you get to the most important, broad one.

    Asking several individual questions before asking for an overall rating will tend to color that overall rating, perhaps quite significantly. For example, if the question the customer encounters just before the big one asks about the cleanliness of your restrooms, which was just so-so, this will likely reduce your overall rating since you’ve left their mind in the toilets.

    Conversely, if they’ve just been asked about the availability of parking and parking was abundant, this is likely to artificially increase your overall rating since they are thinking about something positive (how easy it was to park).

    4. Include at least one open-ended question

    Doing this is valuable both to harvest customer insights and to let customers know you value and are curious about their thoughts and insights. For example, “Please share any thoughts you may have; we promise to read all of these!”

    The CEO of a major corporation told me that he transformed his entire level of customer service success by reading every one of these so-called “verbatims.” In these, he found a “staggering” level of nuance about his current operations and even some promising suggestions for innovations for the future.

    Related: You Need Consumer Insights To Ensure The Success Of Your Business. Here Are Five Ways To Find Them.

    5. Word choice matters

    I’m a fan of emotive rating options on surveys, such as “fantastic!” (for your top score), “meh” (for somewhere in the middle) and even “Are you sure you can handle the truth?!” (for your lowest). Only consider this approach if it conforms with your brand style! It wouldn’t be appropriate for a traditional jeweler or a business in a life-and-death industry like healthcare or mortuary services.

    6. Pay attention to the number of top ratings (5 on a scale of 5) that you receive

    While it’s nice to know how, on average, customers perceive you, It’s arguably more important to know the number of customers who give you a top (5 on a scale of 5) rating. This may be more important than your average score because the number of people who rate you as tops are the best representation of the number of truly loyal customers you have — or, at least, the number of customers well on their way to true loyalty. Of course, most important here is the trend: are you getting more loyalists than in the past, or is customer enthusiasm flagging?

    Related: Yes, the Rich Are Different — Here Are 5 Customer Service Secrets I Learned While Working With Wealthy Clients

    7. Don’t ask nosy questions

    Nosy questions include questions on income, sex or how old they are. First, you can never assume respondents will trust your privacy practices. Second, unless you’re a casino operator, cannabis dispenser or operate another type of business limited by law to serving adults, you don’t have a reason to ask for a complete birthdate. If you are trying to set yourself up to send out birthday cards or offers later, please at least stop asking for the year of birth. A complete birthdate is probably none of your business and makes identity theft all too easy in the event of a breach.

    8. Skim through your surveys right away, looking for any complaints or ultra-low scores

    Then respond personally and immediately to these upset customers. Don’t make them wait without a response, stewing in their own frustration, until such time as you’ve batched all your surveys for review.

    9. Put thought and attention into any preamble that accompanies your survey

    Your introductory note or cover letter, just like the survey itself, should be friendly, gracious and brand-appropriate. This way, whether or not the recipient chooses to respond, they’ll be left with a positive impression.

    10. Please don’t hound your customers if they don’t respond to your survey request(s)

    I would make one follow-up reminder the limit — or even zero. Once you’ve surveyed a particular customer, suppress future surveys of that same customer for at least 30 days.

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    Micah Solomon

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  • 5 Steps for Consistent Lean Operations | Entrepreneur

    5 Steps for Consistent Lean Operations | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Lean principles have proved incredibly effective for future-proofing organizations from wasting resources. Though the philosophy originated in manufacturing, its adaptability has made it essential for any modern business leader looking to eliminate resource waste, improve quality, reduce variations in customer service and increase productivity.

    Lean management principles can be applied to many essential parts of a company, including production, supply chain management, customer service and administrative processes — all to meet customer expectations while improving productivity consistently.

    Over 70% of lean implementations fail — so what are the critical differentiating factors for those who can succeed? If executed correctly, lean management improves both customer service and employee satisfaction while reducing overall costs via productivity gain continually.

    It’s easy for leaders to talk about optimizing processes, but a successful lean systematic approach requires a deep understanding of key customers’ critical needs and a well-integrated yet simple execution plan. Most importantly, it requires an energized community of employees dedicated to continuous improvement with unwavering support from the CEO and the executive team.

    These five steps are paramount for business leaders hoping to implement lean principles to deliver consistent results meaningfully.

    Related: How to Apply Lean Principles to Your Startup’s Productivity and Time Management

    1. Understand your key customers

    At the end of the day, business is about people. With all the pressure to innovate in today’s world, it can be all too easy to lose sight of what a company’s true customers actually want and need. Lean principles are centered around the “North Star” of any business: the pain points and opportunities within a company’s target audience.

    To eliminate excess and non-value-added activities, one must first identify those that best serve the customer’s needs and listen directly to customers to understand better how these desires are (or are not) being met. This concept is at the heart of the Lean pull system and just-in-time manufacturing, which urge companies to carry out work only when there is a demand for it rather than creating products based on forecasts.

    2. Diversify perspectives

    Lean principles seek to overcome four core challenges: drag (the resistance from sluggish markets or enterprise-wide misalignment of strategies); inertia (resistance to change, including functional siloes); friction (products or services not in sync with customer expectations); and waste (resulting from outdated KPIs, failure to evolve and disengaged leadership).

    Bringing key customer needs into a company can help align company practices, culture and products/services to combat these challenges quickly and effectively. Fresh eyes, especially those with a cross-functional team approach, are crucial for mapping out and augmenting processes within the company that deliver the right products and solutions to customers and can directly combat the static mindset of companies that may otherwise be resistant to necessary change.

    Related: 5 Reasons Not to Follow the Lean Startup Process for Your Next Idea

    3. Establish metrics for progress and success

    Knowing how to measure both progress and success helps businesses implement the lean philosophy as a long-term company strategy rather than just a project. These metrics/KPIs may take various forms — including visual tools or techniques that make information and work progress more visible, as transparency helps cross-functional teams monitor and manage work more effectively and in real-time.

    Moreover, all ideals related to progress and success must be fortified by direct engagement and leadership from the C-suite. Leaders must live the mindset expected of their employees; this can be done through a regular cadence of meetings where this commitment to constant adaptation and sustainable growth can be demonstrated and nurtured. High-potential employees are thoughtfully placed in Lean assignments throughout the company. Likewise, training on continuous improvement must be made regularly for all managers and employees, with rewards and compensation tied to the delivery of lean results.

    4. Organize collaborative, cross-functional teams to streamline processes

    If done right, lean management allows companies to achieve more with less instead of doing more with less. Establishing a smoother, uninterrupted flow of work or materials via the value stream will minimize delays, waste and bottlenecks. To achieve this level of synchronization, siloes must be broken down to make way for a holistic evaluation of all internal operations.

    With engaged participation from various functions, the sequence of activities and processes required to deliver the right product or service to the customer can be assessed and solidified. This holistic perspective is crucial for optimizing value streams, sharing best practices, regular checks and adjustments and future-forward planning. Collaboration across functions also allows for a holistic understanding of company obstacles, methodologies and goals so that employees across the business are aligned on a united, go-forward strategy.

