Crack the Customer Code

In today’s short but sweet episode, we discuss the importance of considering Baby Boomers when designing products and improving experiences.

Are you turning your back on the world's third largest demographic?

We’ve talked a lot about Millennials and Generation Z, but the Baby Boomers are a HUGE market demographic, and they have more spending power than anyone! So you’re missing out big time if you’re not paying attention to what they need.

Designing experiences with Baby Boomers in mind can make the experience easy for everyone. This can mean huge opportunities for business across many industries, including startups.

What about your customers? Can you target Millennials while making the experience better for all generations and vice-versa? Smart companies are doing just that. Listen in for examples and fun anecdotes from our hosts.

Related Content

• 360Connext® post, Obsessing over CX for Millennials Ruins It for Everyone!
• Customers That Stick® post, 5 Millennial Traits to Improve Customer Service
• Episode 142: Anna Liotta, Unlocking Generational Codes

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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Adam and Jeannie interview bestselling author and Forbes columnist Adrian Swinscoe and discuss highlights from his latest book, How to Wow: 68 Effortless Ways to Make Every Customer Experience Amazing.

About our guest

Adrian Swinscoe is a customer experience consultant and advisor, and has been growing and helping develop customer-focused large and small businesses for 20 years. He has previously worked with Shell, FT and The Economist Group and has advised and consulted to numerous large and smaller businesses helping them engage with their customers, build their customer retention and improve their service and customer experience.

Adrian is a huge fan of organizations that do great things for their customers and their people. He enjoys using research, stories and human insights to help create change and better results for his clients. Overall, he's a lover of simplicity and an advocate of the human touch with some really useful technology thrown in.

Adrian has an MBA from Cass Business School, City University as well as an MA in Economics.

He’s also recently published a new book: How to Wow: 68 Effortless Ways to Make Every Customer Experience Amazing (Pearson).

Connect with Adrian

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Adrian’s blog
• Adrian’s Forbes column
• Adrian’s book, How to Wow

Related Content: 

• Customers That Stick® Post, Exceeding Customer Expectations Is Nice but Not Necessary
• 360Connext® post, 8 Ways to Understand Your Customers’ Expectations
• Episode 094: Joseph Michelli, Becoming Customer-Obsessed

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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Some of the ways we approach great new customer service technology often create unnecessary rifts in the customer experience. What should you know before you upgrade?

New customer service technology wins and fails

What happens when we adopt great new customer service technology, but the front-line staff isn’t trained for it? We’ve all been in that situation where a customer service rep has to tell us, “Uh, this is new. Gimme a minute.”

Before you blame the employee, there are several reasons this can happen. Among them, these are the most prevalent:

• The staff is resistant to change.
• The staff did not receive adequate training or instructions.
• The new technology isn’t set up properly.

Whatever the reason, unnecessary frustration and wasted time for customers is the real problem. How do the best companies get ahead of this?

If you’re rolling out new customer service technology for your organization, your next step can be critical to your customer experience. Listen in and learn from some of our best and worst examples.

Related Content

• Customers That Stick® post, 6 Steps for Rolling Out New Technology to Frontline Staff
• 360Connext® post, 3 Ways to Add Magic to your Customer Service Training
• Episode 091: How to Find Time for Training
• Episode 149: Customer Service and Technology Investment

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re uncovering what every small business owner needs to know about online reviews with Daniel Lemin, reputation expert and author of Manipurated.

About our guest

Daniel Lemin is a respected authority on the reputation industry. An early Google hire, Lemin was one of the first pioneers to realize the importance, impact, and power of online ratings and reviews on businesses and the ongoing struggle business owners have with their online reputations. Daniel is the head of consulting for Jay Baer’s Convince & Convert consulting team, and he’s a regular contributor to the Convince & Convert marketing blog, rated the number-one content-marketing blog in the world.

Connect with Daniel

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Slideshare
• Daniel’s Book: Manipurated

Related Content: 

• 360Connext® post, 3 Ways to Survive Dangerously Casual Customer Reviews
• Episode 096: Jay Baer, Hug Your Haters
• Episode 036: Goodsnitch, Jennifer Maldonado, and Customer Experience Gaps

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

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Adam and Jeannie discuss the growing trend of integrating customer experiences with experiences people are already having in their daily lives.

