For many companies social media is a growing marketing trend in addressing customer service. It’s a place where customers give feedback, ask for help and make complaints. And the lack of a good social customer service can negatively affect your business and vice versa, a great social customer service can benefit from it. Social media means that local problems can become global in minutes.

The thing is that you should be in all the places where your customers are searching for information and help them find it, answer all their questions and do this as fast as possible. In social customer service we should prioritize response speed. Customers raise their issues through social media and they don’t like to wait. If you’re late, you lose your customer – that’s the reality. In social media two days are equal to two weeks.

Being on social platforms not only gives you direct access to your customers, but also gives your customers direct access to you. Online presence gives an opportunity to many companies to receive a report back from a satisfied customer, avoiding negative opinion from spreading all other the internet. That is why we should make it easy for your customers to connect quickly and receive a helpful response. It’s all about customers’ delight as well as your company’s prosperity!

"Social care" became one of the most important concepts which provides multi-channel support. But not all social platforms can be used for customer service. It’s the audience that determines where you need to be present to get maximum from social media. So be where the majority of your audience is active as your customers will contact you via their own preferred channel, not yours.

Another important factor about customer service is transparency, which means that other potential customers get to see how well you handle the situation and act accordingly. If you answer a customer’s concerns quickly, politely, and effectively, you’ll make all your followers confident in your customer service. Your customers will mention your brand in their posts, making you visible to all their contacts. What else is needed for the company’s success?

The future of customer service is obvious – let’s recognize that social media has become the main customer service channel. 74% of today’s customers use at least three channels when interacting with a company for customer service. After all many companies are still using stand-alone, single channel experiences, what irritates many customers, they want to be heard instantly. So if you still stay out from social networks, it’s high time to show your presence – keeping your online reputation high! Always remember that good customer service is a two way street, so show up with a positive attitude!

Has writing a new book. The Customer Service Revolution. http://thedijuliusgroup.com/shop/items/books/1/

When I asked him, “So why is it a revolution?” John replied: “ You know, the past seven years with the ups and downs of the economy and social media, it really has shined a spotlight on the customer experience. As you know ten to fifteen years ago people could get by with average customer service or below average. That’s no longer the case, in the recession the only companies that survived and even strived were companies that were world class in customer service and they didn’t suffer like everyone else and that really gave everyone a heads up that customer service was a distinct competitive advantage. But also with social media today, in the past if I disappointed you would probably wouldn’t come back and you might tell a few people. But now look at the ability. You can tell hundreds of thousands and it could go viral! You know, customer experience is our greatest marketing tool and you can no longer hide if you have lousy customer service!.. Companies are recognizing that and they are creating a customer service revolution…”

John goes on in detail to what he means by a Customer Service Revolution…. Tune in and find out to see if you are on the winning side…

What do you think he has to say about customer service?

Tune in and find out!

Bell outlines how today’s customers crave special and unique service much like what sprinkles bring to a cupcake “Customers’ satisfaction with service continues to decline. That’s why a fresh, ingenious approach to the customer experience is more important than ever,” said Bell, who has

served as consultant and/or speaker to such renowned brands as Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Harley-Davidson, USAA, Universal Hollywood, IBM, Marriott, Cadillac and AMEX. “If your service is pretty good, it is not good enough today. Customers want service with a delightful surprise—a cherry on top. That’s why the best service is value-unique, not just value-added.”

Tune in and learn how you can add the special touch to your customer service today!

Paul shares some of his ideas and thought about what makes excellent customer service. One of the things he likes to say is “The fastest way to bankruptcy is trying to satisfy all your customers’ needs!”

Interesting statement… tune in to find out more and learn some new tips how you can Make Excellent Customer Service the Standard!

He shares some of his obervations and ideas that will help you Make Excellent Customer Service your Standard!

Tune in…

Listen how he did it and hear Errol tell you his practical advice on how to make excellent customer service your standard!

Tune into this week’s Podcast to find out David’s fascinating solution to the problem.

That’s just a taste of a couple of this week’s take away packed put into action right now Making Excellent Customer the Standard Podcast!

