On March 7, 2012, we asked 19 business, marketing and customer service experts the fundamental question: What is Customer Service? We received some truly insightful answers and thought we would revisit some of the better nuggets by creating a SlideShare presentation. For the full quotes from each expert, please check out the original post at http://customersthatstick.com/blog/what-is/what-is-customer-service/

1. What is Customer Service?
A Roundup Post with 19 Customer Service Experts
By Adam Toporek
February 7, 2013
©Copyright 2012-2013. CTS Service Solutions. All rights reserved.

2. On March 7, 2012, we asked 19 business and
customer service experts the fundamental
question:
What is Customer Service?
The responses were as varied as they were
insightful and demonstrated the wide range of
perspectives that exist on the nature of
customer service. Read on to see what our 19
experts had to say!
customersthatstick.com

3. Guy Winch, Ph.D
Guy is a Licensed psychologist, speaker and author of The Squeaky Wheel:
Complaining the Right Way to Get Results, Improve Your Relationships and
Enhance Self-Esteem. Guy also blogs here.
“Customer Service is about
creating a relationship of
trust and loyalty with
customers that transcends
the interaction of the
moment.”

4. Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE
Shep is a speaker and best selling author of The Cult of the Customer and
The Amazement Revolution. Shep works with companies who want to
build loyal relationships with their customers. Shep also blogs here.
“Customer service is not a
department. It is a
philosophy that includes
every person and aspect of
the best and brightest
companies.”

5. Erica Allison
Erica is a PR and Marketing Strategist for her company, Allison
Development Group. She uses a combination of market research and
analysis, social media applications and traditional media approaches.
“Customer Service means
NOT reading from a
script, but instead reading
the customer. It means
knowing when to pay
attention and when to give
space.”

6. Kate Nasser
Kate, The People Skills Coach, has inspired and taught thousands of
employees for over 20 years to deliver platinum quality customer service.
She blogs frequently about leadership and customer service.
“Customer Service creates
opportunities of mutual
benefit… It brings new
vistas into view for the
companies who give and
the customers who receive
it.”

7. Vernessa Taylor
Vernessa is a Technology Consultant and Internet Coach who works with
both online and offline business owners. Vernessa also writes about small
business systems.
“At the root of customer
service is the old-fashioned
notion of ‘serving’.”

8. Bill Dorman
Bill is a principal insurance broker and owner of Lanier Upshaw, an
Insurance and Risk Management company. Bill has an incredibly successful
blog focused on social media… and life.
“Customer service means
taking care of the little
things first; doing what you
said you would do; do it on
time; and say please and
thank you.”

9. Richard R. Shapiro
Richard is the Founder and President of The Center For Client
Retention, which provides consulting services to Fortune 500
corporations. He is also author of The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the
Secrets to Repeat Business.
“Customer Service is all
about helping people find
what they need or want,
even if your establishment
does not stock those goods
or provide that specific
service.”

10. Extreme John
Extreme John is an entrepreneur, small business and marketing blogger,
and social media author of the eBook How To Succeed With Social Media.
“Having passion, true
passion for your customers
and their complete overall
satisfaction and happiness
is where success is found.”

11. Debbie Szumylo
Debbie is an Experience Marketing Design Specialist for Deluxe
Corporation. She has 16 years of customer experience and loyalty
expertise, event planning, project management and communications.
“Customer Service is the act
of providing your customer
with something they
need, want or value.”

12. Laura Click
Laura is Founder and CEO of Blue Kite Marketing, a strategic marketing
and social media consulting company. She is focused on helping service-
based businesses create extraordinary experiences for their clients.
“It goes beyond having a
friendly face at the reception
desk answering the phone –
customer service should be
woven into your entire
business and emphasized with
every employee.”

13. Michelle Quillin
Michelle is an Internet marketing expert who helps run New England
Multimedia, a company focused on strategic web development, social
media, and video to maximize their clients’ web presence.
“It takes
conscious, deliberate
practice to put ourselves in
our customer’s shoes, to
see things through their
eyes, to understand their
perspective.”

14. Scott Quillin
Scott is the Founder, President and Technical/Creative Director of New
England Multimedia. His multimedia company uses blogs, internet
marketing, video and social media to maximize web presence for clients.
“Good customer service will
always result in the
customer feeling like you’re
giving them as much time
as they need.”

15. Micah Solomon
Micah is a customer service and marketing strategist, speaker and author
of the book, High-Tech, High-Touch Customer Service. Find Micah at his
blog, College of The Customer.
“Mastering the fine points
of customer service is a
never-ending challenge in
part because customer
expectations and desires
change all the time.”

16. Shonali Burke
Shonali is an accredited, award-winning communication consultant and
sought-after speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. She blogs
about PR, communication strategy and social media.
“Great customer service
makes me feel as if, even
though I may be one of
several hundred… I’m still
unique enough for the
company to pay attention
to me and my needs.”

17. Sean McGinnis
Sean is a digital strategist who ensures digital tactics are aligned with a
compelling strategy that drives business results for clients. He is the
principal at 312digital, which focuses on digital marketing training.
“If every senior executive in
every company tested their
customer service weekly,
we’d all have nothing to
complain about.”

18. Kaarina Dillabough
Kaarina is a former Olympic coach, and a business consultant, coach,
speaker and strategist. She inspires her clients to reach beyond their
grasp to attain great things. She can be found on her blog.
“Going ‘above and beyond’,
doing the little extras, getting
to truly know the customer,
smiling, showing passion and
caring and always exercising
best judgment…”

19. Ken Mueller
Ken is the owner of Inkling Media, a social media, marketing and
communications consultancy. Ken is a professional resource for social
media and Internet marketing.
“Our businesses exist, first
and foremost, to create
products and services for
the customer, and the
better we do this, the more
successful we’ll be.”

20. Jeff Toister
Jeff is the President of Toister Performance Solutions, Inc., a company that
helps its clients increase customer loyalty, referrals and profitability
through outstanding service. Find Jeff at his blog.
“Like any great relationship,
the best customer service
relationships are based on
trust, mutual respect and
common interests. They’re
genuine and real.”

21. Gini Dietrich
Gini is the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing
communication firm. She authors the PR and marketing blog Spin
Sucks, and co-authored the book Marketing In The Round.
“Now companies need to
be concerned with serving
their customers on the
offline and online platforms
most convenient for
them, not the business. ”

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