On-the-spot customer experiences

For the busy consumer, making a purchase is often hinged on convenience. People want things when and where they need them! Potential customers may not have time to add another experience to their daily regimen. So what about bringing the experience to them?

Consider morning commuters who may be in a rush but want a cup of coffee or a snacks for a meeting. New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has developed the Columbus Circle subway to include an underground market, Called TurnStyle, that brings customers what they need where and when they need it, without having to take much time out.

The success of such an initiative is about much more than speed and convenience. In this environment, the experience needs to be simplified to save time and space, and that could mean eliminating certain choices. And what about those customers who aren’t so rushed? How does the MTA make this simplified experience preferential to making the extra trip?

Carefully considering the clientele and the environment, the MTA and the merchants at Columbus Circle worked together closely to bring the right products and experiences together. And though not everyone is impressed, the initiative has been a huge success.

Listen in to find out how the MTA and TurnStyle merchants have struck the right balance between convenience and selection.

Related Content

• 360Connext® post, 5 Customer Convenience Considerations
• Customers That Stick® post, Why Amazon Will Swallow Almost Everyone
• New York Eater article, 5 Things to Know About TurnStyle, Columbus Circle's Subway Food Hall Debuting Tonight
• Episode 030: Convenience, AT&T’s Diane Magers, and Department Stores

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bestselling author and global speaker Phil Gerbyshak shares his energy and passion for creating powerful social connections with customers.

About our guest

Phil Gerbyshak believes in the power of social selling and connection. With a unique speaking style—part sales expert, part entertainer—Phil keeps his audiences awake and engaged while providing actionable steps to bring in more leads, more referrals, and more business. If he’s not traveling, speaking, or making new connections, Phil writes. He’s published 5 books, including 10 Ways to Make It Great and #TwitterWorks, more than 2,500 articles, and been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Financial Times, and more.

Connect with Phil

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• YouTube
• PhilGerbyshak.com

Related Content: 

• Customers That Stick® Post, The Future of the Social Purpose Corporation (Video)
• 360Connext® post, 5 Ways Everyone Wins with Proactive Social Media Engagement
• Episode 140: Bryan Kramer, The Art of Shareology
• Episode 019: Writing for Machines, Andy Crestodina, and Personalized Robots

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Must customer service and technology fail at the same time? Today we discuss how to prepare for tech failures and prevent them from creating nightmares for customers.

When customer service and technology fail

To invest, or not to invest? It's a tough question, but not always the most important one. Enormous breakdowns in customer service can occur whether the latest and greatest technology fits your budget or not.

Where will you be when your hobbled old tech finally takes a dive? Where will your staff be when your shiny new system stops responding to customers in distress? And where will your customers end up when your app or website can’t help them through their journey?

These are all very serious concerns that seem to surface when it’s too late. Time and time again, we see customers in peril when technology is outdated, being upgraded, or simply just not working. Consider the madness that ensued when 2,000 Delta flights were recently grounded due to an overloaded system.

Don't question if, but when your tech goes on the fritz. Can you keep your customers happy in the midst of a system failure? Listen in for tips on preventing customer service nightmares during your next technological crisis.

Related Content

• 360Connext® post, 5 Ways to Rock your Worst Case Customer Experience Scenario
• Customers That Stick® post, Organizational Management: The Doomsday Preppers Edition
• Episode 085: Proactive Customer Service and Worst-Case Preparation

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam and Jeannie discuss customer-centric workforce development with author, speaker, and Workforce Development Group president and founder, Randi Busse.

About our guest

Randi Busse (Bus-ee) is a Customer Service Speaker, Trainer and Author of "Turning Rants Into Raves: Turn Your Customers On Before They Turn On YOU!" She is the President of Workforce Development Group, Inc., a training and development organization that specializes in improving the customer experience, increasing customer retention, maximizing revenue and creating a culture of ownership among employees. Randi is a dynamic speaker with the ability to make audiences listen, nod, laugh … and connect the dots between their own experiences as a customer and how their behaviors and the way their employees treat customers affects their bottom line.

