In a time when products are increasingly similar, it is more difficult to stand out. As a long-time expert in how excellent customer service provides a frontier along which you can still differentiate yourself from competition, Shep Hyken, who was kind enough to provide me with a review copy, is uniquely positioned to capture what it takes to do so even in a time when the stakes are raised by Amazon.com and others and his new book The Convenience Revolution draws inspiration not just from Amazon.com but also from many other companies big and small. Highly recommended!
Shep talks about how you can center your efforts to provide excellent customer service by focusing on making everything more convenient. He goes through six principles of how you can do so while using a number of examples. Of course, he is including Amazon.com which excels in all six principles but also using a number of different case studies that highlights how these six principles also applies to you even as a personal brand. The book also includes international examples and my native Sweden is represented both by IKEA in terms of providing self-service options and Spotify with convenient subscription services.
The six principles of the convenience revolution are:
- Reduce friction
- Provide self-service options
- Technology that you should use to your advantage
- Subscription options that are offered when applicable
- Delivery that can be offered faster and more convenient than others
- Accessibility by being available when and where the customer finds it convenient.
You may not have to do all six like Amazon.com but you can also cherry-pick and find your way to stand out. For this purpose, The Convenience Revolution by Shep Hyken would provide a great inspiration source.