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To serve today’s customers, we must think beyond automated sales emails or chatbots. Ask yourself if you’d like to be pitched to immediately after you’ve downloaded an ebook or white paper. We’re guessing, no.

So, what’s changed in customer loyalty programs?

How do you keep ramping up customer retention?

What does amazing customer service mean in 2019?

How do top companies build their customer service training programs?

50 Articles About Customer Service You MUST Read

We’ve compiled the 50 best articles about customer service you MUST read to get started on all these!

Articles About Customer Service: What is Customer Service?

1) Sixteen Ventures: Customer Success Definition

What defines customer success at your company? Is it entirely explained to all employees and then provided to customers in the way that it’s defined?

Now’s the right time to start with the basics!

Read it here: Customer Success Definition

2) LinkedIn: Purpose of “Customer Service” is?

So, you’re meeting all your SLAs. There are rarely ever any tickets overdue. Your first time to response is the fastest it’s ever been.

What does it all mean? And, how much of it are you doing to help customers vs. helping yourself?

Read it here:  Purpose of ‘Customer Service’ is?

3) Business 2 Community: The 4 Types of Customer Service and How To Use Them

You may be familiar with the types of customer service by now. But, do you know how to preempt service escalations right from the start?

Take your support to the next level with these tips.

Read it here: The 4 Types of Customer Service and How To Use Them

Articles About Customer Service: The Evolution of Customer Service

4) Business News Daily: 5 Ways Customer Service has Changed

We hinted about this in the introduction. If you’re using the same ole support playbook that you created in 2010, you’re failing already.

Self-service is a priority. Social media is stronger than ever, and companies refresh their CX strategies every year!

Need more data than this to revamp your support game?

Read it here: 5 Ways Customer Service has Changed

5) Customer Gauge: A Brief History of Customer Success

Customer service has been around for quite some time. Knowing its history is the key to understanding its evolution and future.

Often to learn of where something is going, you must first discover where it has been. Take a look back at the brief history of customer service.

Read it here: A Brief History of Customer Success

6) Forbes: The Evolution of Customer Service

There have been a lot of changes since the beginning of customer service, and it’s still evolving. Learn how far it has come to get a glimpse at where it’s headed!

Read it here: The Evolution of Customer Service

7) Harvard Business Review: Reinventing Customer Service

Let’s get real for a second. No one likes dealing with unhappy customers. Reps definitely don’t want to get called out for poor customer service.

So, they end up chasing first response times or service level agreements.

Gets monotonous, right? Shake it up a bit?

Read it here: Reinventing Customer Service

8) McKinsey & Company: Introducing Customer Success 2.0

Feeling like it’s time for your team to “level-up?” Let’s talk about that customer service and customer success hand-off.

Read it here: Introducing Customer Success 2.0

9) Provide Support Blog: The History of Customer Service and Future Trends

Businesses used to define what customer service entailed. These days are no more as it now rests in the hands of customers. History shares all the ups and downs with customer service. It has certainly evolved and continues to as we head into tomorrow.

Read it here: The History of Customer Service and Future Trends 

10) PWC: Future of Customer Experience

There are many roads customer experience can take because your customers guide it. One way to gain insight into what customers want is by looking at what’s popular or trending.

Customers will share the future of the service they want from your business. Only if you are willing to listen.

Read it here: Future of Customer Experience

11) Harvard Business Review: The Future of the Customer Experience

Customer experience is the new differentiator. That’s obvious by now. Online reviews, referrals, loyalty programs, etc. decide who buys and who bails.

How easy are you making each of these touchpoints? Do you measure friction at, say, a cart abandonment? Don’t fall behind.

Read it here: The Future of the Customer Experience

Articles About Customer Service: Why Customer Service is Important

12) Nextiva: 30 Customer Retention Strategies Used by Top Companies

Retaining customers is arguably more important than acquiring new ones. Follow these customer retention strategies from top companies today!

Read it here: 30 Customer Retention Strategies Used by Top Companies

13) Chron: Why is Customer Service Important to an Organization

Every organization must understand the importance of customer service and the “Why” behind it. The appropriate amount of effort comes from knowing why customer service is vital to every business and organization. You must know the “why” before the “how” to implement it correctly.

Read it here: Why is Customer Service Important to an Organization

14) Nextiva: Importance of Customer Reviews

How often do you ask for customer feedback? From upsells and cross-sells to branding and product, you just can’t ignore the importance of customer reviews!

Read it here: Importance of Customer Reviews: Building Real Credibility in 2019

15) Chron: The Importance of Quality Customer Service in the Workplace

Customer service is not an option; instead, it must come standard with every interaction at your company. Your workplace needs to be willing to understand why quality matters and deliver it with high standards in mind. Your customer relationships depend on it.

Read it here: The Importance of Quality Customer Service in the Workplace

16) Nextiva: 100 Essential Customer Service Statistics

When your company is uncertain as to why customer service is “so” essential or if all the trends are vital, it’s best to look at statistics. Numbers do not lie.

Your customers are looking for you to continually improve your customer service to show them just how important it’s to you.

Read it here: 100 Essential Customer Service Statistics 

17) Customer Think: 10 Ways to Improve Your Customer Service and Increase Sales Performance

People will only buy from those they can trust. Customer service is the bridge that fills this gap for businesses and creates loyal buyers. Get your team involved and gain customer feedback to ensure they are being treated the right way. Otherwise, you could be losing money.

Read it here: 10 Ways to Improve Your Customer Service and Increase Sales Performance

18) CMO: 15 Mind-Blowing Stats About Customer ExperienceManagement

Every company’s objective is to beat the competition, but this cannot be achieved without the customers’ approval. For them to want to choose you over your competitors, you must be willing to learn about customer service and how to manage it better.

Reviewing relevant statistics that are eye-opening, is sure to start the movement towards change.

Read it here: 15 Mind-Blowing Stats About Customer Experience Management

19) Entrepreneur: 10 Reasons Why Good Customer Service Is Your Most Important Metric

Insights, analytics, and data are all collected for various reasons. Some of it may be from marketing efforts, while others from monthly sales.

There is a metric that rises above all other metrics, and that is the one necessary for tracking the quality of customer service at your business. It’s more expensive to attempt to gain new customers, which is why it’s vital you know how to retain them.

Read it here: 10 Reasons Why Good Customer Service Is Your Most Important Metric

20) Nexxt: The Purpose of Customer Service

Gain knowledge of the purpose behind the actions you perform every day. It’s easy for customer service to become mundane or redundant, but once you know why you do it, you will hold the power that can change how you see everything.

Read it here: The Purpose of Customer Service

21) Monster: Three Secrets to Customer-Service Success

To make customer service successful is what every team member at your company needs to learn. Possess the three secrets to customer service success and provide your newly gained knowledge to your team.

Read it here: Three Secrets to Customer-Service Success

22) MIT Sloan Management Review: Why Customer ExperienceMatters for B2B

Customer experience is not solely for “customers.” Although not often considered, it’s significant for Business-to-Business interactions too. It matters more than most realize.

Read it here: Why Customer Experience Matters for B2B

Articles About Customer Service: How to Improve Customer Service

23) Nextiva: The 10 Best Customer Service Examples for 2019

Unlocking the door to excellent customer service means there must be a key.

Knowing how to provide excellent customer service is the only way to open the door to outstanding customer experiences.

Read it here: The 10 Best Customer Service Examples for 2019

24) Harvard Business Review: The Key to Great Customer Service

Unlocking the door to excellent customer service means there must be a key.

Knowing how to provide excellent customer service is the only way to open the door to outstanding customer experiences.

Read it here: The Key to Great Customer Service

25) Harvard Business Review: 6 Ways to Build a Customer-Centric Culture

Many companies struggle with creating a culture that is less sales-like and more customer-centric. There are six significant actions businesses can take to enhance their culture to improve their customer service.