    Related: 5 Ways Lean Teams Can Work Smarter and Get More Done

    5. Foster a culture of continuous improvement and respect

    Continuous improvement is not a fad; it is an ongoing and integral element of operations, depending entirely on the business’s human element. While various technologies are helping to modernize, restructure and simplify processes, we must not take for granted the human touch that is embedded into the nature of all work. Lean principles emphasize respecting and valuing individual employee contributions and engagement and building a culture of continuous improvement through human interaction.

    By encouraging employees to be involved in decision-making, training and support, leaders lay the foundation for a community of people who are personally connected to the customers and their teams and are personally invested in the company’s future.

    Likewise, by fostering a culture of teamwork, empowerment and accountability, leaders can recognize and harness underutilized employee skills for greater success — all of which have been proven to improve retention rates.

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    Jack Truong

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  • How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Customer Experiences | Entrepreneur

    How to Use Artificial Intelligence to Improve Customer Experiences | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Delivering an exceptional customer experience is paramount for success. Within the past decade, companies that integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations have emerged as the leading choice for businesses due to their convenience and scalability. The advanced technology that we are now adapting to has taken customer and marketing experiences to new heights.

    Let’s discuss how AI-driven features and methodologies are redefining the world of marketing and the B2B user experience.

    Why you need artificial intelligence

    It’s not news that AI has a wide range of advantages and applications. Just look at how ChatGPT has revolutionized the way marketers create and distribute content, giving them key language and providing them with suggested social posting timelines and strategies. AI allows companies to automate tedious, repetitive processes, freeing up vital time and money. It quickly and accurately evaluates large volumes of data, finds patterns and makes predictions thanks to machine learning algorithms. Meanwhile, automation of duties boosts operational effectiveness, allowing marketing teams to concentrate on more strategic and valuable tasks that promote productivity and innovation.

    AI provides brands with insightful data and forecasting abilities, even finding hidden patterns and trends that most people would find difficult to spot while manually examining massive data sets. These insights allow companies to plan for customer behavior, enhance processes and make data-driven decisions.

    For instance, AI-powered analytics offers useful information about their brand’s marketing objectives, enabling brands to customize their products and make the most of their marketing initiatives. As an example, Eulerity allows brands to cut out the multivariate possibilities of creatives, media channels and audiences that are often not optimized or looked at on an ongoing basis — especially with modest marketing budgets — by using machine learning to automatically detect where the performance pockets are and make optimization decisions in real-time.

    Related: Innovation or Extinction — Why Complacency Is the Real Business Killer (and How to Foster an Innovative Culture)

    AI-powered personalized recommendations

    Personalized suggestions and a tailored customer experience have never been more vital. Artificial intelligence systems comprehend unique preferences and behavior patterns by evaluating enormous amounts of user data. Automation allows for individualized recommendations that are in line with each client’s particular demands, resulting in a more relevant and personalized experience.

    Some platforms use AI to make product recommendations based on a customer’s browsing history, buying patterns and demographic data. These clever suggestions not only help customers save time but also increase the likelihood of upselling and cross-selling, which boosts client pleasure and generates income. Isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?

    Related: Exploring the Future of Artificial Intelligence — 8 Trends and Predictions for the Next Decade

    Predictive analytics for improving customer churn

    Predictive analytics helps identify potential customer churn indicators, enabling companies to intervene and offer personalized incentives to retain at-risk customers. For brands that may be worried about losing customers, they could offer a loyalty-incentive program or contest to those consumer segments.

    A brand might use predictive analytics to monitor the usage patterns of our own customers — thereby helping to understand where marketing performance can be improved through human connection and strategic support, resulting in improved satisfaction and long-term loyalty.

    To really gain a competitive edge, your brand must be committed to continuously improving and enhancing your customer experience through predictive analytics. By closely monitoring the usage patterns of your customers, you can proactively identify any potential pain points or areas where your services can be optimized.

    This data-driven approach allows you not only to address issues promptly but also to engage in meaningful interactions with your clients. For example, we use data, customer insights and suggestions to provide tailored support and solutions that resonate with their unique needs. There have been multiple product features added to our platform that were driven by customer insights and needs. This proactive strategy not only enhances customer satisfaction but also fosters long-term loyalty and trust, which is the most important aspect of a partnership.

    Final thoughts

    Artificial intelligence has become a game-changer in every single industry and continues to revolutionize the way customers interact with software applications. From personalized recommendations to intelligent chatbots and predictive analytics, AI-driven features are enhancing customer experience, leading to improved satisfaction, increased loyalty and higher retention rates.

    By leveraging AI in such a careful and effective manner, brands have the potential to deliver exceptional customer experiences, giving businesses a competitive edge in the evolving digital landscape.

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    Adam Chandler

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  • How to Create Customer Love in a Category That People Hate | Entrepreneur

    How to Create Customer Love in a Category That People Hate | Entrepreneur

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    In this ongoing series, we are sharing advice, tips and insights from real entrepreneurs who are out there doing business battle on a daily basis. (Answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.)

    Who are you and what is your business?

    Ed Evans, CEO of Consumer Cellular. I joined the wireless industry in 1986. It’s been an amazing ride. In the beginning, there was no text messaging, just plain old voice service and it was expensive. I am very proud of what our industry has accomplished, and I am certain we are still only in the beginning.

    What is your leadership style?

    I firmly believe in truly understanding all aspects of the business. It’s not about sitting in a boardroom; it’s about diving headfirst into our daily operations. Part of my daily routine is monitoring sales and customer service calls into our call centers. I gain priceless insights into our customers’ needs, their pain points, and the very challenges our employees face day in and day out. Understanding the difference between what you think is happening and what is actually happening is critical. You will hear things on phone calls you don’t like. Sometimes we don’t get it right. These are great opportunities to correct course. Post-Covid as international travel really opened up, we were hearing from some customers that we weren’t providing a great experience when they traveled abroad. Based on those calls, we set up a focused team of experts dedicated to making international roaming go smoother.

    Related: Watch the latest episode of “Entrepreneur Elevator Pitch” now

    Your business is nothing without the customer and their happiness. Being aware of your customer’s concerns and understanding the quality of your customer service ultimately allows you to stay in touch with the heart of the business. Everyone in the company must share this basic understanding.

    How do you differentiate yourself in a crowded industry?

    Our company is built on human connections. It’s why our call centers are all based in the US and our employees are incentivized to give customers the best possible experience. Sometimes that can be a quick answer to a billing question and other times it can be a 15-minute run-through of all of the best features of the Apple Watch. We recently began opening stores across the country (25 by the end of the year) to extend this high level of service face-to-face. Our stores aren’t just places to buy phones; they’re hubs of engagement where customers can interact with our knowledgeable staff, get personalized solutions, and even a free cup of coffee. Our core customer is 50+, they have more freedom than anyone else (no mortgage, kids in the house, etc.) and we are a company that understands these needs – so we do everything possible to make communication and technology easy for them.

    Related: The First Female RV Company CEO on Bringing Ultra Luxury to Land Travel

    What is your biggest piece of advice to entrepreneurs?

    Employees are your greatest assets. That’s why one of our core values is Happy Employees Make Happy Customers. It’s vital to recognize and reward their hard work. We’ve partnered with the University of Arizona Global Campus to offer all our employees the ability to earn a tuition-free degree.