Meet Dr. Rosanne the customer service expert known as the "champion for the human" in a high tech world. She has been providing needs assessments and customized, live customer service/people skills' trainings internationally, as well as university certification from Purdue University's Center for Customer Driven Quality. She’s also written 8 books - 7 on customer service and one on motivation and inspiration. An industrial psychologist by profession which means she knows the pulse of companies and their people. Dr. Rosanne does consulting, coaching, trainings, and is a keynote speak as well as contribute monthly columns for online magazines such as SupportIndustry.com and NearshoreAmericas.com My goals are to find the human in everyone, make a contribution on the planet, and not stop before the miracle.

He has worked with and spoken to executives from Verizon Wireless, Tim Hortons, Tangerine Bank, Lexus and many other billion dollar companies to improve their customer and employee experience.

In this podcast, Michel reveals some of his secrets to what it takes to successfully create the best employee and customer experience.

Tune in…

I had the privilege of interviewing Liam Austin from smalltoday.com a forum for those that are thinking about starting a business or have one and are looking for advice from others that have, “been there, done that!”

I know how it feels to be on my own in business and thinking, “I wish I had someone I could brainstorm with or ask advice from.” So I can appreciate Liam’s group and I do.

All businesses need excellent WOM. Small businesses live on WOM. Most small guys don’t have a budget for any meaningful advertising or that many places to advertise. So WOM is critical.

There has been a lot talk about the WOW customer experience. WOW = WOM. That’s the equation for your success. The question is how do you create the WOW and be consistent about it?

Well for starts, have a service recovery plan. I call it part of my advertising budget. When things go wrong and they do, you are ready to turn those sour grapes into fine wine. Don’t argue with your customer, get it fixed fast, you may even have to pay for it even though you are right! But you have a service recovery plan! You already have it budgeted in to take care of it as part of your “Advertising Expense.” Now your customer is going to be so impressed they are going be telling everybody!

Now I’m not saying you should put mistakes as part of your advertising plan. No, it part of your Service Recovery Plan. You know, like a fire alarm?

The best is to work hard to make sure the client is able to achieve their goals in the most pleasurable way possible. That the delivery is what it’s supposed to be and that nothing goes wrong for them. Work on delivering that WOW where it should be.

How do you create WOW to get your WOM?

Listen to this week’s podcast to hear how startups and small businesses can Make Excellent Customer Service their standard!

The focus of the conversation shifted to “Your name is not Dillon and you aren’t from Texas!” In his defense, He never did say he was from Texas. But I felt betrayed. He then calmly explained to me, that he just wanted to make me feel more comfortable and that his real name was hard for “Gringos” (He didn’t say that exactly, I just used some of my artist license to make this post more fun!:)

But I couldn’t let it go. I asked, “Why don’t you give me that choice?” and “You don’t need to pretend you are from Texas, it sounds silly anyway!”

He then dropped his attempt to impersonate John Wayne, (Now I’m really dating myself) and told me his real name. It was so complicated my western tongue ended up getting hung up on my back teeth and nothing that sounded even close to his name came out!

Learned my lesson! I agreed “Yeah Dillon is a pretty cool name! O.K. Dillon how can you help me with my issue?” By the end of the conversation. I was giving “Dillon” California surfer accent lessons and inviting him to my next bar-b-q!

So really what does it matter where the service rep is from? I just want to get my problem solved, be happy and move on. I do think that some feel that outsourcing is taking jobs away from their fellow citizens and they want to keep those job at “home.” That may be the source of discontent if any.

According to my new friend Pankaj Jain, CEO & Co Founder Y2innovate Technologies Pvt Ltd , who is from India and has a call center, he says that people did care much more about ten years ago. Now it’s just understood that India and the Philippines are the customer service centers of the world and people are comfortable with it.

Many more companies are global anyway and it’s good to have a centralized location for the customer service. There are many benefits to that. One is consistency, another is the call centers work hard to learn and understand each culture they are working in so they can give excellent service.

India for example has vast work pools so they really can pick and choose the best of the best to work. “At our company we invest a lot of time and energy to go through the candidates, only then one out of every hundred make it to the next step of the initial hiring process.” Explained Pankaj. “Once we have the final selections, then they go through at least two months of intense culture and accent training.” He continued. And that’s besides the customer service traing!

