This is the March 2010 edition in my series of Top 10 Customer Service lists. Every month I’ll present my top 10 list of resources that can help you improve customer service and increase customer loyalty.
To keep the lists readable I won’t go into a lot of detail on each item. But each resource listed will have a link to more information.
** Keep in mind these are just my opinions – no crowd-sourcing or other survey techniques have been used here. And, as always, I welcome your opinions in the form of comments, questions and additions to the list (hey I’m not perfect!).
The Amazing Service Guy’s Top 10 Customer Service Blogs
1. Who’s Your Gladys
Marilyn Suttle and Lori Jo Vest
http://whosyourgladys.com/blog/
Why listed: Frequent postings and a variety from many leading customer service experts
Like best: Love the plentiful tips on how to give good service. Very useful!
2. Glenn Ross
Customer Service Experience
http://www.allbusiness.com/sales/customer-service/10783-1.html
Why listed: Writing this blog since 2005, Glenn has covered almost every aspect of customer service. There’s a goldmine here!
Like best: Recent post: Lies, Dam* Lies, & Corporate Metrics
3. Dennis Snow
Speaking of Service Excellence
http://dennissnowblog.com/
Why listed: Dennis brings years of Disney experience to make this blog useful for management and customer facing employees.
Like best: Recent post where Dennis discusses “service mapping”. Great tool to design customer service better.
4. Douglas Hanna, et al.
Service Untitled
http://www.serviceuntitled.com/
Why listed: Regular posts provide a wide range of useful content. From cutting edge technology to personal examples. Good stuff!
Like best: Easy navigation using relevant and meaningful categories. Very customer-friendly blog!
5. Merdekah “Meikah” Ybañez-Delid
CustServ
http://custserv.gbwatch.com/
Why listed: Rich variety of resources, tips and news on customer service improvement
Like best: The CustServ Roundup, a list of interesting customer service news and posts from around the Web.
6. Maria Palma
People2People Service
http://www.people2peopleservice.com/
Why listed: Maria manages the Customer Service Carnivale, a great resource for customer service insights and advice.
Like best: Mix of stories, resources and tips. Well done Maria!
7. Bob Thompson, et al.
Customer Think
http://www.customerthink.com/service
Why listed: Largest multi-author blog covering customer service. You’ll find both quality and quantity here.
Like best: Huge collection of white papers, screencasts and links to other advanced resources
8. Deborah Chaddock Brown
Make or Break Moments
http://www.makeorbreakmoments.com/blog/
Why listed: Practical, real-world tips on improving customer service.
Like best: Customer service lessons can we learn from seven classic fairy tales (free ebook)
9. Steve Curtin
Service that Sticks ™
http://www.stevecurtin.com/blog/
Why listed: Steve offers many true life examples of customer service, and relevant lessons from them.
Like best: Helpful how-to tips on every page (and a pineapple!)
10. Brent Leary
Brent’s Social CRM Blog
http://crm2.typepad.com/
Why listed: More about social media technology than customer service but Brent does a nice job combining the two. He provides a helpful context about why social media and community management are important to serving our customers well.
Like best: Recent post: The Future of Customer Service is Here – Are You Ready For It?
Honorable Mention:
Guy Kawasaki
How to Change the World – The Art of Customer Service
http://blog.guykawasaki.com/2006/04/the_art_of_cust.html
Why listed: Not specifically a customer service blogger but Guy Kawasaki is a big believer in the importance of customer service. His attitude about customer service is important enough to recognize here because of his influence as a biz author/celeb.
Like best: “Start at the top. The CEO’s attitude towards customer service is the primary determinant of the quality of service that a company delivers.”
What do YOU think?
Do you agree or disagree with this list? Please free to add your comments or suggestions (below) for top customer service books.
Learn how you can deliver top customer service to every customer every time
Thanks for the compliment, Kevin. I’m honored.
Glenn
You deserve it Glenn!
Kevin,
Thanks for including Service Untitled on this. Very much appreciated!
Cheers,
Douglas
Very much deserved – your blog is a wonderful resource Douglas!