    When your employees are content and motivated, they naturally deliver top-notch service to your customers. It’s a simple equation: happy and motivated employees equal satisfied and loyal customers.

    I would also stress the importance of partnerships. Our partnerships with organizations like AARP and USAA are built on shared values and missions. We’re not just shaking hands for the sake of it; we align our research and resources with these partners to better understand our customers. Teaming up with like-minded individuals and companies builds trust within the industry and resonates with your audience. It’s a win-win for everyone involved.

    Related: How This Wife and Husband Team Turned Their Hobby Into a Thriving Business

    Have any mentors had a big effect on your career?

    I have been fortunate to have had great mentors in my 35-plus years in the wireless industry. I learned from the late Stan Sigman, AT&T Wireless CEO, to “inspect what you expect”. Denny Strigel, Verizon CEO, was a great influence on my management style. Denny set very clear expectations and held people accountable. I worked directly for Odie Donald, BellSouth Mobility CEO, and learned the importance of diversity and people skills. Odie was the best I have seen at motivating people.

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    Entrepreneur Staff

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  • Is the Customer Always Right? How to Understand Customer-Centric Thinking to Drive Engagement | Entrepreneur

    Is the Customer Always Right? How to Understand Customer-Centric Thinking to Drive Engagement | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Imagine a world where mattresses aren’t just about sleep but are associated with beauty, stress relief and overall well-being, where millions of data points can predict when the “next big thing” is right around the corner. This is the world today, driven by ever-evolving consumer preferences, where companies strive to stay ahead by honing their customer-centric strategies.

    Achieving business success means going beyond what customers say they want and digging into why they want it. This often reveals a gap between their words and actions. Businesses tend to make products based on guesses about what customers want, both from what they say and what’s assumed. However, customers might struggle to express their needs clearly, and what they claim to prefer might not match what they’re ready to spend on. Closing this gap between talk and action is the key to genuine customer-centricity.

    For years, Treacy & Company by Cherry Bekaert has been exploring consumer centricity through work with our clients. Our recent interactions with innovators have inspired us to share our latest thinking. In this article, we will delve into the importance of uncovering deeper customer meaning and AI’s role in helping to accelerate this customer discovery process.

    Related: 10 Ways to Keep Making Your Clients Happier and Happier

    The gap in customer-centricity

    Amid the intricate landscape of consumer dynamics, a crucial gap often emerges between what customers vocalize and what they truly prioritize. Companies frequently design products based on their assumptions or direct customer feedback, which overlooks a vital reality. Customers’ explicit desires may only sometimes reflect their true preferences or willingness to purchase a product.

    Take the instance of sustainability; even though customers might stress their preference for eco-friendly options when faced with the prospect of paying more for such alternatives, a majority opt for convenience and affordability. This gap between words and actions is a pivotal point for companies to refine their customer-centric approach. It’s where they can reshape strategies to truly meet customers’ deeper motivations and bridge the divide between what’s said and what’s done.

    Unveiling the deeper meaning

    Human discussions and trends often carry a hidden depth beyond the surface. We are much more than our surface-level desires or expressed preferences. Consider the unassuming mattress — an everyday item that carries a remarkable weight of association. When thinking about mattresses, people often associate them with the “culture of sleep” (per MotivBase). In reality, customers implicitly instill mattresses with a broader meaning, encompassing beauty, stress relief and overall well-being.

    Casper, a prominent player in the mattress industry, embraced this profound insight and launched their 2022 campaign, “This is where dreams begin.” This initiative was fueled by a recognition that customers’ authentic desires often reach beyond explicit preferences or assumptions. By tapping into these true motivations, Casper aimed to establish connections that resonate with customers on a fundamental level. This strategic shift acknowledges that customers seek more than just functional products — they yearn for solutions that align with their deeper aspirations.

    There is untapped potential for companies to not only provide products but also offer holistic experiences that cater to customers’ deeper emotions, forging lasting bonds of loyalty and satisfaction.

    Related: What The Fastest-Growing Companies Have In Common

    Transforming insights into actionable strategies

    By analyzing long-form text from social/search channels and applying an anthropological lens, AI can play a pivotal role in helping uncover the hidden motivations and behaviors that shape customer preferences. From first-hand experience with our customers, we are finding that consumer behavior studies that once took ethnographers months to complete can now be done in weeks or even days.

    For example, for a leading consumer brand’s cleaning division, we recommended a sensing AI tool that could uncover opportunities to fill the R&D pipeline. By sensing millions of data points using search, social and new product data, we identified the emerging, maturing and declining trends related to the cleaning category by analyzing growth and size.

    Related: How AI Can Turbocharge Innovation and Help Destroy Your Competition

    This approach uncovered not only expected trends but also unexpected shifts. Instead of listening to a focus group of customers and sorting through reviews, the team could now better understand the true trends of the masses. These millions of consumer engagements led the team to find surprising and unfamiliar trends popping up in the category, which they were able to capitalize on by better prioritizing their R&D roadmap.

    These stories offer a fresh way to see the old saying, “The customer is always right.” It’s not just a rule anymore; it’s about exploring why customers want what they want. Customer-centricity means bridging the gap between words and actions, digging into the reasons behind surface desires and using AI to make smarter decisions. In a changing consumer landscape, those who understand this approach will be skilled at meaningful engagement and gain a strong competitive edge, shaping an environment where every customer interaction resonates deeply.

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    Francesco Fazio

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  • The Ridiculously Easy Guide to Internal Customer Service Training | Entrepreneur

    The Ridiculously Easy Guide to Internal Customer Service Training | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Are you gearing up to launch an internal customer service initiative? Well, you’ve come to the right place. I’m happy to equip you with insights that can catapult your initiative into success if you choose to do it on a DIY basis.

    Before we dive into the details, let’s take a breather and understand the similarities and differences between internal and external customer service. While their essence should be the same, their surface manifestations differ.

    Both types of customer service, at their heart, have the same goal: to create and sustain comfort, positive feelings, and, of course, results. However, there are a few notable places where the way you provide service should diverge.

    Related: 8 Initiatives to Make Your Customers Loyal Advocates

    Here are some differences between internal customer service and external customer service (when they’re done right):

    • Jargon and shared language: Every industry, as well as almost every company, has its own set of terminologies, a sort of coded language that outsiders (at least if they’re not also in your industry) might find hard to decipher. With your internal customers — your colleagues in different departments or your own — you can use this jargon and language shortcuts freely, confident in their understanding and without fear of alienating them with phrases, terms, and abbreviations that may be foreign to them.
    • Level of formality: With internal customers (colleagues), you are free to adopt a casual tone, skipping the formalities you would use with someone who is outside of your company. In fact, the formalities essential for external customers may be unnecessary (or even sound a little silly) when you’re interacting with colleagues.
    • Transparency with company information: This one is obvious. You must protect your company’s private matters when working with external customers. With an internal customer, such data may be essential, or at least helpful, in completing their work.
    • The amount of abuse you should be willing to take: Okay, this is a big one and not a very pleasant one to ponder. When working with an external customer, if they are rude, they may be a rude person all the time, or they may be “just” venting this one time and will return to being themselves the next time you encounter them. Either way, because external customers pay for our company’s success, you may need to put up with it. With an internal customer, if they behave badly, you may want to call them on it or even alert a superior, particularly if you have clear internal (company) behavioral guidelines. Of course, in some company cultures, this may be a career suicide move, so you should still proceed with caution.

