Service First podcast • Fresh insights for customer service leaders

Good customer service isn't just about getting big things right, it's about the importance of service quality in every little action that's carried out. The little things add up to making a big impression, so it's your attention to detail in customer service that makes or breaks the customer experience. In this episode, you'll hear two contrasting stories of how small details add up to customer delight and, conversely, customer dissatisfaction. You'll also hear how a failure to listen to...

Whilst organisations are increasing their investments in online customer service technologies, customer survey results still indicate a need to do better. What simple methods are there to improve online customer service and support, and deliver better ‘right first time’ service using online channels? In this episode, you’ll hear case study examples of avoidable online service failure, and how following the ABC of effective online service makes the difference in providing a positive online...

In this third episode in my mini-series about improving the online and multi-channel customer service experience, you'll hear how Wellington Electricity's online app achieves the goal of moving customers from phone to online service. What are the factors that persuade customers to use online channels for service delivery, and why does a failure of customer trust have long-lasting behavioural implications? What is it about human psychology that you need to take into account when designing...

In this second episode in my mini-series about improving the online and multi-channel customer service experience, you'll hear a case study of how a banking fraud team deletes customers' transactions without asking, because their back-office process doesn't allow them to send a secure message. It's a story of organisational inflexibility and a refusal to learn from a customer complaint, that causes avoidable and unnecessary customer service pain. You'll find out why relationships matter and...

What is good online customer service, and can we improve the multi-channel customer experience? What have the last twenty years of technology advances taught us about making the business case for customer channel-shift more successful? In this podcast, you’ll hear three things customer service leaders must do to improve multi-channel customer service performance. We'll navigate a case study customer journey from chatbot to website, through contact centre and e-mail, as two major...

What changes would you make with 2020 hindsight? This episode has four action steps to help you create your personal, professional and operational development plan for the year, by learning lessons from the past. We’ll talk about what’s been covered in the first ten episodes of the service first® podcast, and how you can use these insights to develop your plans for the year ahead. A new year is a good time to reflect on your progress and personal development, to make sure you’re using...

If you're in a customer contact centre, there'll be times when call demand increases and you're put under pressure. Lessons learned from experience help you to prepare, so it's essential for customer service leaders to learn from others. In this podcast, you'll hear ten lessons that every contact centre can learn from the Grenfell Inquiry's phase 1 report into operational call handling during the tragedy of the 2017 fire. You don't have to be dealing with emergencies to learn the lessons...

To improve customer service performance, you’ll need to take action. So what can you learn from the story of Battle of Britain pilot, Wing Commander Jack Rose, that’ll help you improve customer service in the workplace? In the first episode of a series on lessons learned, you'll hear how a decision by Wing Commander Jack Rose showed that good preparation and taking swift action are critical steps for improving service performance.

What can you do to make someone’s day in your next call centre customer experience? In this episode, you’ll find out what it was that an AA Insurance call centre advisor did to deliver great customer service – and what the customer did next. You’ll hear five practical tips you can follow to help you make someone’s day – as a call centre leader, a front-line advisor, and as a customer.

Good customer service is important, but is ‘good’ enough to really build customer loyalty? What can you do to take good customer service and make it excellent? In this podcast, you’ll learn three practical ideas that’ll help you turn good service into excellence, and satisfaction into customer delight.

Customer loyalty – that’s when people keep coming back for more because of the customer service experience you deliver. What can you do as a customer service leader to create loyalty from your customers? In this podcast interview, you'll hear how Sandy and Alex Stoddart of Blacks Hotel in Ophir, Central Otago, New Zealand have created a recipe for customer loyalty based on providing unique, quality and innovative customer service experiences. Learn the three lessons that'll help you create...

As a customer service professional, how can you create a world-class customer experience with every customer interaction you have? In this podcast, you’ll learn from the story of FedEx Craig about three actions you can take that’ll improve your customer service performance and turn every customer’s experience into a story of customer delight.

Attitude matters – and it’s your customer service attitude that makes a difference to the people you deal with every day. As a leader, your managerial attitude affects employee behaviour – and that affects the customer experience. In this podcast, I’m using a customer service case study to show why managerial and employee attitude is so vital to customer service – and the difference that your leadership behaviour makes.

In this case study of customer service chaos, we're going to look at how the simple act of buying a washing machine from a national retailer turned into a customer experience nightmare. It's a story of cascading process failures and avoidable customer pain, with lessons for every organisation to learn. Come with me on a journey of highs and lows, from the heights of elation, to the crashing disappointment of 'computer says no.' You'll hear simplicity made complex, a triumph of process...

As a customer service leader, you need adaptive leadership styles and leadership qualities when managing change. The ‘stages of concern’ model helps you consider people’s individual needs when you’re leading your teams through change. This podcast explains the 6 stages of concern and how to apply this model when you’re making customer-facing change in your organisation.

You can't give great customer service in a zoom meeting if customers and colleagues can't hear you! Dr. Jason Price helps you understand how your choice of audio connection affects your video call performance, with audio tests on the typical kit those new to working from home may find themselves with. This podcast supplements part three in Price Perrott's video series - "Lights, Camera, Action! Improving your video conferencing" on YouTube. https://youtu.be/6-NYmDv0-9s