Offering exceptional customer service is important if you want to keep customers happy and grow your business.
To stay on top of the latest trends, best practices, and success stories, the best place to look is the leading customer service blogs.
Here are the top 16 influencers and blogs you should follow for the most up-to-date, advanced, and actionable strategies that will help you build a customer-centric company.
Let’s get right into it.
1. Help Scout
Help Scout is a customer service platform that empowers small businesses to serve their customers in a more human, personalized way. Their blog covers a variety of topics, like customer service, support-driven growth marketing, product, and culture. You’ll find lots of actionable tips for building a customer-centric company and delivering exceptional customer service. The blog categories let you easily find the topics you’re most interested in.
Our top picks from Help Scout:
- 16 Key Customer Service Skills (and How to Develop Them)
- 10 Ways to Deliver Consistently Great Customer Service
- How to Deliver Great SaaS Support (Founder’s Edition)
2. CustomerThink
CustomerThink is a global community dedicated to customer-centric business strategy. Business leaders and expert authors write about different facets of consumer-first business management. The customer service and support category of the platform features impactful and actionable articles, interviews, and news from the world of customer service.
Image via CustomerThink
Our top picks from CustomerThink:
- Customer Service Trends in 2021: The Post-COVID Contact Centre
- 7 Customer Service Mistakes Companies Should Avoid Making in 2021
- 6 Habits of Organizations with Successful Remote Support
3. Inside Intercom
Intercom is a conversational relationship platform that helps businesses build better customer relationships through personalized, messenger-based experiences. The SaaS company runs its blog like a publication with a team of content creators that cover a broad range of topics. On Inside Intercom, they share insights, tips, and lessons about customer support, marketing, product building, and sales.
Our top picks from Inside Intercom:
- Defining customer support in 2021: why it’s key to your long-term success
- Support strategies that drive better retention
- Balancing support efficiency with a great customer experience
4. The 360 Blog — Salesforce
Salesforce is the world’s leading customer relationship platform. The solution brings companies and customers together and gives all departments a 360-degree view of their customers. This idea is reflected in “The 360 Blog” which aims to be the best-in-class digital publication for a wide range of business types and sizes. Check out the service category for leading industry insights, success stories, and actionable strategies.
Our top picks from The 360 Blog:
- 7,000+ Service Pros Reveal Insights for Your Next Chapter on Customer Service
- Customer Service Is About People, Even When It’s Powered by Technology
- Overview: What is Customer Service?
5. Win The Customer — Flavio Martins
Flavio Martins is an award-winning customer service blogger who calls himself a customer service fanatic. He uses his blog to teach organisations and marketers on how to use customer experience as a competitive advantage. We love how passionate he is about technology with a special human touch to create memorable customer experiences.
Our top picks from Win The Customer:
- 4 Reasons Why the Customer Is Always Right
- The Best Customer Service Phrases That Will Help in Any Tough Situation
- 7 Tips on Call Center Customer Experience Improvement
6. Groove HQ
GrooveHQ is a help desk and ticketing platform for small businesses and startups. Every week, the editorial team shares realistic and actionable advice on the beautifully clean and well-organized blog. Besides customer support content, they cover topics like remote work, growth, content marketing, and entrepreneurship. Also, check out their customer experience blog WOW where they teach you how to create a customer centric-mindset to power business decisions.
Our top picks from Groove HQ:
- Why is Customer Service Important? 11 Ways Customer Satisfaction Correlates with Business Results
- What Is Automated Customer Service? A Guide for Growth That Helps People Do More, Not Less
- 10 Customer Service Phrases You Should (And Shouldn’t) Be Using
7. Customer Bliss — Jeanne Bliss
You might know Jeanne Bliss as the “Godmother” of customer experience. She helps leaders and organisations build their roadmap toward a deep and genuine customer experience. On her blog and podcast, she talks about how she learned about humanity in business by observing her dad, who owned a shoe store. We specifically like her heart-centered, value-first approach to experience leadership.
Our top picks from Customer Bliss:
- Care For Your Employees, So They Can Show Care For Customers
- Are You Delivering “Comfort and Joy” to Your Customers?
- 5 Keys to Hiring Customer Service Frontline Reps During COVID-19
8. Bill Quiseng
Bill Quiseng is an influential speaker and blogger in the areas of customer service, associate engagement, and leadership. His blog is a resource for tips, insight, and inspiration, with lots of real-world examples and actionable advice from him and other experts. His blog is a must-read if you want to improve the delivery of your customer service.
