customer experience | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 7

Home  /  When Patience Begets Patience – 9/2/25  /  customer experience

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


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 Read more

Explain without Over Explaining - 2/10/26


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 Read more

Look for a Stop Sign - 2/3/26


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.  Read more

When They Want the Supervisor - 1/27/26


Maybe you did your best with the customer, or maybe the customer didn’t even give you a chance.  They want to talk to your supervisor.  They see you, notice your title does not have “supervisor” or “manager” or “director” or “President and CEO” in it, so they want to Read more

Identify Your Point of Empathy - 1/20/26


I was watching a webinar recently on empathy.  The speaker mentioned that empathy - to a large extent - is something that you are born with.  It’s something that’s very difficult to learn.  And while I agree that some people are predisposed to being empathetic and understanding of others Read more

Pressure is a Privilege, but... - 1/13/26


When athletes are asked about the pressure of a playoff match or a late-game situation, many times they will say that “pressure is a privilege.”  In other words, usually pressure exists because you’re in a match that matters most.  It exists because you are a player put in a Read more

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 Patience Begets Patience – 9/2/25

Posted on September 2, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant.  The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table.  Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week.

Since the restaurant was full and they were down a server, Jennifer had a lot going on.  She was walking quickly table-to-table to make sure she was staying on top of things.

But when she arrived at the table, she paused.  She did a lot of smiling.  She mentioned to the customers that they looked familiar and wondered if she had served them recently.  She never reached for her pad and her pen to take the order.  She just chit-chatted for a minute or so.

It was obvious to the customers that the restaurant was hopping!  So, they made note of it, and Jennifer did mention that, yes, it was quite a busy night!

Jennifer was pleasant, patient, and was making sure the customers were ready to order before she formally started that process going.  And the customers reciprocated Jennifer’s patience with their own patience, with a little bit of empathy, and in providing as pleasant an experience engaging the server as the server provided to the customers.

Not every customer is this patient and understanding with a busy employee.  But not every busy employee can move quickly between tasks, and yet make the customer seem like they are the center of the universe during the conversation.  Not every employee can perform a task quickly, yet put on the brakes and then show the utmost patience with the customer.

When we’re going 100 miles an hour on our tasks, it’s still possible to be patient and pleasant with other people.  And sometimes when we convey that positive approach, the customers will reciprocate with patience of their own.

Be patient to engender patience in others.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


The Misunderstood Physician – 8/12/25

Posted on August 12, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

I was speaking with one of my personal physicians years ago, and when we were talking about my work – particularly customer satisfaction research – he started talking about online physician ratings.  He lamented that a few low ratings were dinging his overall score.  Then he shared that the low ratings were often because his schedule was booked, and people cannot see him immediately.  Sometimes it was a complaint that the scheduling person was not pleasant or the patient was on hold a long time trying to get the appointment set up.  None of these low ratings was directly because of the doctor.

But there was one low rating where somebody commented that the physician was rude.  When his staff followed up for clarification on the comment, the patient noted that the physician didn’t spend enough time with them and didn’t ask enough questions.

Now, I had been cared for by this physician long enough to never dream of calling him rude.  He’s very personable, very efficient, and very knowledgeable.  But there was something about that encounter with that other patient that gave the perception of the physician being rude.

Defining Rudeness

Different people perceive rudeness in different ways.  In this case, rudeness was – in the mind of the customer – defined as the lack of time spent by the physician.  For others, if you interrupt them, they feel you’re rude.  For some, if you’re looking at your phone or iPad or computer while they’re in front of you, they think you’re rude.  If the employee states only what can’t be done in response to a request, some view that as rude, even if it’s the truth.  For some customers, 1-word answers from employees seem rude.  And for others, a harsh tone – where the employee only seems to emphasize the negative words – seems rude.

Overcoming the Perception

For all we know, the employees in these situations are all very kind.  Unfortunately, that particular customer engaged with them at that particular moment is perceiving them as rude.  So how do we overcome that perception?

From a time perspective, yes, be quick, efficient, and productive, but also be patient with the customer and their questions.  Don’t interrupt the other person, but instead let them share.  Ensure you’re focusing more on the customer than on the device in front of you, and if you have to be looking at that device, let them know what you’re doing on their behalf while tapping the keys.

Complement the true statement of what CAN’T be done with the helpful statement of what CAN be done.  Go beyond the 1-word answer (particularly if it’s a negative word) with a couple additional words to add some softness, kindness, empathy.  And with the tone, have a pleasant tone, have some variability in your voice, and place more emphasis on the positive words.

Intentionally overcome any perception of rudeness.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


Uncover Silent Concerns – 8/5/25

Posted on August 5, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

One of the customer service statistics we have quoted many times over the years is:  For every complaint you do hear, there could be 26 other customer issues that you don’t hear.

And when we bring up that statistic, we bring it up because we want to make sure companies and individuals realize that “no news is not necessarily good news.”  There are many people who will not complain directly to a company when they have an issue.  If you don’t ask them, they will not let you know.  You may assume that they had a great experience because they didn’t say otherwise, but they could be taking their business elsewhere the very next day.

While we have provided examples of questions you could ask directly before you wrap up a conversation in order to uncover complaints, you can also – through the normal course of discussion – gauge how the customer’s experience has been.

Noted below are some key questions to ask your customers to uncover concerns before they balloon into something bigger:

Process and People Questions

  • How has the process been so far?
  • Anything that we can be doing better to serve you?
  • Is there any part of the process or any information in the application that is unclear?
  • How did you like working with our intake team?

Product and Service Questions

  • How has the product been working for you?
  • Is the device performing consistently?
  • Are you noticing any improvements since you started this service?

Expectation-oriented Questions

  • Have we been meeting your expectations?
  • Have you been receiving the updates you expected?
  • Is there anything we can be doing to better meet your needs?

While you’re talking with the customer, be intentional about gaining some feedback.

Ask key questions to learn about the experience, and to uncover silent concerns.

Signup for FREE Tips!    Contact Us    More Resources for You    Visit Our Home Page


« Previous   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ... 73 74   Next »