    Related: 5 Shocking Customer Service Mistakes You’re Making Every Day (And How to Fix Them Right Now)

    Armed with this understanding, let’s dig into the bedrock principles of internal customer service. Here are eight essentials to build into your internal customer service training — and, if all goes well, your internal customer service culture.

    1. Every service interaction unfolds in three stages: the warm welcome, service or product delivery and fond farewell. Far too often, we ignore stages one and three and focus all our effort on the middle one, what we consider the actual work. But the pleasantries at the beginning and the end of any customer service interaction are key, considering how human memory emphasizes beginnings and endings in how it later reviews an event.
    2. Mental reframing can be a game-changer. Start viewing tasks in your inbox as requests from valued customers instead of just “those folks in the other department.” — You’ll observe a boost in your own efficiency and enthusiasm.
    3. As with external customers, internal customers desire recognition. They want their colleagues to see them, not just think of someone who fills up their inbox.
    4. Address both the spoken and unspoken needs and desires of your co-workers. When they communicate with you, listen for the undertones that can give you clues to their emotional (and practical) desires, even if they’ve never verbalized them to you.
    5. Emphasize the principle of lateral service: stepping out of your comfort zone to help colleagues during staff shortages. This fosters a more resilient company culture.
    6. Respect should be a given. Bullying, regardless of its source, should be nipped in the bud. (Whether this is realistic depends on your company culture, level within your company, and other internal factors.)
    7. Consideration (kindness, really) should be at the base of everything we do.
    8. Language is potent. Steer clear of phrases that belittle or devalue your colleagues (“Like I told you previously,” “You’re not my only priority, you know,” and so forth.) And remember, “please” and “thank you” pack a positive, if quiet, punch. Use them liberally.

    Related: 4 Investments Brands Should Make to Upgrade Their Customer Service

    What format should be used for internal customer service training?

    When it comes to internal customer service training, there are a few formats to consider. One option is customer service eLearning-based training, which offers the advantage of being asynchronous (can be used at any time and at any pace) and long-lasting (has value in the future as well as present). With eLearning, employees can access the training material at their own pace regardless of their shift or schedule, and it can be used by future employees and as a central part of your future onboarding process.

    Live customer service training is another effective route to take, whether conducted in person or through remote video. This allows for real-time interaction and immediate feedback. To enhance the effectiveness of live training, it can be beneficial to supplement it with physical collateral, such as handouts or reference materials. These aids can help reinforce the essential points and ensure that everyone is on the same page — literally!

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    Micah Solomon

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  • 4 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs a CRM | Entrepreneur

    4 Reasons Why Your Small Business Needs a CRM | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The life of a small business owner can be far from easy at times. There are prospects to follow up with, sales to track and commitments to deliver to clients daily. Feeling overwhelmed and fearing the business will fail if you can’t keep up is easy.

    When I became an entrepreneur, prioritizing my tasks and projects was one of my biggest challenges.

    Since I was coding and selling, I had a lot going on at once and was constantly switching between multiple roles. I would forget to call a prospect or customer back, where a previous conversation had left off, and what I had to do as part of a follow-up interaction.

    Initially, I tried to streamline my work process. Yet, after much research, I could not find a solution I needed in the Mac ecosystem.

    So, I decided to build one for myself to meet my needs. As they say, “Necessity is the mother of invention.”

    Years later, that initial product designed to keep me organized in my earliest days as an entrepreneur evolved into Daylite, an all-in-one tool for solopreneurs and small business owners.

    I understood that I was not the only entrepreneur to experience the same struggles trying to prioritize my tasks and projects. And we don’t even have enough people on our teams to do it all for a long time, so we are juggling and switching between tasks. We are forced to focus on multiple things simultaneously, leading to errors and client frustrations.

    Related: What Is A CRM? A Beginners Guide

    The path to success in a small business can have many obstacles. Investing in the right tools can be a true game-changer. A CRM can boost sales by 29%, elevate productivity by 34% and increase forecast accuracy by 42%. It can also help us navigate challenges, regain control of our businesses and work more efficiently to close more deals and get more done.

    Today, you have a choice and can take advantage of many options. I can’t say which CRM is right for you, but I can tell you that having one is absolutely crucial to the success of a one-man (or woman) show or any small business.

    With the evolution of my career and after speaking with so many small business owner customers, I’ve learned four important things about having a powerful CRM in your business.

    1. Saves time

    Something as trivial as searching for a client’s contact information, a seemingly trivial task, can accumulate to be a significant drain on your time. Imagine a scenario where you must make a follow-up call but find the contact details missing. You have sent your team a request, and time is lost waiting for the details to be sent.

    In the long run, the ripple effect of such delays compounds into significant time loss. A CRM solves it by being a centralized repository — wherein all essential contact information is present and ready to access when needed.

    Related: How CRMs Can Spark (or Continue) Fast Growth

    2. Helps build better relationships

    An often overlooked aspect of business interactions is the personal touch. Having a repository of insights into our clients’ lives, ranging from family details to memorable dates, can help us build better relationships with them.

    We store information about the achievements of our client’s children and their key life events to reference in future conversations. But even storing something as simple as the client’s birthdate and being able to send them a present, a card or perhaps simply an email with congratulations can go a long way.

    We all care about our clients and want to be attentive, but storing all of this information in our minds is impossible. A CRM acts as our second brain, in this case, storing it all for us.

    Related: How to Create Authentic Relationships and Build Customer Trust

    3. Saves money in case of a dispute

    It’s normal sometimes to forget discussions or even agreements. It’s also normal to remember things differently. And yet, a memory lapse can have dire consequences.

    Imagine you implement something that a client approves via email. And a few months later, he challenges your execution simply because he forgot about this old request. Finding an old email in an overflowing inbox can turn into a nightmare. Being able to pull out any email from a client’s file in the CRM becomes a game changer.

    4. Helps focus on the right opportunities

    Effectively selling to a variety of potential customers requires careful planning. Deciding where to focus our efforts is crucial – some clients are ready to buy, while others need more time.

    Having all this information in one place and being able to categorize prospects helps sales professionals know which opportunities to pursue and which to hold off on. This approach ensures that we can match our efforts with each customer’s progress, increasing the chances of a successful outcome.

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    Alykhan Jetha

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  • 3 Practical Ways AI Can Work for You | Entrepreneur

    3 Practical Ways AI Can Work for You | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The parabolic growth of accessible AI tools has intriguing implications for businesses. Analysts imagine that generative AI, for example, will have a massive impact on productivity across multiple business functions. Many organizations are scanning the horizon for a long-term AI-fueled transformation, eager to make the most of bullish CAGR projections. And while leaders mustn’t lose sight of long-term goals, staring out too far into the future may be overwhelming — distracting, even.

    Rather than redesign their business’ entire approach just to meet AI somewhere along the horizon, leaders can instead take a more practical route and ask how AI can improve their current strategy. Can AI accelerate current tactics? Can it help teams do things better? Can it help organizations reach their goals with less overhead? The answer, especially regarding product, customer success and internal processes, is overwhelmingly “yes.”

    Related: The Robots Are Coming — But They Can’t Outsmart Us When It Comes To This Particular Skill.

    Product teams can let AI do the legwork for them

    AI’s impact on product development begins with the nitty gritty. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT can help teams with everything from documentation to marketing briefs and website content. My team has leveraged AI for these very purposes, letting AI rewrite code into additional languages once we create the initial sample code. Humans are still an essential part of the process, but AI helps provide a kickstart.

    Tech companies have taken AI a step further, embedding it into their products. AI represents both a tremendous opportunity and a threat for security solutions providers. Bad actors have new tool sets that enable them to create more sophisticated attacks faster and more intelligently. Cyber product teams use the same tools to defend against emerging threats and offer in-product help to ensure their customers are more productive, better informed and ultimately satisfied with the experience.

    Non-tech companies should be thinking about the experience around their products, and, indeed, many are. Car manufacturers use AI to enhance their collision-detection systems. Healthcare solutions providers embed AI in their diagnostics and imaging products. Nike uses AI to power its product personalization efforts.

    AI helps customer teams create responsive, tailored experiences

    Customer-experience chatbots have been around for a long time, but concerns about data privacy, unnatural language and unhelpful results have kept them from becoming ubiquitous. Recent advancements have helped fine-tune chatbots such that they can answer questions more efficiently and accurately than a support desk person. AI-enhanced chatbots have helped transform these experiences from feeling like an impersonal human replacement to a better and more responsible customer experience, yet some consumers are still wary. Most will use chatbots, provided there is always an option to transfer to a live agent.

    Chatbots aren’t the only way organizations can infuse their customer experience with AI. Many companies effectively employ powerful data analytics, feeding valuable purchase and customer data into algorithms that help create ever-evolving seamless, personalized omnichannel experiences – think about how Spotify recommends new songs based on listeners’ history and allows them to switch from one device to the next easily.

    AI allows everyone to escape process mundanity

    For both product and customer experience teams, much of the AI magic happens behind the scenes. Chances are those teams are also using intelligent tools to automate workflows and speed up processes so that people can do their jobs more effectively. Teams for nearly any business function can use AI to do everything from creating images for a slide presentation to drafting website content and writing documentation.

    Leaders interested in process-focused AI can begin by asking, “How can AI help deliver a product or service more effectively?” and “What are we spending time on that AI could/should be doing?” By leaning into existing tools, such as those that Microsoft, Google and OpenAI provide, organizations can simplify mundane tasks involved in creating documents, spreadsheets and slide decks to free up their workforce for more creative and mission-critical work.

    Related: Automation Is Becoming a Business Imperative: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

    AI: the ultimate means to achieving business goals

    On my product management team, we’re exploring all facets of our roles and asking ourselves how AI can help us spend more time analyzing information instead of gathering and summarizing it. This approach has been a tremendous shortcut for some components of our research and is a helpful way to think about AI as it relates to our company’s trajectory. When we ask how AI can help us fulfill our goals, we stay focused rather than become distracted navigating to some nebulous AI-enabled future along the horizon.

    Making AI work for us — not the other way around — is also a useful reminder that modern intelligent tools aren’t here to replace employees. In fact, a human in the loop is critical, regardless of AI’s application. Product teams must validate AI’s documentation; customer experience teams need to review modeling output for errors and continue to interact with customers when the time comes.

    The next time you make a decision about AI, remember that it is just a practical means to achieving business goals and not the end goal in and of itself.

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    Jason Oeltjen

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  • The 3 Tiers of Customer Service (and How to Get to the Top) | Entrepreneur

    The 3 Tiers of Customer Service (and How to Get to the Top) | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The way I see it, your decision to read this article already puts you ahead in the customer service game. Here’s my logic: There are literally billions of human beings out there who, unlike you, will never read an article or book on the subject of customer service improvement because the subject isn’t of interest to them, and they don’t understand the power that customer service improvement can bring.

    Because of your demonstrated interest in the subject, I’m going to assume that you’re already providing “pretty good, much of the time” customer service. You’re already getting quite a few things right — at least on most days and in most customer interactions. So, take a moment to pat yourself on the back. (But don’t strain your neck.)

    If I’m right about this, it means that you’ve already learned the value of customer service from the moments when you have gotten it right, and you’re now inspired to take these successes even further. You’re ready to elevate and polish your relationships with customers to a sufficient level to build the customer connections (and business results) you’ve always hoped to achieve.

    In other words, you’re ready to get out of the middle of the pack — what I call Rung 2 of the Customer Service Level Ladder — and ascend to the top rung, Rung 3.

    When you’ve only reached the middle rung of customer service, while you may be judged more-or-less satisfactory by your customers, you’re not yet loved (or even probably remembered) for the quality of customer service you provide.

    Related: Yes, the Rich Are Different — Here Are 5 Customer Service Secrets I Learned While Working With Wealthy Clients

    The problem of providing “pretty good, much of the time” customer service

    Being on the second rung loads better than languishing at the bottom on Rung 1 (unacceptable service). Still, it will never inspire the engagement, passion and loyalty you need from customers to grow your business.

    The problem is that a merely satisfied (Rung 2) customer will still have a wandering eye. And how can you blame them? If your more-or-less-decent customer service is no better and no worse than what your competitors can also supply, where’s the value to a customer limiting themselves to only one supplier — you?

    What do merely satisfied customers look like? Picture them like this: Although they harbor positive feelings towards your business, they haven’t yet ascended to becoming a devoted advocate for your brand. Unlike a genuinely loyal customer, merely satisfied customers maintain (frustratingly) open minds and remain willing to explore alternatives to your business in the vast marketplace.

    Related: 5 Reasons Why Your Business Is Losing Customers

    A merely satisfied customer is like a free agent, always ready to be enticed by competitors

    In other words, here’s what you need to remember: A merely satisfied customer belongs to the marketplace. A loyal customer belongs to you.

    This is why it’s so important to elevate your organization’s performance to Rung 3, the level of iconic customer service, where customers now consider you their only possible supplier—a category of one—and start going out of their way to sing your praises and share the word about the extraordinary level of customer service you provide.

    Once you’re viewed this way in the marketplace, you’ll be able to use your new, elevated status to grow your company reputation and to reliably and repeatably grow your bottom line.

    Moving your organization up the customer service ladder: The art of anticipatory customer service

    If customer service were a game of hockey…that would be super weird, wouldn’t it?

    But let’s say for a minute that it is, in which case the highest level of customer service, anticipatory customer service, is like being one step ahead of the puck, giving customers what they want before they even know they want it, and anticipating their needs, desires, and questions even before they express them. It’s one step beyond generic reactive customer service: simply fulfilling a request when asked, and it’s the key to creating unforgettable experiences—and memories of your business—for your customers.

    Customers often don’t ask for what they need because they don’t realize they could benefit from something your product or service offers. (Or even know that you offer it.) Or, sometimes, they’re too shy to speak up or “don’t want to be a bother.” (I promise: this last phenomenon isn’t as rare as you think!)

    That’s why anticipatory customer service is so powerful. You’re actively seeking out unexpressed needs and going above and beyond to meet them, as well as unasked questions and answering them. When you uncover and take care of those unspoken needs and wishes, you create a whole new reality for your company. In this reality, delighted customers become loyal advocates, spreading the word about your exceptional service.

    This level of mind-reading service, where customer needs are met before they can even utter a request, is the ultimate secret to winning customer loyalty. And guess what? You can train and inspire your employees to get there—and transform your relationship with customers (and your business results!)

    You may have some doubts

    Now, I get it: you have some doubts. You’re probably wondering if your employees could become Jedi masters of customer anticipation. Hold onto your hats because I assure you they can and will. This will, however, require you to:

    1. Embrace the anticipatory mindset
    2. Promote this mindset throughout your company
    3. Support the anticipatory customer service approach with targeted, meaningful customer service training.
    4. Build, over time, a culture of anticipation through the power of “positive peer pressure,” an environment where employees know that the way things are done around here is to do more than the minimum in a way that is meaningful to our customers, rather than merely complying when asked to do so.

    You also might be doubtful for another reason. You’re wondering if you can afford to provide such an extravagant standard of service. And yes, it doesn’t come for free. But creating mind-blowing service systems is a brilliant investment for any business. The rewards in terms of customer loyalty are worth every penny of your investment and then some. Once you commit to elevating your game and embracing the power of anticipatory customer service, get ready to score big and watch your business grow and prosper like never before.

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    Micah Solomon

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  • Business Growth Stems From Getting the Right Customer Feedback. Here’s How to Get It. | Entrepreneur

    Business Growth Stems From Getting the Right Customer Feedback. Here’s How to Get It. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Are you seeking to foster growth and achieve better results for your business this year? In a world where customer expectations are rapidly evolving, the importance of creating a customer-centric culture cannot be overstated. One of the most effective strategies in this pursuit is the implementation of a Voice of Customer (VoC) program. However, it’s not just about launching a program; it’s about using it smartly to drive growth rather than just incurring costs.

    What is a Voice of Customer program?

    At its core, a Voice of Customer program is a vehicle through which customers provide their valuable feedback, insights and opinions about their experiences, needs, wants and expectations in relation to your products and services. It serves as a direct line of communication between your business and your customers, enabling you to tap into their thoughts and feelings to inform and enhance your strategies.

    Related: 5 Counterintuitive Ways to Transform Your Customer Care Experience

    The pitfalls of ineffective VoC programs

    Despite the popularity of VoC programs, many of them fail to deliver the intended benefits. CEOs often struggle to justify the ongoing expenses associated with these programs due to a lack of discernible return on investment. What should be a robust tool for insights and growth often turns into a one-dimensional process that merely yields scores and basic insights. So, why do these programs fall short?

    The number one reason for the ineffectiveness of many VoC programs is the failure to ask the right questions in the right manner. A successful VoC program — backed by our global experience over two decades — recognizes that customers are diverse and their interactions with your brand are unique. Therefore, a personalized approach to gathering feedback is essential. Rather than asking every customer the same questions, tailor the questions to each customer’s experience. Keep the feedback process concise, interactive and relevant, allowing for real-time adjustments. Aim to uncover the “why” and the behavioral aspects behind their feedback. Leveraging technology, such as text, audio and video responses, can enhance the depth of insights.

    Take continuous action over passive insights

    To derive value from a VoC program, it’s crucial to prioritize taking action over merely collecting insights. While measuring customer attributes and tracking loyalty drivers are important, they shouldn’t be the end goal. Instead, focus on identifying the most pressing customer-led priorities and addressing them promptly. By honing in on a single priority, it becomes easier to transition from data collection to impactful actions. Measure success based on individual and team improvements, aligning these improvements with sales growth and customer retention. By translating enhanced customer experiences into tangible business outcomes, the program’s value becomes undeniable.

    The role of program leadership

    A successful VoC program isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it endeavor. It necessitates robust program leadership and engagement. Collaboration with experienced partners is key to tailoring the program to your business, from setup to implementation and ongoing management. Software systems alone are insufficient to drive the program’s success; customization is essential to align the program with your specific business needs. A holistic approach, including ongoing management of the customer journey, actionable results and integration with sales KPIs, is the recipe for meaningful change.

    Related: Customer Centricity: What It Is, Why It Matters and How to Improve Yours

    Feedback ASAP: Driving real change

    In the quest for growth through a customer-centric culture, the “Feedback ASAP” program — getting feedback as soon as possible — stands out as a testament to the power of a well-executed VoC strategy. Rather than relying on generic solutions, this program capitalizes on personalization, actionable insights and robust program leadership to deliver tangible results. By identifying missed sales opportunities and offering real-time solutions, it empowers teams to improve their skills and capabilities through targeted eLearning.

    This integrated approach aligns changes with overarching strategic goals, making the entire business ecosystem work in harmony toward growth.

    The road to growth in today’s business landscape is paved with customer-centric strategies, and at the forefront of these strategies is the Voice of Customer program. While its popularity has grown, so has the realization that the key to success lies in asking the right questions, taking continuous action and having strong program leadership. The paradigm has shifted from collecting insights to driving results and the Feedback ASAP program exemplifies this shift. The time has come to embrace a customer-centric culture and unleash the true potential of your business through the power of your customer’s voice.

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    Phil Prosser

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  • The 6-Step Blueprint for Excellent Customer Service and Lifelong Customers | Entrepreneur

    The 6-Step Blueprint for Excellent Customer Service and Lifelong Customers | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Every day, as a customer service consultant and customer service turnaround expert and trainer, I work with companies to lift themselves up and out of the cluttered marketplace in which many of today’s businesses find themselves.

    My goal with each of my clients is to use exceptional customer service to elevate you to the point that you are no longer considered an interchangeable commodity in the eyes of your customers. Through developing an ethos and practice of exceptional customer service, we work together to get their companies to a place where they command engagement and true loyalty from their customers for now and as they grow.

    To create lasting impressions and build enduring loyalty, businesses need to transcend the realm of the ordinary and venture into the extraordinary. This is because humans remember events in their lives in terms of images and in stories they tell themselves. And a great way to have your business and brand star in these stories is to deliver “wow” experiences that will leave an indelible mark in your customers’ minds.

    A “wow” customer experience requires you to go beyond just fulfilling basic expectations. It’s about serving (and, ultimately, engaging) customers in creative, unexpected ways that connect emotionally with them. Such experiences live on in customers’ memories and become stories shared with friends, family, coworkers and potentially a wider audience through social media.

    Related: Yes, the Rich Are Different — Here Are 5 Customer Service Secrets I Learned While Working With Wealthy Clients

    Creating wow moments not only benefits customers but also inspires employees. It can foster teamwork, improve employee retention and boost company-wide morale. But how can your organization consistently deliver such remarkable experiences?

    Here is a six-step blueprint for achieving ‘wow’ customer service and creating lifelong customers:

    1. Empower employees to create ‘wow’ moments

    The first step towards creating ‘wow’ experiences is the (scary) one of empowering your employees. They should feel confident about making on-the-spot decisions without needing managerial approval every time. And don’t treat empowerment as some add-on or “nice-to-have.” rather, the time spent by your employees creating ‘wow’ is their job.

