Customer Service Tip of the Week

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Why “No” is So Important - 9/15/26


The employee told the caller: “I don’t think that is possible.” The customer eventually hung up, and redialed to ask a different employee the same question. The employee responded to the customer: “That’s probably not the best way to do it.”  Then, the customer kept asking question after question, arguing Read more

It’s Not “You,” It’s “I” - 9/8/26


During a business writing course that I took years ago, the instructor had us write an e-mail.  I can’t recall if it was written to a co-worker or customer, but after writing this e-mail, she had us count every “I” and “You.”  We talked about how we need to Read more

It Shouldn’t Make a Difference, But… - 9/1/26


We have this conversation with lots of our sports clients, but the principles apply across all different industries.  Too many service representatives view a conversation with a customer as a transaction.  Just get him off the phone as quickly as possible.  The customer is Joe Public, not Joseph Pendergrass.  Read more

Use What the Customer Gives You - 8/25/26


Scenario #1: The customer sent an e-mail to the general inbox at the company.  The message noted that the customer needed to get a family member added to their account, but they couldn’t tell from the website how to do so. The next morning an employee opened up the e-mail, Read more

How Better Customer Service is Better for You - 8/18/26


Oftentimes, we have employees in training or workshops who really want to understand what’s in it for them to deliver better customer service.  How does the employee benefit from a better customer experience? Noted below are 5 different aspects of a great experience desired by the customer.  What if... The customer Read more

Manage New Customer Expectations - 8/11/26


The fan had never been to a motorsports event before, but they had been to concerts.  They had been to big conferences.  At those other events, they could park right next to the venue, many of the activities were indoors, and weather was a non-issue.  So, they were not Read more

Complement Empathy with Action - 8/4/26


A man falls into a hole, and he can’t get out.  He starts yelling for help, and a doctor walks by and looks down the hole.  The man in the hole yells to the doctor “Please help me.  I’ve fallen into this hole!”  And the doctor takes out a Read more

My 8-Minute Visit at the DMV- 7/28/26


I needed to get a Real ID, which in North Carolina facilitates airline travel and other identity verifications.  My wife suggested I go to one particular DMV that was a LONG way away from home, but where she had experienced great customer service.  I was lucky to find an Read more

When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26


Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving. When we Read more

Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26


We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency. Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side Read more

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Don’t Begin with the Dead End in Mind – 2/17/26

Posted on February 17, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Habit #2 of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” is “Begin with the End in Mind.”  It speaks to the need to have a clear vision or goal for what you’re trying to ultimately achieve, so you understand the purpose of what you’re doing.  It helps you to identify a plan today to get to tomorrow’s end goal.

Having an understanding of that end goal helps you design a pathway that can move you toward that goal.  It helps us to create a litmus test for decisions such as: Will this task or time spent on this activity help me to achieve my goal?  If not, then how can I avoid doing that task or minimize time and resources spent on activities that will not ultimately help me achieve my goal?

But even if you don’t believe in goal setting or you’re not a big planner, you can still succeed with the right attitude and the right outlook.

So, let’s talk about those who don’t have the best outlook, who don’t paint that positive picture of the vision.  What about those folks who begin with the dead end in mind?

Don’t Focus on the Dead Ends

I’m talking about those who – from the start – think about the dead ends.  These are people who react to an idea with why it can’t happen.  These are the ones who react to the plan by identifying why it won’t work.  These are the ones who have the best intentions, but they’re just so jaded by what they’ve personally experienced or seen others experience that the response is based on what if it doesn’t work out?

It’s always beneficial to have people with alternative perspectives or those who can play the devil’s advocate.  That type of feedback is helpful in refining a goal or tweaking a plan.  So, it’s OK for that to be an add on, an additional set of questions or information.  But it’s not OK if that is the starting point.

Start with a Positive Outcome and a Plan

When there’s a new idea on how to deal with certain customer issues, how to grow the season ticket holder base, or how to implement some new customer experience, we have to paint a positive picture as a starting point.  We have to create a plan that – if executed effectively – will stay focused on the end goal and efficiently get us from Point A to Point B.

We have to design with optimism from the start.  And THEN, weave in those questions and concerns to make sure our plan is as strong as it can possibly be, anticipating the roadblocks so we can create a plan that is flexible but yet still ultimately gets us to where we want to be down the road.

If you or a co-worker you thought of as you read this Tip are people who begin with the dead end in mind, initially pause your thoughts.  Pause verbalizing all the questions and concerns.  Allow the vision and the plan to develop.  Then, bring up the questions and potential concerns that are going to make the final plan better.

Don’t Begin with the Dead End in Mind.

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Explain without Over Explaining – 2/10/26

Posted on February 10, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The customer has a question, and we have an answer.  They need to learn something, and we’re in the position to be the educator.  There’s a process they have to go through, and we need them to understand.

We know so much, and we could impart so much, but sometimes imparting everything we know causes more harm than good.

Interpreting the Presentation

I have a client who recently asked that I take a look at a draft presentation they were preparing to deliver to their audience.  It was going to describe their department and how it was organized, the different areas represented and their roles and responsibilities.

As we walked through the 21-slide presentation slide by slide, what they were conveying on each slide became clear only after a bit of Q&A between us.  Each slide was either confusing or too detailed or too full of jargon.

When we reached Slide 20, there were 4 bullet points – 1 point representing each of the 4 areas within the department.  Finally, on Slide 20, I understood.  I got the full picture based on 4 simple points, when I hadn’t gotten the full picture based on the prior 19 slides.

“Why don’t we start with this slide,” I said, “and then if the other slides are necessary, they’re just building on the information you conveyed at the beginning.”

Starting Broadly, Getting into Details Only if Necessary

Our conversations with customers can go similarly.  We have so much to share, but what they really need to know are 3 or 4 key points, 3 or 4 key steps.  Explaining something to the customer doesn’t mean explaining everything to the customer.

Describe the core of the process or the steps or the answers.  Then, if needed, get into the “19 slides” of detail.

Explain without over explaining.

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Look for a Stop Sign – 2/3/26

Posted on February 3, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

As a customer service professional, what you say matters.  The information you’re providing is useful.  The direction you’re giving the other person is helpful.  But…

As you’re speaking, you also need to be reading.  Reading the other person.  Watching the customer, determining whether and how they’re receiving what you’re sharing.  And sometimes if you’re really watching the customer – their behaviors, their expressions – you can read their signs, and sometimes the signs say STOP.  They say PAUSE.  They say LET THEM TALK.

When you’re sharing something with the customer or you’re talking to them, and they are flipping through their paperwork or scrolling the phone for some information, they’re not paying attention.  That’s a Stop Sign.

When they look at the clock or their watch, or their eye contact strays elsewhere, that’s a Stop Sign.

When you can tell they’re trying to talk or convey some information or physically moving in such a way that they’re about to burst unless they get their turn to speak, that’s a Stop Sign.

When the brow gets furrowed, like they’ve just been asked to lay out a blueprint for World Peace or provide the algorithm that Google uses to prioritize web searches, they may be unclear or confused.  That’s a Stop Sign.

At this point, it’s not about what we’re saying, it’s about how we’re listening to their body language.  It’s how we’re focused on how they’re receiving or not receiving our message, how they’re paying or not paying attention.

Sometimes the best thing to do in a conversation with a customer is to know when to stop speaking and ask them about their thoughts, or ask if they have something to share, or ask if anything is unclear.

 Look for a Stop Sign.

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