Connect with Randi

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Google+

Related Content: 

• Customers That Stick® Post, Turning a Customer Service Culture
• 360Connext® post, Common Mistakes in Organizational Culture
• Episode 137: Culture and Customer Service
• Episode 073: Hacking Your Workplace Culture
• Randi’s book, Turning Rants into Raves

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

 

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Direct messaging and chat are growing as part of social customer service. Omnichannel may soon mean much more than you thought! Are you ready?

Customers expect more from social customer service

Social platforms have been growing and evolving as a means for customers to provide feedback and resolve issues. We often think of these as public channels, but customers are discovering new rules and features that allow them to contact you directly via Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and more.

As this trend continues to grow, it’s becoming a whole new responsibility. Do you have the time or resources to respond fast enough? Is your staff prepared to handle one-on-one chats? You may not be offering live chat on your website, but your customers may still be expecting it on Twitter!

Don’t start scrambling for ways to turn off these features just yet. How you handle omnichannel customer service can have a huge impact on satisfaction and loyalty, good or bad, and private channels are no exception.

Listen in as Adam and Jeannie discuss how to turn these new challenges into opportunities.

Related Content

• 360Connext® post, 5 Reasons Social Customer Service is Still Subpar
• Customers That Stick® post, Social Media Customer Service with Jay Baer (Video)
• Episode 136: Jane Anderson, Customer Service for Personal Brands
• Episode 035: Ramon De Leon, Word of Mouth Supergenius

Sponsor message:

EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 promises to be an inspiring, engaging, & educational 2-Day conference focused on & dedicated to 5-Star Customer Service! In addition to the amazing content you will receive over the 2-day event, you will also be contributing to our larger vision of raising funds for Three Square Foodbank, a subsidiary of Feeding America, who serve food insecure residents in Southern Nevada.   EXCELLERATE SERVICE 2016 is all about customer service and service to a broader community. If you have a passion for service excellence and a heart for service, then this event is for you!   To learn more, go to http://www.excellerate2016.com/

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Adam and Jeannie discuss the overlap of sales and customer experience with author and sales coach, Casey Carpenter.

About our guest

An introverted, shy wallflower turned dynamic business-builder, Casey knows this: Anyone can improve her sales skills with the right training and the right mentor.

Casey founded The Sales Breakthrough Coach for organizations that want to exponentially improve their sales, communication and leadership skills, and close more deals.

She designed and delivered customized online learning content for the Productive Environment Institute, and recently led sales and leadership- boosting workshops for Believe, Inspire, Grow, Women in Health Management, and the Association of Image Consultants International.

Casey served as a sales expert panelist at Montclair State University’s Women Entrepreneurs Week. She recently joined the Forbes Coaches Council, an invitation-only community for leading business coaches. She is also the author of the brand new book, “Introverts in Sales: Turn Your Peaceful Power into a Profitable Selling Machine.”

Connect with Casey

• LinkedIn
• Casey’s website

Related Content: 

• Customers That Stick® post, 5 Lessons Salespeople Can Teach Customer Service Professionals
• 360Connext® post, 3 Ways Your Small Business Can Clobber the Big Guys
• Download Casey’s free book! 3 Simple Steps to Win The Sale
• Episode 104: Pat Helmers, Sales Babble Podcast
• Episode 038: Bob Burg, Author of The Go-Giver

Sponsor message:

Develop your customer experience mission

Do you know how to deliver the superior customer experience you visualize? We can help your team become a force for positive change, starting with a customer-centric mission. The Customer Experience Investigators™ at 360Connext specialize in helping companies across industries and around the globe develop and internalize unique and scalable customer-focused missions. To compete with the other 89% of companies staying afloat by providing better experiences, you need a compass for making astounding changes in the customer experience while breaking down the silos that are holding you back. We offer evaluations, workshops, and roadmaps to keep your wheels firmly planted on the road to a customer-centric future.

Join us on our mission To Create Fewer Ruined Days for Customers™ today. Visit us at 360Connext.com.

 

Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.

 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices