Customer service is at an all-time low and customer satisfaction in dealing with a product or service issue is just as low, about 40 percent. Two of three consumers are likely to experience rage during an interaction with a customer service rep. In addition, 63 percent of consumers are likely to experience no satisfaction whatsoever in dealing with a product or service complaint. For retailers the outcome is not good as it is putting about $202 billion in revenue at stake and can slash consumer repeat business and loyalty to shreds.

If you’re looking to improve your customer service, first, perhaps we need to change to thinking about it being the customer experience we’re trying to enhance. Jeffery Hayzlett explains in Customer Service is Dead… Welcome to the Customer Experience

Customer service is just part of the one-on-one interaction with a customer; whereas customer experience refers to the entire journey a customer has with an organization, including marketing pieces or emails from the organization. Delivering an overall amazing customer experience requires everyone in the organization to step up and be a leader.

Now for those 17 tips to improve customer service:

This Five-Star Hotel Builds Fantastically Loyal Customers With Seven Memorable Techniques

The customer service lessons (in the article) are based on (the author’s) personal experience at the Sanctuary Hotel in South Carolina’s Kiawah Island, conversations with staff, senior executives and trainers. Brand leaders who want to improve their customer service scores may wish to adopt the seven communication techniques to stand out in a hyper-competitive global marketplace.

Improve Customer Service By Speaking The Customer’s Language (Not Making Them Learn Yours)

Much of what customers want from the customer experience is a sense of recognition and of inclusion, a sense that this is “our place.”

The Key to Great Customer Service: Collaboration

When it comes to creating an exceptional service culture, nothing is more important than a team’s ability to collaborate well.  Here are three proven ways to promote collaboration, as well as three behaviors to avoid.

How to Make Your Customer Service Soar

A global study by customer experience expert Verint found that 81 per cent of customers really just want their questions answered. Sometimes it’s a matter of getting the basics right.

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