I do believe accent training is important, but so is transparency. Obviously it is important to have a conversation with someone who you feel understands you and you can easily understand them. An easy name for you to pronounce too is helpful. But a Texas accent? ;)

How do you feel about this?

Listen in to this week’s podcast and learn about how Indian call centers are Making Excellent Customer Service the Standard!

As I was looking for more people to interview, I came across this big smiling face of a man. I do have to admit, I am not familiar with all those that are moving and shaking the earth. Perhaps it’s my naivety that gives me the courage to reach out to these larger than life figures.

You can just look at John and know he is a great guy. When you look closer you see a treasure chest full of accomplishments and yet when you speak to him he does just make things simple.

So… how does John make excellent customer service Awesomely Simple? Well, you’re are just going to have to listen to find out!

What’s the key to making excellent customer service the standard according to Patricio?

“Besides having a complete commitment from the top brass, you need a program that changes every 4 months to keep building on what you are learning and keep it fresh and engaging.” Was one of many hints to Patricio’s success strategies.

I like to say, “It takes a whole company to make the customer happy.” As the saying goes, “You are only as good as the weakest link in the chain.” This means you must really work hard at making excellent customer service the standard and keeping in shape.

Listen to Patricio talk about how he recommend turning your company and yourself into a customer service rock star!

I have to admit. I have run into “stupid” policies and customer service reps that are useless more times than I care to share.

It would go something like this:

Customer service rep (CSR) “I’m sorry sir but that is our policy.”

Me, “But that policy makes no sense, can you pass me to a manager please?”

CSR, “I’m sorry sir but that’s against our policy too…”

And the hamster wheel turns another loop!

John says that employees are afraid to take control of a situation because they are afraid of getting fired. But what do you do if you encounter a policy that is absolutely ridiculous? But who is to determine that?

Perhaps someone else thinks the policy is “brilliant!” To them 2+2=5 and that’s final! Genius!

Some employees may even like a policy that makes them feel in control. Ever run into a customer service rep like that?

So where is this all going? You need to evaluate your policies, give your employees the power to take each situation and see if that policy applies or not. Policies are not laws of nature! They are a set of “Guide” lines. Employees need to be able to have enough power to evaluate the situation, really see how they can help the customer. Plus, this helps you discover policies that need to be changed or terminated! Keep the employee and customer and fire the policy!

Why make your business so hard to business with. I would think you would want to help your customer do business with you. Bending or breaking a policy for a customer is a great way create loyalty.

WHOA! WAIT A MINUTE! But… if I break or bend the policy then the customer will expect me to that every time! Yep! You are right! But a least they keep coming back!

What do you have to say about this?

Ron defines service as “Taking Action to create value for someone else.”

“Service is the reason human beings are here. We are fundamentally here on Earth to serve each other, to take care of each other, to support one another, to care about each other’s concerns and the phenomenon of service… should uplift not only the person being served… but should be uplifting for the service provider.” Ron stated.

I was once speaking in front of a small group. I asked, “Who here knows why they are here in this this life?” out of about 50 people only one hand went up.

I have asked this question to many and very few have an answer.

Do you even think it’s even important to know?

Ron does and is on a global campaign of sharing his definition with the hope of uplifting people everywhere.

This mission is changing businesses and even countries! Do you know why? Because he is right!

But Service has to more than just “Lip Service” the keywords in Ron’s definition is “Taking Action.”

What actions do you take to create value for someone else?

How do you define service?

Do you think this is the reason human beings are here?

Tune in to this week podcast and learn from Ron, how you can uplift your world!

Customer Service and Experience Expert – Hall of Fame Speaker – New York Times and Wall Street JournalBestselling Author

Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is a customer service expert, professional speaker and bestselling author who works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications, and he is the author of Moments of Magic, The Loyal Customerand the Wall Street Journal and USA Todaybestsellers, The Cult of the Customer and The Amazement Revolution, which was also recognized as aNew York Times bestseller, and, his latest book, Amaze Every Customer Every Time. He is also the creator of The Customer Focus program which helps clients develop a customer service culture and loyalty mindset.

In 1983 Shep founded Shepard Presentations and since then has worked with hundreds of clients ranging from Fortune 100 size organizations to companies with less than 50 employees. Some of his clients include American Airlines, AAA, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, AETNA, Abbot Laboratories, American Express – and that’s just a few of the A’s!

