Shep Hyken

It often amazes me how difficult some companies make it to do business with them. I could share so many examples, but let's use the restaurant industry to illustrate my point.

My friend Norman Beck sends me interesting articles and stories on a regular basis. Recently, he shared the story of a wealthy customer who entered a luxury store and asked to see a $25,000 chess set. The customer wasn’t dressed well, and the salesperson made the assumption that she couldn’t afford to buy it. The customer walked away, but before leaving the store, she visited the owner’s office, who also happened to be a close friend. She bought the chess set – but only after the owner promised not to give the salesperson a commission.

Every customer interaction is a crucial touchpoint in the customer experience. getty

Convenient experience can influences buying decisions. getty What's the No. 1 customer experience that gets customers to come back and pay more?

If you've ever been to a fancy steakhouse, you expect a higher price, but with that price comes the expectation of a good meal and a high level of service. The only way to exceed the expectation is to manage a mistake. Perfection in customer service is not always possible, but the way a mistake is handled can make up for imperfections.

In the customer service world, we're contacted by customers who have questions and problems. A conversation that begins with the three words, How do I …? is an opportunity for a positive customer service conversation right from the start. On the other hand, a conversation that starts with a problem or complaint forces us to turn a negative into a positive. Words that we use can help drive the positive experience. Here are three ideas:

Ninety percent of questions, complaints and issues—approximately 3.5 billion customer interactions—are handled digitally through self-service support.

This Halloween, it’s time to turn your customer experience into something truly special! In this video, we explore the concept of CX =…

Halloween brings up images of spooky costumes and haunted houses. So, here's a question for you: Are you confident your customer service and CX won't scare your customers away?

Change the word service to support and you come up with this: Customer support happens when the customer experience goes wrong.