5 Resources to Step Up Your Customer Service Game
A pledge to provide great customer service is an investment that can drive growth for your business. These online resources can help marketers, large and small, deliver an amazing customer experience.
If I had to name one reoccurring theme that I hear from installing security contractors when discussing what makes them successful, it surely must be providing amazing customer experiences.
Networking with industry peers is an excellent way to learn about specific strategies to implement or even make nuanced changes to your existing approaches to customer service. But don’t stop there. Blogs can be a great way to keep pace with current developments in the business world, and glean practical applications of business concepts.
With a veritable ocean of customer service guidance and best practices available online, here are five suggested sites in no particular order to help pinpoint some specific tactics that may benefit your organization.
No. 1: PeopleMetrics.com/blog
PeopleMetrics is a provider of customer experience management (CEM) software. The company’s blog is filled with case studies and actionable advice, all easily navigated under subject headings such as customer experience strategy, voice of the customer, customer feedback, customer engagement, among others. The blog’s contributors include a host of CEM experts that post quick-read articles. Here is one example: Designing a Customer Feedback Survey That Helps You and Doesn’t Annoy Customers.
No. 2: DisneyInstitute.com/blog
If Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, how bad can the Disney Institute blog be? This organization serves as the professional development and external training arm of The Walt Disney Company. According to its website, the institute’s coursework is (“grounded in the time-tested success and insights from The Walt Disney Company”) geared for professionals in the private, public and social sectors. These folks obviously know a thing or two about customer experience. The blog provides a rich offering of topics, including leadership and hiring the right employees, and of course, the customer. For example: Customer Experience 101: Why Everyone Benefits When You Keep Your Ears Open.
No. 3: HelpScout.net/blog
HelpScout is a help desk software firm that aims to “make every customer service interaction a more human one,” so claims the company’s website. Navigating blog entries — penned by what looks to be a wide cross section of subject matter experts — is made easy with labelled sections. Security dealers looking to explore how technology may improve customer service can benefit from reading such topics as 15 Keys to Understanding Live Chat Software and 3 Simple Automations That Free Your Support Team From Tedious Tasks.
No. 4: HeartoftheCustomer.com/cx-blog
The Heart of the Customer blog methodically covers various aspects of customer service, especially related to customer journey mapping — a specialty of this particular consultation firm. Customer experience or CX is also covered in-depth, with contributions by the company’s own staffers as well as reviews of other related works. Designing Customer Journey Maps: An Interview with Kris LaFavor gives insights into this essential CX topic.
No 5: Salesforce.com/blog
A good many installing security contractors will know Salesforce for its flagship customer relationship management (CRM) software for sales teams. Do peruse the company’s customer service blog, which features a range of contributing authors. Adopting technology where it relates to improved customer service is a big focus. Consider: 3 Big Customer Service Strategies You’ll Want to Embrace in 2018. Some of this stuff may not apply to your organization; nonetheless, it’s interesting to track how technology is advancing customer service.
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About the Author
Rodney Bosch, Senior Editor
Although Bosch’s name is quite familiar to those in the security industry, his previous experience has been in daily newspaper journalism. Prior to joining SECURITY SALES & INTEGRATION in 2006, he spent 15 years with the Los Angeles Times, where he performed a wide assortment of editorial responsibilities, including feature and metro department assignments as well as content producing for latimes.com. Bosch is a graduate of California State University, Fresno with a degree in Mass Communication & Journalism. In 2007, he successfully completed the National Burglar and Fire Alarm Association’s National Training School coursework to become a Certified Level I Alarm Technician.
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