Read it here: 6 Ways to Build a Customer-Centric Culture

26) Nextiva: 30 Customer Service Tips (with Examples)

What is at the center of customer service is “action.” Some refer to it as an effort, which is exactly right. Customers needs have grown and shifted the buyer’s journey, which includes the service your company provides.

Learn ways to better your customer service by increasing your list on how to provide it.

Read it here: 30 Customer Service Tips (with Examples) to Try in 2019

27) Constant Contact: 20 Ideas to WOW Your Customers

The more ideas and tactics you have to build a customer service strategy, the better. Customers want to be “Wow’d” by companies, but unfortunately, not too many are up for the challenge.

Gaining knowledge is what makes it much easier than it sounds. Give your customers the gift of “Wow.”

Read it here: 20 Ideas to WOW Your Customers

28) Harvard Business Review: Transforming Customer Experiencewith Analytics

To replicate excellent customer service or to know what areas are not working, you need to track performance. Analytics provide more than insights.

Each number, graph, and pieces of data tells a story. They will share with you what your company needs to do to give customers the experience they deserve.

Read it here: Transforming Customer Experience with Analytics

29) Hotjar: The Top 5 Most Important Customer ExperienceTrends 

What do customers want most? The only way to know is by looking at the trends. These trends are how customers share what they enjoy most. Knowing what customers want will impact the customer experience you provide.

Read it here: The Top 5 Most Important Customer Experience Trends

30) Thriving Small Business: 7 Steps to Creating a Customer Service Strategy

Employers work hard at creating a team that meets the needs of customers, along with sales quotas. To start, there are essential steps to creating a customer service strategy that aligns with employee goals. Thus, making objectives easier to accomplish for the entire organization.

Read it here: 7 Steps to Creating a Customer Service Strategy

31) The Balance Small Business: 8 Rules for Good Customer Service

Providing exceptional customer service is how to keep customers from going to the competition. The goal is to ensure customers will be back for business, which is why vital learning rules are necessary.

Read it here: 8 Rules for Good Customer Service

32) The Balance Small Business: 9 Tips for Providing Excellent Customer Service

When employees gain the ability to provide excellent customer service, they also acquire many new ways of how to deal with customers. Nine tips will help improve your team and equip them for the next customer interaction at your company.

Read it here: 9 Tips for Providing Excellent Customer Service

33) Career Addict: 15 Examples of Exceptional Customer Service

Many companies still do not provide the customer service many buyers expect. Leaving them dissatisfied with the service they receive. Your company’s goal is to avoid these types of experiences.

Check out these 15 examples of exceptional customer service for ideas!

Read it here: 15 Examples of Exceptional Customer Service

34) Keeping: How to Provide Excellent Customer Service

Being a leader of a team of customer service representative or being one yourself does not mean there is nothing left to learn about it. Growing your skills and enhancing your qualities are all effective in delivering even better customer service going forward.

Read it here: How to Provide Excellent Customer Service

35) GrooveHQ: 10 Psychology Tips for Better Customer Service

Psychology is used in sales and marketing, but it’s not said often enough, how it can help better customer service. Use ten psychology tips for your company to make the buying experience exceptional, every time.

Read it here: 10 Psychology Tips for Better Customer Service

36) Nextiva: 21 Customer Service Phrases That Can Make or Break Your Business

Customer service is the backbone of your business. We profile nine awful customer service phrases to avoid and 12 customer service phrases to use frequently.

Read it here: 21 Customer Service Phrases That Can Make or Break Your Business

37) Social Media Today: 4 Strategies to Help Improve Your Customer Service Standards

Delivering only the best customer service is an on-going process and is related to improving standards. It’s about using different strategies and by advancing the customer support team at your company.

Read it here: 4 Strategies to Help Improve Your Customer Service Standards

38) GrooveHQ: 5 Best Practices for Delivering Excellent Customer Service

The study of customer service is how to be an excellent representative or salesperson. The goal is always to create happy customers.