Our top picks from Bill Quiseng:
- Two Questions Every Customer Service Manager Should Be Asking Everyday
- How to Start Using Social Media For Customer Service
- In Customer Service, Your People Are NOT Your Most Important Asset
9. Customers That Stick — Adam Topore
Adam Toporek is a keynote speaker and strategic advisor who helps organisations build better experiences and generate customer loyalty. Much of his real-world approach comes from his own background as a third-generation entrepreneur. His blog posts feature videos with great practical advice. We specifically love his series “Ask The Customer Service Trainer”.
Our top picks from Customers That Stick:
- Can Customer Service Be Taught?
- 5 Qualities Of Great Customer Service Managers
- 4 Ways To Prepare Your Customer Service Teams For AI-Disruption
10. Fonolo
Fonolo makes a cloud-based call-back solution for contact centers. Their blog is a great source of customer service news, resources, and best practices. We love the entertaining and engaging style of Fonolo’s blog. They bring a very up-to-date and contemporary angle to the table with lots of educational infographics, videos, and webinars.
Our top picks from Fonolo:
- 3 Crucial Contact Center Trends in 2021
- Why The Voice Channel Will Crush Omnichannel Next Year
- 7 Easy Ways To Reduce Friction In Your Customer Experience
11. Shep Hyken
No list of customer service bloggers would be complete without Shep Hyken. He’s a customer service expert, global keynote speaker, and New York Times & Wall Street Journal bestselling business author. Shep is an energetic personality who works with companies that want to build loyal relationships and deliver amazing customer service.
Our top picks from Shep Hyken:
- How Voice Technology Can Improve Customer Service
- How To Collect Marketing Insights That Can Improve Customer Service
- Customer Service Lessons From The Best Unknown Companies
12. Forrester
Market research and consulting firm Forrester helps organizations grow through customer obsession. Understanding that customer service can make or break a business relationship, they devoted an entire blog category to customer service solutions. It provides leading predictions and insights into industry trends and tips on finding and implementing the right customer service solutions.
Our top picks from Forrester:
- Predictions 2021: It’s All About Empathy, Digital, And Virtualizing Customer Care
- How To Make Customer Service More Digital
- Happy Agents Deliver Great Customer Service — Here’s How To Do It
13. ClientSuccess
ClientSuccess is a customer success software that helps companies with everything from onboarding to growing their customer base. Their blog teaches actionable strategies to customer success managers, leaders, and CEOs. Pro tip: check out their practical toolkit bundles with ebooks, webinars, articles, and case studies.
Our top picks from ClientSuccess:
- 2021 Customer Success Resolutions That Are Actually Attainable
- How Better Customer Relationship Management Can Increase ROI
- Customer Success vs. Customer Support
14. CX Journey — Annette Franz
Annette Franz is the founder of customer experience strategy consulting firm CX Journey Inc. She’s a top influencer in her field and shares her own articles and guest posts from other experts on her blog. You’ll find insights on customer-centric culture, change management, and transformation, based on empathy and research.
Our top picks from CX Journey:
- On Becoming Customer-Centric: Using the Head, Heart and Hands Model
- The Benefits of a Customer-Centric Culture
- Journey Mapping: Which Journeys Should You Start With?
15. Zendesk
Zendesk is a cloud-based customer service platform designed to improve customer relationships. Zendesk’s blog “The Library” covers the categories of service, sales, and culture. The service section focuses on several topics including customer support management, engagement, and support software. Trends and insights, engaging success stories and how-to-guides give you lots of actionable advice.
Our top picks from Zendesk:
- 16 customer service tips for 2021 and beyond, backed by customer service Champions
- Customer service definition and skills for 2021 and beyond
- Inbound vs. outbound call centers: What’s the difference?
16. Uplifting Service
Uplifting Service is a global consulting company and leader in building service cultures. They do workshops and training for service leaders who want to build an uplifting service culture. Their blog will equip you with best practices, tools, and tips around customer service culture and service excellence mindset.
Our top picks from Uplifting Service:
- 10 Customer Service Skills for a Service Excellence Workforce
- Increase Productivity and Improve Customer Experience by Eliminating „The 8 Wastes of Service“
- The Growing Value of Ethical Values at Salesforce
As you can see, there are many great resources for customer service professionals, marketers, and leaders in all types of businesses.
Staying up-to-date with the latest news and insights is why you should be consistently following high-quality customer service blogs. You’ll learn more than you could ever imagine, so don’t forget to bookmark your favourites!
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