Shep Hyken’s most requested programs focus on customer service, customer loyalty, internal service, customer relations and a motivational program titled “You Are The Magic!” He is known for his high energy presentations, which combine important information with entertainment (humor and magic) to create exciting programs for his audiences.

(CPAE, or the Council of Peers Award for Excellence, is the National Speakers Association’s Speaker Hall of Fame award for lifetime achievement in the area platform/speaking excellence. CSP is the international designation for Certified Speaking Professionals and is awarded to individuals for certain achievements and education in the speaking profession.)

This week’s interview is with frontline customer service professional Sjong Wu. He likes to be called Wu.

When I interviewed Wu he was working at Accenture, a multinational management consulting, technology services, and outsourcing company. It is the world's largest consulting firm as measured by revenues. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accenture)

Looks like LinkedIn got a hold of him and no wonder why! Wu puts the WOW to customer service!

It’s always wonderful to interview a frontliner. They are the real thing. Not textbook theory. All the talk about how to do it by the experts are done by the frontliners. These professionals make it happen.

When speaking to Wu you don’t get an artificially ultra-excited person on the other line claiming that are going to give you the best customer service you ever had and they don’t have the first idea what that means… whew, long sentence!

Wu is a straight shooter. He knows how to flow with the client, he establishes an honest expectation level for the clients and he spends time learning how he can keep improving his service.

“The most important thing is to set the right expectations to the customer, never lie!” Was what Wu said when asked what he felt was the most important thing in his experience regarding customer service.

In regards to flowing with the customer, Wu explains that since frontliners are the first contact, many times the customer believes that the customer service agent is less able and knowledgeable that they really are. Wu advices to bring your level to the customer’s level. This will make you and the customer more comfortable.

Another tip Wu offers is to stay on top of the knowledge, make time to learn.

Wu also feels that customer service has job security.

“Every company has a customer service department… as long as you got the basic skills in customer service and is willing to invest time to get more experience and get more knowledge you will always have a job.” Wu pointed out.

Listen to Wu on the podcast so you can learn how to WOW like Wu!

Treat others the way you want to be treated! Oh no, not another cliché! Run away!!! Jez Rose the Behavior Expert as he is best known as in the Customer Service, Customer Experience arena is teaching a different approach.

Jez teaches us to “feel” what it’s like to be a customer of the company they work for. Jez points out, “99.9% of the time people that are delivering the service in any organization have not experienced customer service themselves in that organization.”

There are more factors involved than just treating others like you like to be treated. That’s pretty subjective anyway isn’t it?

Being a behavior expert, Jez goes into a deeper understanding of how to get your employees to want to deliver not just excellent customer service but “extraordinary” customer service.

That’s a pretty big claim, but after listening to Jez and learning how many companies he has helped in a very engaging way (he’s a comedian too!) I am convinced he does deliver the goods!

Listen to the podcast, and tell me what you think!

Enjoy!

Abraham

“When people focus on service, the borders seem to disappear.” Remarks Abraham Venismach

These borders are more than just those the divide countries. There are borders that divide people and some are so high they are obstacles to success.

When we focus on service, and not just customer service, but going beyond ourselves that’s when peace begins to happen.

Many times when we hear about interviews, they are with big name experts and I guarantee you we do have a big names for you. But what about that front line customer service person that the only people that know how great they are is the customer? (And their family and friends!)

These frontline professionals are dealing day in and day out with the challenges in real time and are having to come up with solutions on the spot!

Sometimes they are called names, yelled at and personally insulted. But they seem to pull through and shine! How can one go through that and still keep a great attitude… well, that’s that you will hear from Lise Delottenville who has been a frontline customer service professional for over 25 years. She has great advice, tips and stories… like being asked out on a date by a customer who said, “Wow, if you can put up with me after the way I acted, you are somebody really special! Will you go out with me?”

We all can relate to and learn a lot from each other and people like Lise, she may not have a big name or get the ‘big bucks” for her advice. But is making a Big Difference in the lives of her customer’s every day! It was a true privileged to be able to interview Lise and I am sure you will enjoy her interview!