INTERVIEW

In Focus: Shep Hyken

10 years ago by

Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, professional speaker and author of several bestselling books. He has 30 years of experience in helping companies improve their customer service and enhance customer loyalty. Recently he has publicized a new book called: AMAZE EVERY CUSTOMER EVERY TIME : 52 TOOLS FOR DELIVERING THE MOST AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE ON THE PLANET.

In an exclusive interview to customerservice.ae Shep talks about his new book, the importance of customer service and its role in the growth of companies. Some of the interview highlights are…

In Focus: Shep Hyken

Empowering staff for better customer service

“When it comes to customer service, anybody can step up and become a great leader” – Shep Hyken

Shep talks about the importance of empowering employees to be able to cater to customer problems and come up with solutions. He talks about the importance of doing what the customer wants and being there for him or her. As long as the customers demand is not hurting the company’s finances, reputation or isn’t something illegal or immoral, the demand of the customer should be catered to, giving priority to the customer’s needs.

Smooth service recovery

“Perfection is not reality, but it’s a nice goal to have!” Shep discusses the five important focus points of dealing with complaints, problems and moments of misery. He discusses the approach of tackling with such situations to save your company from losing its customers and quick service recovery. He talks about steps to tackle the problem, starting from acknowledge, apologize, discuss, and do it with the right attitude and with a sense of urgency.

Gaining competitive edge

Companies need to evaluate what they are really good at, and work at improving that even more. Instead of mastering each and every aspect, you should master your strengths and market them as your strengths. He uses the example of Ace Hardware, and discusses the efforts the company has made in improving its customer service and using it as a competitive edge.

About Shep Hyken

Shep is a customer service expert, professional speaker and bestselling author who works with companies and organizations who want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. His articles have been read in hundreds of publications, and he is the author of Moments of Magic, The Loyal Customer and the Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestsellers, The Cult of the Customer and The Amazement Revolution, which was also recognized as a New York Times bestseller. He is also the creator of The Customer Focus program which helps clients develop a customer service culture and loyalty mindset.

In 1983 Shep founded Shepard Presentations and since then he has worked with hundreds of clients ranging from Fortune 100 size organizations to companies with less than 50 employees. Some of his clients include American Airlines, AAA, Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, AETNA, Abbot Laboratories, American Express – and that’s just a few of the A’s!

Shep Hyken’s most requested programs focus on customer service, customer loyalty, internal service, customer relations and a motivational program titled “You Are The Magic!” He is known for his high energy presentations which combine important information with entertainment (humor and magic) to create exciting programs for his audiences.

For more details, you can visit Shep’s website at Hyken.com