Turning Customer Support from a Cost Center into a Revenue Generator Featuring Alex Ross

The Importance of Employee Experience to Customer Experience  Shep Hyken interviews Alex Ross, co-founder and chief operating officer of Hire Horatio. He talks about leveraging customer experience as a competitive advantage and creating a work environment that employees love (beyond the paycheck).  Top Takeaways:    Outsourcing customer service and support functions can be an effective strategy for businesses, especially startups, to offload non-core tasks and focus on their core competencies. It can be beneficial as it allows companies to provide 24/7 support and access to properly trained professionals, even if they are not direct employees of the company.    Customer service should not be viewed solely as a cost center but as an opportunity to enhance customer experience, generate revenue, and improve customer retention.    Customer service can contribute to revenue growth by resolving customer issues and upselling, cross-selling, and retaining customers who may have been on the verge of leaving.    In today's competitive landscape, smart companies focus on designing differentiated customer experiences and leveraging customer support and CX as a competitive advantage.    Creating a positive and supportive work environment for customer service employees is crucial for employee retention in an industry known for high turnover rates.    Plus, Alex shares what they are doing at Hire Horatio to attract, nurture, and keep the best people and create the best customer service and experience. Tune in!  Quote:   "Around 2019 and 2020, everybody just wanted to see top-line growth. It was all about numbers and revenue. Now, investors are looking at retention and customer lifetime value, which all start with customer experience."    About:    Alex Ross is the co-founder and chief operating officer of Hire Horatio. He works with startups, providing them with invaluable customer support and back-office functions.     Shep Hyken is a customer service and experience expert, New York Times bestselling author, award-winning keynote speaker, and host of Amazing Business Radio. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices