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This is Episode 11 of This Old New Business weekly business podcast with Jeff Korhan.
In addition to being a Hall of Fame Speaker, Shep Hyken is renowned as one of the leading customer service experts in the world — and with next week being National Customer Service week, it’s timely that we are now having him on the show.
He will reveal how your business can make the most of customer service week to honor its customers – and to be amazingly helpful for them every day of the year.
One reason we were thrilled to have Shep on the show is that his speaking and training business does an amazing job of creating helpful media across multiple channels.
He shares practical tips in this episode for building a practice that will enable your business to accomplish more with social media – and in less time.
Our Featured Guest: Shep Hyken
Shep Hyken is a speaker and both a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best‐selling business author who has been entertaining audiences with his unique presentation style for over 25 years.
As a customer service expert, he works with companies that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His programs combine important information with entertainment.
#1 – Write Down and Live the Brand Promise
Helping is the new selling, and it’s also a surefire way for creating a memorable customer experience.
Most companies have a written mission statement that defines their purpose. Shep suggests writing down your business promise for creating exceptional customer experiences is an extension of that purpose.
Shep has written extensively about Ace Hardware. Their promise to customers is this: “Ace Hardware is the place with helpful hardware folks.” When your business reduces its customer promise to a few words, that’s when everything changes for the better.
#2 – Always Leave the Door Open
Traditional customer service was either how a buyer was treated or a department where they would go if they had a problem. Now it is the total experience with a company, including how it responds on the respective social media channels.
Integrating customer service with social is more than monitoring and responding. The best companies are using the social channels to engage with prospective buyers and current customers before, during, and long after the sale.
This reality changes everything, as businesses are very much aware of the fact that the online voice of consumers collectively influences everyone’s future buying behaviors. How should your business respond?
Listen in as Shep suggests a number of tactics for taking the high road and leaving the door open to productive conversations for answering questions and resolving problems.
#3 – Theme Your Weekly Content
It turns out that next week is National Customer Service Week. I asked Shep how a business could take advantage of this opportunity to show their customers how much they care. 
He suggests creating 5 pieces of relevant content for that theme. Then use them to create daily customer awareness within your organization, while also sharing it on the social channels.
The idea of having a weekly theme to guide and inspire your team for creating amazing customer experiences is a tactic that any business can implement to help customers every day of the year.
It all comes down to one mantra: Always be amazing.
Lighting Round Tips and Advice
Shep’s Top Sales or Marketing Advice – Take what you write and record it as a YouTube video. You can use a teleprompter app like this one for your iOS mobile device.
His Favorite Productivity Tip – Write out your top 3 – 5 weekly goals. Keep them in front of you; and work on them until they are done.
A Quote that has Inspired Shep’s Success – Shep quoted a story about happiness: “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told them they didn’t understand life.” ― John Lennon
Shep’s transation: “Have fun and make your kids smile.”
Key Take-Aways
- Get on board with National Customer Service Week. It’s the first full week in October, and this year that’s the week of October 6th.
- Check out Shep’s online customer service training programs at ShephardVirtualTraining
- Connect with and learn more about Shep at his primary site: Hyken.com
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How is your business using its expertise to create exceptional customer experiences?
About the Author: Jeff Korhan, MBA, is the author of Built-In Social: Essential Social Marketing Practices for Every Small Business and host of This Old New Business podcast.
He helps mainstream businesses adapt their traditional growth practices to a digital world. Connect with Jeff on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+
