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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

See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26


That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next. But in the life Read more

Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

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

Posted on August 18, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 gets their question answered in one contact.
  • The customer gets consistent information from their mailings, the website, and staff.
  • They get to choose how they want to communicate with your business.
  • They don’t have to wait long to talk with someone.
  • They are comfortable with what they need to do next or how to take action.

 
Note that this is what the customer wants, but each has a benefit to you and your organization.

Getting the question answered in one contact means fewer handoffs between employees, less room for error or issues.  Consistent information builds customer trust and reduces the number of customer calls seeking answers or conveying confusion.

Allowing the customer to have multiple options to contact your business reduces their frustration of not being able to send an e-mail ifs they want, doing a video chat if they want, using self-service options when that’s their preference.  Short waits mean that there’s less of a chance the customer is frustrated with the process when they eventually get to you, so you’re dealing with fewer irate customers.  And the more comfortable they are with the next steps, the less likely they are to ask you a series of questions, to call back repeatedly, to expect you to do something for them.

Instead of just reacting to the customers’ issues, creating a great customer experience can actually help your lives to be a little bit better.

Provide a better customer experience to create a better employee experience.

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Talk About Yourself to Build Customer Confidence – 4/16/24

Posted on April 16, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When you’re dealing with somebody who is anxious or nervous about a situation, a customer who feels like they don’t have much control, an individual who is unsure and uncertain, it’s important to put the customer at ease.  It’s important to build their comfort level.  It’s important to help them to become more confident by taking away the fear of the unknown.

One step in the technique that we use to train our clients for these situations involves employees talking about themselves.  If you’re the person they’re interacting with to help them with their concern, it helps their confidence that things will get resolved if they become confident in you.  So, after listening to them and asking them questions about their situation, convey your understanding of their situation back to them so that they feel like you are understanding what they need.

Then…talk about yourself:

  • I’ve been working here for 10 years now, and I’m very familiar with the different types of solutions that will help you in this situation.
  • I’ve worked with several other clients over the last 12 months who had similar needs, so I’m confident we’ll be able to help you.
  • We’ve helped other customers with similar circumstances, so we definitely have some options for you to consider.
  • When I heard your story, it immediately reminded me of some other customers that we’ve helped through this process.
  • I can definitely help you with that. I’ve got a lot of experience in this particular area, so let’s talk about what we can do for you.

 
Customer service is all about serving others, conveying our understanding of others, showing some empathy.  But sometimes the best way to serve others – when they are anxious or nervous about something – is to find ways for them to feel more comfortable, become more confident.

Talk About Yourself to Build Customer Confidence.

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Connect During Customer Service Week – 10/6/20

Posted on October 6, 2020 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

It’s Customer Service Week…woohoo!  This week should be all about the customers we serve and the staff who serve them.  This should be about conveying we value other people, and – hopefully – having other people convey that they value us.  It’s a week about people – about us.

This should be a week about creating, rekindling, and continuing to connect with others.

So, how do you connect with someone – particularly with an individual you’ve never met before today?  Here are some quick tips:

Create Comfort.  The more comfortable someone is with you, the more willing they are to be open with you, and the more willing they will be to listen to you.  Create comfort with your voice, your patience, and the general environment that surrounds your conversation.

Ask Another.  The more inquisitive you are about the other person – understanding them and their unique situation – the more likely they are to engage with you.  Asking questions gives them an opportunity to share, and it gives you an opportunity to listen.  People connect more with those who they feel listened to them.

Name Names.  Share your name right off the bat, and use their name frequently during the conversation.  Names personalize.  Names create rapport.  Names help to connect.

Uncover Commonalities.  The more the other person can relate to you or feel like you’re relating to them, the more comfortable they would be, and the deeper connection that will be created.  So, empathize with their situation, even if you haven’t experienced the exact same thing.  Highlight some aspect of them, their background, their situation that has some commonality to you, your background, or your typical days.

To connect during Customer Service Week, create comfort, ask another question or two, name names, and uncover commonalities.

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