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While I’ve Got You on the Phone… - 1/6/26


I’m a big planner.  Whether it’s strategic planning or planning out the year or planning my week first thing on a Monday morning, I like to plan.  I do this because it gets all of my action items documented and ensures that I have some understanding of what I Read more

Pass the Quick Impression Test - 12/30/25


Some studies have shown that people create an impression of you in less than a second when they first meet you face-to-face.  Other studies have shown that that initial impression can take up to 7 seconds.  Regardless, first impressions are quick.  First impressions are not always the lasting impression, Read more

2025 Holiday Poem - 12/23/25


We hear the word change And that change can be good, But we like things to stay same, And sometimes they should.   The weather can be wet And then dry as a bone. We know things will change, Even if all left alone.   Our customers change. Our co-workers do, too. It seems like our resources Are often too few.   The technology Read more

Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter - 12/16/25


When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, Read more

When Kindness Means More in Customer Service - 12/9/25


Since a large part of the work we do at CSS includes customer research, we have seen tens of thousands of comments over the years about staff, and it is great to hear the positives that customers, fans, and account holders say about our clients’ team members. One word that Read more

Don’t Create the Second Complaint - 12/2/25


Maria was upset.  Rightfully so.  The product delivery was delayed, she couldn’t get anybody on the phone, and nobody would reply to her e-mails.  So, she went down to the store, and she found a customer service representative. After the initial greeting, the employee listened to Maria’s complaint.  While Maria Read more

Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer - 11/25/25


This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close - it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past. The idea of reflecting on reasons Read more

Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff - 11/18/25


An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to Read more

Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

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Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff – 11/18/25

Posted on November 18, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to go.  The ATC is there to ensure the pilot is set up for success.

Similarly, we want to make sure our customers are set up for success.  If there is any information about next steps or pathways or upcoming decisions, any clarification needed on the players involved in the situation that the customer’s dealing with, we want to make sure there’s clarity.

Here are some examples of the types of things to consider sharing with the customer to confirm they are ready for their version of the takeoff.  Is the customer clear…

  • How to get to a customer service representative?
  • How to locate the right item/office/information?
  • What options are available to them?
  • What their part is in a process?
  • Who the other employees are in the process and what will be their roles?
  • What the next step in the process is and when it will happen?
  • In general, how to get their question answered, their need met, or their issues resolved?

 
Then, even though the pilot is told they are cleared for takeoff, they verify it themselves, because they are the ones ultimately responsible for flying the plane.  Similarly, although we have all this information we want to convey to the customer so that they are clear, it helps for us to confirm with them that they actually are clear, that they actually do understand.

To set the customer up for success, before you end the conversation, confirm the customer is clear.

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View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes – 10/14/25

Posted on October 14, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the issue was located.  So, she scheduled an appointment.

When the technician came to her house, he ran a camera down the pipes.  He told Geri that – according to the equipment – he thought he saw a crack in the pipe 77 feet from the house. The technician paced off 77 feet and ended up in the middle of Geri’s driveway. The tech said:  This is where I think the roots are getting into the pipe and causing the backup.  Since it’s in the middle of your driveway, we’ll need to bring out some equipment and dig up the concrete to get below the driveway and replace the pipe.

Geri was disappointed that the issue was under her driveway.  She asked a simple question that all customers would probably ask in this situation: Are you sure this is where it is?

The tech proudly replied: I have a 95% accuracy rate for knowing where the issue is located.

At that point, Geri remembered that the tech said he thought he saw a crack.  He said I think the roots are getting into the pipe.  And then she thought 95% accuracy means 5% inaccuracy – a 5% chance he could be digging out her driveway, and the issue isn’t really there.

A Second Opinion

It turns out that the issue was not where the tech thought it was.  A second company came out and found the issue about 25 feet from the house about a foot below the surface of her lawn.  This resulted in a less costly solution, and it was a matter of digging a hole and replacing a piece of the pipe rather than digging up the driveway and having to repour part of the concrete.

Quality means different things to different people, so we need to define quality through the customer’s eyes.  And oftentimes that customer is not focused on the percentage of times that things go right; rather they’re concerned with the possibility that he or she is part of the percentage of times when things go wrong.

View quality through the customer’s eyes.  It makes you more empathetic, and it helps you convey a solution that better meets the customer’s needs.

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Be Supportive, Not Defensive – 10/7/25

Posted on October 7, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  We wouldn’t have half the problems that we do if it wasn’t for Bob.

We have probably all worked with a Bob.  He’s that co-worker who causes of fires that we find ourselves fighting.  Maybe he’s the salesperson that made expectations that operations or customer service know cannot be delivered.  Maybe he’s somebody with the best intentions but communicates them in a way that creates issues for others.  But we don’t want to throw Bob under the proverbial bus.

On the other hand, Bob may be an outstanding employee!  Maybe the customer is totally in the wrong, so it’s understandable that we could be defensive because Bob is unjustly being chastised by the customer in their conversation with you.

Whether the customer complaint is justified or not, that co-worker is as much a part of the organization as you are, so how can we be supportive without being defensive?

Avoiding Defensiveness

One way to address this is to keep in mind that defensiveness is often exhibited through our emotions.  To avoid being defensive, keep the emotions down, keep the tone a little more calm and steady, be intentional about your body language, trying not to raise the temperature with the customer.

Being Supportive

Don’t feel like you have to argue on your co-worker’s behalf in order to be supportive.  Sometimes the best thing to do is to convey what you know and don’t know, note your experience or lack thereof in the situation or with your co-worker, and transition the conversation away from your co-worker and back toward the issue and possible resolution.  Talking to the customer:

I wasn’t in that conversation, so I can’t speak specifically to what Bob said, but I’m sorry you had to deal with it, and I want to help you find a resolution.

I’ve known Bob for years, and I’ll definitely talk with him since that’s not the experiences his customers typically have, and I’m very sorry about what happened in your case.  Let’s discuss how we can resolve this for you.

That’s not how we typically do things around here, so I’m very sorry about the situation.  I’ll definitely share your concerns internally after our call, and right now I want to make sure we can get this situation addressed immediately.

Don’t agree with the customer that Bob was at fault; stay composed; let them know if the situation isn’t typical, and move toward a resolution.

Be Supportive, Not Defensive.

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