Episode 024: Be Your Customer’s Hero – The Interview

Today, we have a special episode. Adam’s new book Be Your Customer’s Hero launched this week, and Jeannie turns the table on Adam and places him in the interview hot seat for the entire episode! Be Your Customer's Hero Interview Here are some of the highlights from the interview: Why did Adam write Be Your Customer’s Hero? Adam shares a story about watching an employee mistreat a customer and how his passion to change that eventually grew into the book. Why mindset is so fundamental to customer service, why ex-Disney employees have a leg up interviewing with him, and how even good people can deliver bad service when they haven’t been given a customer-centric mindset. Why the right customer service language must be coupled with a genuine effort to serve. Why astronauts have competence and confidence and how frontline employees can get it, too. How to handle challenging customers, emotional reactions in difficult service situations, and why picturing your customer running down the street being chased by a bat can be effective. What is “Smart Empowerment,” why it’s important, and how Adam empowered his employees and changed his service delivery significantly. What it means to be your customer’s hero and how it’s not about creating viral-worthy experiences. Interview begins at 1:15. Bonus Section Also, as a special bonus, Adam shares the results from CTS Service Solutions’ recent survey of 425 retail workers and some of the crazy answers to the question, “what is the meanest thing a customer’s ever said to you?” Also, find out what Patrick Swayze has to do with customer service. Bonus begins at 14:33. OUR SPONSORS 13th Annual SCORE Conference: The Industry Forum on CEM Best Practices in Creating Customer Loyalty and Retention Strategies. If you are a CEM professional, you need to attend the SCORE Conference, the 13th customer service industry annual event taking place on May 20-22, 2015 at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. For more information, check out www.omegascoreboard.com CXWebinar.com Each month Jeannie explores a new concept like creating a customer experience mission or journey mapping. Go to http://cxwebinar.com. Also, interested in having Jeannie speak at your organization? Go to http://360connext.com/speaking/.     How to Sponsor www.crackthecustomercode.com/sponsor     People, Places, and Things from the Podcast: Adam Toporek is the author of Be Your Customer's Hero: Real-World Tips & Techniques for the Service Front Lines (2015), as well as the founder of the popular Customers That StickTM blog and co-host of the Crack the Customer Code podcast. He is the owner of CTS Service Solutions, a consultancy specializing in high-energy customer service workshops that teach organizations and frontline teams how to deliver Hero-ClassTM customer service. Adam has an MBA from UNC Charlotte and a Certificate in Customer Experience from the Center for Services Leadership at Arizona State University. Connect with him on Twitter | LinkedIn | YouTube. Be Your Customer’s Hero Book Trailer How Do You Handle Angry Customers? Patrick Swayze Style!   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices