Richard Shapiro
Richard Shapiro
Richard R. Shapiro is Founder and President of The Center For Client Retention (TCFCR) and a leading authority in the area of customer satisfaction and loyalty. For 28 years, Richard has spearheaded the research conducted with thousands of customers from Fortune 100 and 500 companies compiling the ingredients of customer loyalty and what drives repeat business. His first book was The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business and The Endangered Customer: 8 Steps to Guarantee Repeat Business was released February, 2016.
Listening: Giving the Customer Control
Listening patiently to a customer gives them a feeling of control. Customers want to know they are uniquely important and their specific needs are...
The Smart Phone: A Blessing or a Curse for Customer Service?
Brands have capitalized the smart phone and can provide customers with more personalized and real time service. Customers receive alerts on their phones about...
Welcome Customers As Guests in Your Home
Welcoming a customer is first and foremost. When a customer communicates with your contact center, visits your website, or walks into a store, it’s...
My 2015 Customer Service Wish List
A new year brings resolutions and wish lists and here are my wishes for customer service in 2015: When someone answers the phone or greets...
Should E-Commerce Sites Open Physical Stores?
The answer is yes, if you are Warby Parker and have a developed a successful online business model. I read the Wall Street Journal and...
What the Coffee Shop can Teach Us
I love to go into a neighborhood coffee shop, stand back and observe. Watching the interactions between regular customers and the staff behind the...
15 for 2015 – Customer Service Trends
A new year is approaching and time to tap into what’s here and now. What should your company focus be to make it the...
Would Your Customers Work for Your Company?
Content and satisfied associates make happy customers. When I shop, it’s easy to know if employees are being treated well. An article was written in...
Selling Beauty Products: The Customer Experience in Reverse
In the lucrative cosmetics business, it has been documented that many customers first go online to look for products and then travel to the...
6 Reasons To Pay Your Frontline Associates More
Kip Tindell, CEO of The Container Store, a home-organization retailer, says frontline associates should be paid more. Although Container Store sales and stock recently...
The Customer Experience Continues After the Transaction is Complete
In order to develop true customer loyalty, the shopping experience must feel like more than just a transactional exchange. Gestures of appreciation are important...
Five Ways to Poise Customer Service for the Future
It’s Monday and the first day of Customer Service Week. Let’s begin by setting goals for a long-term strategy to make sure that customer...
@Uber Customer Service Matches Their Car Service
My son told me to download the Uber app. I did as he suggested but never had the need to use the service. I...
When Setting Customer Expectations Backfires
One of the most important ingredients for delivering service excellence is setting a customer’s expectations. I live in Manhattan and use the subways for...
Five Ways to Destroy Customer Goodwill
Millions of dollars are spent each year attracting new customers. Once a company procures that customer, an investment is made to deliver an excellent...
The Perfect Retail Associate at @Macys
Two years ago at Christmas, a friend gave us a gift card to Macy’s. For whatever reason, one of the largest department stores in...
Do C-Suite Executives Really Want Customer Feedback?
In the 1970’s and 80’s I worked for ADP. The CEO for most of my tenure was Josh Weston. Josh was brilliant. He knew...
The Human Touch vs. Self-Checkout
Walmart is replacing their self-service checkout this holiday season. Instead, they are employing people to provide a personal touch and customer service at the...
Surprise Customers in Good Ways
Too many companies take their customers for granted. Appreciation is rarely conveyed. My credo is that it’s vital to continually show customers they matter...
Where Have All The Shoppers Gone?
According to Moody’s Investor Service, sales at retail stores have declined. There are many reasons: Shift to on-line sales Less impulse purchasing Pre-sales research about…