    2. Celebrate ‘wow’ efforts

    When employees go the extra mile for customers, applaud their efforts rather than penalize them for spending extra time. Positive reinforcement encourages employees to continue delivering exceptional service. You need to take care not to criticize your employees if they don’t complete all their functional, checklist-type items because they were otherwise engaged in creating ‘wow.’ Or to give them a hard time if their early, awkward efforts at ‘wow’ don’t go entirely smoothly.

    Related: The Importance of Recognizing Your Employees

    3. Encourage anticipatory service

    Anticipating and addressing needs or desires that customers haven’t even voiced can significantly enhance customer service. Strive to serve even the unexpressed needs and wishes of your customers. This depends on various factors and behaviors working in concert:

    •Training your employees in what is called “situational empathy”: the type of empathy that can be transformational, in real-time, on the phone call or face-to-face or digital interaction that your employee is engaged in with a customer right now

    • Collecting useful data on individual customers and their preferences and past behaviors and putting this conveniently at the fingertips of your customer-facing employees

    • A mindset — that needs to start, organizationally, at the top — that we are more than order takers and problem solvers; we are here to find ways to go above and beyond in ways that our customers will find both useful and “wowing.”

    4. Be mindful of timing

    Not every interaction is an opportunity for a ‘wow’ moment. A customer in a rush or busy with their phone call may not appreciate an interruption, no matter how well-intentioned. Train your employees to recognize when it’s the right and wrong time to ‘wow’ customers. If an employee is sensing a “please, just the facts!” attitude or a sense of being in a hurry, then the employee should back off and save their ‘wow’ efforts for another more suitable moment. (Or, if this seems to be always the disposition of this particular customer, then they should save the ‘wow’ to use on other customers who will be more appreciative.)

    Related: Investing in Your Employees Is the Smartest Business Decision You Can Make

    5. Create ‘wow’ moments through meaningful connections

    ‘Wow’ moments don’t always require grand gestures. Sometimes, an empathetic conversation or an emotional connection can leave a lasting impression. For instance, Zappos employees strive to make a connection on every phone call by bonding over shared interests or concerns based on cues they pick up on from the customer.

    6. Hire wow-capable employees

    While almost any employee can be trained to deliver ‘wow,’ starting with the right team can make your journey smoother. Aim to hire individuals who naturally exude warmth, empathy, teamwork, conscientiousness and optimism – traits that are instrumental in delivering ‘wow’ customer service.

    Creating ‘wow’ customer service is a strategic process that requires a shift in mindset, a commitment to employee empowerment, and a focus on anticipatory service. By implementing these steps, you can create memorable customer experiences, build enduring loyalty and ensure the sustainability of your business model.

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    Micah Solomon

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  • I Left Dream Job at Google Because It Wasn’t Innovative Enough | Entrepreneur

    I Left Dream Job at Google Because It Wasn’t Innovative Enough | Entrepreneur

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    This as-told-to essay is based on an interview with Tyler Ashby, president at Agents Only Technologies.

    Google was a dream opportunity that offered me career validation, financial security and a sense of personal pride.

    Before joining Google, I spent 20 years in the customer service and business process outsourcing field. Specifically, I launched and ran customer contact centers around the globe. From the start of my career, I was always drawn to the people side of the business. This drove me to take a particular interest in people-first operating principles with an emphasis on creating technology and processes that make the humans involved more valuable.

    My time with Bain trained me to tackle customer experience and costs using customer journey mapping, service blueprints and people/process/technology analytics. As a result, I developed a strong passion for identifying and improving efficiency without compromising the end experience. I’ve launched projects across the world for notable companies such as Sprint, Dell, Epson, Citibank, Samsung, Telstra and Virgin.

    I joined Google somewhat circuitously. I originally interviewed with Fitbit, but during the hiring process, Google announced its plans to acquire the company. At that point, I had several job options, but I chose Fitbit, primarily because I would have the chance to work at Google down the road.

    Initially, the experience at Google was exciting; the opportunities seemed endless. I underwent onboarding from an engineering group, Noogler Training, and had unlimited access to self-paced training and experts from various skills. It seemed like everyone at the company had a “go try it” attitude and there were no restrictions on creativity.

    Related: How Do You Win the Innovation Game? Google’s ‘X’ Marks the Spot.

    However, I soon realized that Google’s innovation, particularly regarding generative AI, was limited.

    “The customer service department had limited to no access to even basic data tools — let alone any of the leading tech being developed.”

    When Rick Osterloh, senior vice president of devices and services, presented his roadmap, the priorities and core action plans laid out in it did not align with those of a tech innovator. Although our engineering groups were enabled and encouraged to experiment and developed brand-new applications for our technology through side projects, we in the customer service department had limited to no access to even basic data tools — let alone any of the leading tech being developed within Google.

    The customer service teams primarily used outdated third-party tools. Even with the perfect execution of the 18-month roadmap, we would still be technologically behind the leading industry standard. Google’s roadmap lacked any plans for generative AI in customer service.

    In 2018, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet Inc. and its subsidiary Google, showcased Google Duplex’s AI capabilities at I/O, where it successfully called a hair salon and booked an appointment using AI voice and transcription. But in 2020, when I asked about it, no one in customer service had used it or brainstormed applications for Google customer service. In 2021, I gained access to Meena, Google’s AI chatbot, but I was the sole user within my team.

    I discussed the matter with engineering mentors and learned about Google’s unwritten stance: Google doesn’t invest in customer experience through service; the company believes in making the product better. I was given several examples from YouTube and Stadia that indicated the limited influence of the services organization within Google. Because of this, I believed Google had no intention to innovate the customer experience.

    Neither Pichai nor Osterloh explicitly stated that Meena, a generative AI, wouldn’t be part of customer service. Although Pichai has a positive vision for AI’s potential, there were no explicit plans. Most importantly, our roadmap didn’t pave the way for generative AI integration, which would require significant work on processes, tools, data management and tech stack integration. The focus was on cost reduction — not preparing for implementing this groundbreaking tech. Despite raising questions about this through Dory, Google’s internal Q&A, and other channels, they remained unaddressed.

    What’s more, I spoke to four different leaders within my organization — a Fitbit director, direct manager, director of scaled operations and CS tools/transformation director — about the opportunities with Meena and how we could go about working between the engineering org and the customer service org.

    They confirmed what I already knew: Google wasn’t innovative enough for me.

    “Google didn’t excite me or give me a sense that I was truly making a difference.”

    I decided to leave Google when presented with an opportunity at Agents Only, a gigCX platform addressing contact center issues by employing technology to link brands with seasoned gig agents, forming an instant virtual contact center. Centered around the agents, the company aims to harness top-notch talent to create the best customer outcomes.

    My choice between Google and Agents Only was a trade-off between long-term stability and personal satisfaction. Ultimately, I realized that my work at Google didn’t excite me or give me a sense that I was truly making a difference. When I resigned, I sent two of those colleagues I’d spoken with an email referencing the Meena predicament; I told them Agents Only was offering me the chance to use tech to make a difference.

