Sep 24, 2021
On this episode, you'll meet Shep Hyken, a renowned customer service expert and author of eight books, as well as a Hall of Fame speaker. Shep’s latest book is titled I’ll Be Back – How to Get Customers to Come Back Again and Again and is the focus of this episode.
Shep learned the importance of taking care of customers when he started his first business at the age of twelve performing magic shows at kids’ birthday parties. His parents encouraged him to send thank you notes to his customers asking them which tricks they liked the most. He learned that by asking a specific question he could discover what his customers liked the most and he could plan to serve his customers best. He also learned that listening to his customers is a way to deliver good customer service.
His parents taught him valuable life lessons that transcend to how any business can create customer experiences that compel them to come back again and again. The principles his parents taught him boil down to three pillars:
Shep learned these customer service lessons at a young age which convinced him that delivering a great customer experience is anchored in good-mannered common sense. Yet, he is quick to say that such common sense is not always common. If only companies harnessed what we learned from our parents at a young age, more brands would succeed at delivering good customer service, resulting in customers returning again and again.
When asked what is new in his eighth book on customer service, I’ll Be Back, Shep admits the title has a connection to The Terminator movie through sections of the book that discuss reasons a customer might terminate their relationship with a brand as well as when it makes sense for a brand to terminate a relationship with a customer. A whole chapter is devoted to “The Arnie” which is a reference to getting customers to say, “I’ll be back.”
Shep also points out that customer service has never changed when you consider that a customer starts with a need and desires to be happy with the outcome. That will never change.
What has changed is what happens in the middle. Now, the customer can buy a product online, and get help through omnichannel support options and have a wonderful experience without ever talking to a human.
Shep challenges the conventional way of measuring effective customer service which is commonly measured by the Net Promoter Score – how likely are you to recommend us to a friend? He refers to the NPS data as history lessons with valuable insights. While this metric is useful, he encourages CX professionals to also measure customer behavior. How often do customers come back? Do they become loyal customers or are they just a once in a while repeat customer?
Where the Rubber Hits the Road
In the final chapter, he lists six steps to creating an “I’ll be back” experience. The following six questions should be studied and discussed among the CX team members.
These six steps summarize the methods in his latest book to get customers to become loyal, so they return to a business again and again.
Shep and his team publish an annual report called Achieving Customer Amazement which is available for download at his website hyken.com.
Shep Has Fun on the Ice
As you see in the video, Shep’s office is filled with guitars, which is one of his passions. Another of his passions is playing hockey. He tells the story of the time he made a guest appearance with the NHL’s St. Louis Blues at a charity event where he was introduced to the home crowd. He re-purposed the picture taken of him dressed in the St. Louis Blues’ uniform into a “rookie card” which he shares as a bookmark. He still plays hockey three or four days per week with friends.
Learn more about iQor digital customer experience capabilities.
Read the blog post here.
Watch the video here.