For this, customer service needs to be more than “good enough.” There are various ways to gain new customers, but one of the best ways is to get a referral from satisfied customers.

Read it here: 5 Best Practices for Delivering Excellent Customer Service

39) Survey Monkey: 6 Keys to Improving Your Team’s Customer Service Skills

There are many ways to improve customer service, but the majority of customer experiences rest on the shoulders of company leaders and their service team. To grow, there are key methods for teaching a team on how to become even better at servicing customers.

Read it here: 6 Keys to Improving Your Team’s Customer Service Skills

40) Acquire: 11 Customer Service Trends

There have been several growing trends that do not seem to want to leave the spotlight. This is your company’s queue to ensure it implements these trends for it’s clearly what customers want.

Use mobility, social media, and artificial intelligence to your advantage and improve the customer service you provide.

Read it here: 11 Customer Service Trends

41) Fit Small Business: 25 Exceptional Customer Service Strategies, Tips, and Ideas

Customer service has come along way from how it used to be, and it’s much more than merely exchanging pleasantries. You and your team need to know exactly what it takes to not only make customers satisfied but to keep them satisfied, as well.

Read it here: 25 Exceptional Customer Service Strategies, Tips, and Ideas

42) Oberlo: 20 Great Customer Service Ideas to Surprise and Delight Shoppers

Give your customers the service they deserve by delivering an unparalleled experience every time they interact with your company. Provide them with quality service that will exceed their expectations and make them happy to shop with you.

Read it here: 20 Great Customer Service Ideas to Surprise and Delight Shoppers

43) MIT Sloan Review: Make Your Communication Technology Work for Customers

Communication is one of the most valuable skills your team possess, and it needs to be utilized correctly. With the many advancements in technology, customer service can only improve if used right.

Read it here: Make Your Communication Technology Work for Customers

44) Forbes: Nine Customer Service Best Practices

Not one-hundred percent sure what the best practices are to providing customer service? You will only help your team, company, and customers by learning what they are and how to use them to your advantage.

Read it here: Nine Customer Service Best Practices

Articles About Customer Service: How to Deal with Angry Customers

45) The Muse: 4 Brilliant Tips for Dealing with Angry Customers

Here’s a story about a technical support rep and what he picked up from a co-worker. I must say, tip 4 is genius.

Read it here: 4 Brilliant Tips for Dealing With Angry Customers

46) Harvard Business Review: How Customer Service Can Turn Angry Customers Into Loyal Ones

When you’re in support, you can’t shy away from responding to unhappy customers. What should you do instead? According to stats, three more key actions. See below.

Read it here: How Customer Service Can Turn Angry Customers Into Loyal Ones

47) Forbes: How Much Customer Service Increases Customer Satisfaction

It may sound strange at first, but it’s true. It’s the human connection that makes customers stay.

Customer retention, satisfaction, and loyalty rest on this cornerstone.

Read it here: How Much Customer Service Increases Customer Satisfaction

48) Training Mag: How to Handle Customer Complaints

Have your reps hung up on customers? Do they ignore customer complaints? Well, that won’t work in 2019.

Before your team gets frustrated or infuriates a customer, share this article internally.

Read it here: How to Handle Customer Complaints

49) LiveChat, Inc.: How to Keep a Positive Attitude When Working in Customer Service

Being in customer service is not always easy. Unhappy customers are tricky, but you can’t let that get to you. Here’s how to stay motivated and ahead of the game!

Read it here: How to Keep a Positive Attitude and Stay Successful When Working in Customer Service

50) Nextiva: The 25 Top Customer Service Skills According to Statistics

Finally, a curated list of (only the most essential) 25 customer service skills that your support reps need. Downloadable infographic inside!

Republished by permission. Original here.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Customer Service Doesn’t Have to Be Hard, Read These 50 Top Articles on the Subject” was first published on Small Business Trends