June 2024 Summaries

Agorapulse is a full-service social media management tool that helps users show the value and ROI of their social media marketing efforts. As Customer Support Operations Manager, Hilary Lawrence oversees data, processes, and tools for the Support team, including automation. She values patience as the most valuable thing she's learned from working in customer service, which allows her to understand customers' perspectives and find solutions that meet their needs. Great customer service is about being happy (to be) helping people. Hilary would choose Fender, a robot with a great sense of humor, as her AI sidekick. She can replicate human-like empathy and understanding with a sense of humor. In customer service, it's essential to remember that it's not the agent's fault when issues arise; there's often a company policy or technical issue at play. Hilary would title her book about customer service experiences "At the Front of the Queue." She's had customers ask unusual questions, like asking her to marry them after solving an issue, and uses emojis like 🤔 and 👍 in customer chats.

You control your customer experience, not AI` focuses on the misconception that introducing AI in customer service will lead to a loss of control. The article reassures leaders that they can maintain their agency and high standards while leveraging AI, which can actually bring them closer to their customers and improve the overall experience. The author suggests starting small with internal trials, testing with a trusted group of customers, inviting customers to be part of the process, and signaling their involvement in the journey to foster trust. By doing so, leaders can harness the benefits of AI while preserving human connections that count in delivering exceptional customer service.

You are a Customer Success Operations Manager at ArcSite, a company that delivers a sophisticated yet easy-to-use mobile CAD app for design and data collection. You believe the phrase "change management" should be retired from customer service jargon because it can come across as overly bureaucratic. Bill Murray would be a great fit for your job due to his ability not to take himself too seriously. Working in customer service has taught you that sometimes customers aren't always right, and learning how to tactfully address this is key to success. Great customer service can be summed up in three words: "listening is gold." You identify with the title "customer experience" because it encompasses both support team performance and individual CX, which ultimately translates into higher CSAT, NPS, and revenue. If you had to give advice to your peers in the customer service industry, it would be to humble yourself before wrecking yourself. Your greatest productivity hack is taking time to help customers first thing in the morning, which sets a productive tone for the day. You're currently reading "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos" by Jordan Peterson. If customer service were an Olympic sport, the main event would be the ticket steeplechase. A customer once said "You're right," which was a great moment. Your current mental state is best described by the gif of a rocket ship blasting off into space. You get your support leadership news from Intercom. Working in CS serves a purpose beyond individual customers and has a direct correlation to growth and revenue. If you wrote a book about your experiences, it would be titled "Customer Purpose." The strangest thing a customer asked you was if they had seen any good bands lately. Your most used emoji in customer chats is the rocket ship blast off gif.

The author recently attended Support Driven Expo 2024 in Las Vegas, where they met customers, networked, and learned about the latest trends in AI-first customer service. The conference highlighted the importance of robust support content, both external help center content and internal knowledge content, to ensure a successful support strategy. The author also noted that Intercom has been impactful for many customers, with brand advocates sharing their enthusiasm for the platform. Furthermore, the speed at which companies adopt new technologies like AI can make or break their support efforts, with Intercom being on the right track in this regard. To keep up and get ahead in an AI-first world, it is essential to create high-quality support content, ensure that your support team has a seat at the table, and work closely with product teams before launching new features or products.