Thank you so much Kevin. It’s an honor to be on your list, and we are so happy that you are spreading the word on many resources to help improve customer service.
Hi Marilyn – your “Gladys” blog is wonderful – a perfect fit for the Top 10 list. Please send my regards to Lori too.
Thanks!
Kevin
Hi Kevin, this is a good list. Thank you for compiling (I discovered some great resources here).
Although my eyebrows were raised with the inclusion of Guy Kawasaki, I understand your reasoning. Perhaps Tony Hsieh should also be considered for inclusion as an honorable mention if “biz/author/celeb” in the customer service sphere are to be considered: http://blogs.zappos.com/blogs/ceo-and-coo-blog. My favorite: Tony Talks Core Values with Jeanne Bliss
Thank you again for the list and offer to post a comment.
Cheers,
~Merlyn
Hi Kevin,
I feel honored to be a part of this list! You should put yourself on this list too
Thanks so much for your contributions to the customer service community…
Hi Merlyn – I agree Tony Hsieh would be a perfect addition. In fact I can already see a “Top Ten Customer Service Blogs – Part 2″ coming soon because of all the other wodnerful blogs not listed this time.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
KS
Hi Maria – thanks for your compliment – I’m flattered! Keep up the good work.
KS
Oh, thank you, Kevin, for including me on the list! You’re inspiring me to do better.
Best regards!
I am SO FLATTERED! What an honor to be listed by you and in such wonderful company. Many of the blogs you listed I read already but you introduced me to a couple I can’t wait to read. Thanks again! Take care.
Deborah
Not pop enough for the Top Ten but I am trying for it.
Daily Customer Service.info
You have some good information. I will be back! Thanks for your comment.
Kevin Stirtz
Hi Kevin!
Good list – I’m going through it one site at a time!
Maybe you’d like to take a look at this one? Just getting started but would love your thoughts!
http://customerservicethoughts.blogspot.com/
Nice list thanks for sharing. I completely agree with Guy Kawasaki, Very inspiring guy
Thanks for your comment Ralph. Even though Guy Kawasaki is not specifically a customer service blogger he does understand the value of relationships and helping people. He lives the values that drive great customer service.
Great list! I jumped through them just to see how good they are and they are some of the best I have seen. Thanks Kevin!
Glad you liked the list. I’ll be doing another one in 2012 so check back.
Kevin Stirtz
AmazingServiceGuy.com
Via
Roger Frosh
Why Customers Switch
A survey commissioned illustrates that the incidence of customers switching from one brand to a competitor is weighted heavily towards service rather than product quality issues.
Whilst customers may feel that there is no better alternative to the XXXXXXX product, the power of service quality in tempering customer loyalty may tempt customers to switch to key target competitors if perceived levels of service from their dealer networks are better.
Customer perceptions of alternatives are almost as important as the reality, since perceptions will form the basis of a customer’s decision to change.
The repurchase cycle for motor vehicles is such that competitors have a considerable period of time in which to make their actual level of service live up to the customer’s initial expectations.
Customers who complain and get their problems successfully resolved are 2½ to 3 times as loyal as customers who have never experienced a problem.
Why Loyal Customers Are More Profitable
The chart opposite, commissioned by management consultants Bain and Co, reinforces the importance of customer retention through high levels of satisfaction.
The profit from reduced operating costs correlates with high satisfaction because it indicates that the company is “getting it right first time every time”. This in turn leads to increased profit from referrals and enables the company to protect its premium pricing revenue.
The cost of gaining a new customer is five times higher than that of retaining an existing customer
Via
Roger Frosh
Hello,
Not sure if you have come across our customer service blog before but we would love to be considered next time you publish your list
Thank you
Dear Kevin,
This is a great list, thank you for sharing. I also recommend Thiagi’s and Shep Hyken’s blogs.
I really like all of these blogs as well. I write a customer service blog called The PhaseWare Files at PhaseWare, Inc. I’d love for you to take a look. I write about customer service experiences, different tips for providing great customer service, etc.
Have a great day,
Katie
Thanks Katie!
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