    Without the Agents Only opportunity, I would have stayed at Google due to the stability and benefits that were valuable to my family. It was only the appeal of joining a startup that gave me a chance to make a real difference that could have pulled me away.

    Additionally, Agents Only’s people-centric philosophy, technological vision and innovation potential were major selling points. I also knew and trusted the founder, Ben Block: He had put his money where his mouth was many times in the past when it came to taking care of agents, so I believed him when he said the company was founded to make agents’ lives better.

    I signed on — and it was the right decision.

    Related: How to Tap Into Innovation, the Most Essential Part of Your Entrepreneurial Journey

    Agents Only is at the forefront of disrupting the contact center industry and raising the quality of life of the agents.

    There is such a huge pool of dedicated talent that cares about doing a good job for themselves, the customer and the client. I want to enable these agents to make a larger share of the money by paying them more and use our technology to remove layers of ineffective command and control management. We are currently operational in four countries, and I’m looking forward to adding agents in every country of the world and creating an OnDemand GigCX solution that will become a part of every company’s customer strategy.

    “Internally, we are using generative AI to coach the agents on behaviors that lead to better outcomes.”

    To date, we’ve handled over 12 million customer contacts, using 100 million data points to rate agents, and processed $250 million in revenue for our restaurant and hospitality clients. This was done at a cost 40% lower than normal operations while being able to pay the agents almost twice as much as the industry standard.

    We’ve also delivered incredible flexibility in terms of staffing — going from 700 agents to over 2,000 agents for a single day to handle restaurant calls during the Superbowl.

    Reliability is a key component too. When we allowed 100% of agents to choose their schedule, they successfully delivered on 98% of those hours, surpassing the industry average of 82%. We have achieved an impressively low attrition rate of less than 1% as our agents tend to remain on our platform once they join.

    As for generative AI, the access it gives to knowledge and self-learning capabilities is highly valuable. Internally, we are using generative AI to coach the agents on behaviors that lead to better outcomes. They are incentivized for these behaviors and can have in-depth coaching conversations with the AI that allows them to ask clarifying questions, get expert examples or receive objective feedback on their skills.

    Related: Why Are So Many Companies Afraid of Generative AI? | Entrepreneur

    The most exciting part of generative AI will come when used in tandem with other types of AI. Combining machine learning AI or analytic AI with generative AI will allow human interaction and development that is real-time and takes into account every piece of data available to define and optimize, as well as task automation and real-time augmentation. The result could be a learning and development loop allowing anyone to learn anything — while also putting that knowledge into practical execution via automation.

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    Amanda Breen

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  • How to Ensure Tech Doesn’t Overshadow Your Brand’s Human Touch | Entrepreneur

    How to Ensure Tech Doesn’t Overshadow Your Brand’s Human Touch | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Tech is powering business, but it isn’t enough on its own to generate success. Creating a personal touch still remains one of the most potent and effective ways for a brand to stand out from the crowd.

    The problem is that companies have a tendency to drift from the “human touch” over time. Without a deliberate effort to stay relatable, they quickly sink into a state of cold-hearted activity and bottom-line calculations.

    With recent AI and automation technology exploding in popularity, it begs the question: How can you fit all of these new tech tools into your business plans without losing your human touch?

    Let’s dive into a few of the best ways that I’ve found companies can get the most out of bleeding-edge tech without losing sight of the human experience along the way.

    Related: The Human Touch: What It Takes To Maintain Meaningful Client Relationships In A World Driven By Artificial Intelligence

    1. Embrace a human-first approach

    In SEO (search engine optimization), marketers use things like keywords, linking and back-end activity on a website to ensure that their content is driving organic traffic to their company’s site. This optimizes online content to ensure it ranks well in search engines.

    While this is all technically focused, it’s critical that SEO experts remember to put the reader first as they craft their content. If they make ranking high in search engines the top priority, it can lead to confusing text that doesn’t meet a reader’s needs. To put it another way, SEO experts must prioritize the readers (i.e., users/customers) first and the search engines that point those readers toward their content second.

    The same principle applies to any application of technology in business. You should never prioritize tech tools as an end unto themselves. Instead, they should have a clear benefit that helps you serve your target audience better.

    In marketing, this is referred to as human-to-human marketing. In customer service, a consumer-centric approach is essential. And when I say essential, I’m not exaggerating.

    During the pandemic, when companies were using tech tools hand over fist to maintain their connection with customers, CGS polled thousands of consumers. The goal was to see how they were fairing in online customer service interactions.

    The results were telling. More than a third of respondents (37.8% in the U.S. and 39.1% in the U.K.) didn’t just say that having a human element in the interaction was important. They said that an opportunity to connect with a human agent was a top three requirement of leaving the interaction happy.

    If you want to embrace tech without losing the human touch, start by prioritizing the customer over the tech in every situation.

    Related: In An Era Of Artificial Intelligence, There’s Always Room For Human Intelligence

    2. Don’t let tech hide your humanity

    Technology can have an endless number of applications for a brand. You can use it to speed up invoicing, track customer profiles, forecast sales cycles, the list goes on.

    One thing that tech should never be, though, is a cop-out. You should never use tech to avoid an issue, like dealing with an unhappy customer.

    In fact, in the CGS survey listed above, nearly half of those asked wanted brands to be more transparent about how to get help from a human. They didn’t want to have to put in extra work to find a way around an automated customer service system.

    When technology is implemented purely to save a buck or make an internal problem go away at the expense of the customer, it can quickly become a misuse of its value. Remember, tech should always enhance the customer experience. This can be a direct influence or an indirect one, but it should always be a factor.

    It’s one thing to use technology to make things easier or reduce your overhead — if doing that hides your brand’s humanity, though, you should look for a better option.

    3. Use tech to make human-centered activities easier

    One of the simplest ways to lean into tech effectively is to use it to make “human touch” business activities more optimized (and, by extension, easier to invest in and sustain).

    For instance, a branded podcast is a great way to showcase a brand’s humanity. It requires real-life recordings from the experts and individuals behind your products and services.

    That said, a podcast is a lot of work. That can make it hard for companies to pull the trigger on a recurring show. This is a perfect opportunity for tech to help — and in more ways than one.

    One example is the numerous AI and automation tools available to streamline the podcast production process. Simon Hodgkins points out that AI is already using NLP (natural language processing) to automate transcription services.

    The CMO adds that AI can also help with post-production. It can remove background noise and fix irregularities in sound levels. AI can even generate ancillary items, such as show notes and social posts.

    You can go even further by having an amplified marketing tool develop a longer blog article based on an episode that dives deeper into a topic. You will still want a human editor to give your content a once-over, but the overall process is faster, more affordable and expands your reach.

    Related: The Rise (and Rise) of Branded Podcasts

    Technology and our humanity don’t have to be mutually exclusive aspects of business. With a little forethought, it’s easy to get the two to overlap.

    Embrace a human-first mindset, and evaluate tech to ensure that it is helping rather than hiding your brand’s human touch. If you can maintain that mindset, you can find countless ways to use tech to give you a competitive advantage in your industry.

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    Lindsay Tjepkema

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