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


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 Read more

The Proven Value in What You Do - 4/9/24


Forbes wrote an article last year based on a compilation of the results of research on customer service and the customer experience; it was titled:  100 Customer Experience Stats For 2023. In reading the article, you’ll note that many of these key research findings are about you – the value Read more

A Tale of Two Texts - 4/2/24


Having to get allergy shots once a week is never fun, and for Janet, it became an even bigger frustration. She had the shots typically scheduled on Tuesday around 10:30 in the morning, figuring she would avoid the morning rush as well as the lunch rush by going mid-morning.  However, Read more

The Secret Sauce for Great Customer Service - 3/26/24


I was working with the League Office for a major American sport several years back, and one of the executives asked me to describe our Secret Sauce that helped our clients improve the fan experience and customer retention.  I gave him a sense of what makes us unique and Read more

The Miracle of an Apology - 3/19/24


Unfortunate but true story… The manager basically lost his mind.  He terminated his employee on the spot.  She had told the customer that there was going to be a delay in the shipment.  The employee called up the customer ahead of time to let the customer know what was about Read more

It’s Not About the 5-Minute Wait - 3/12/24


Robert went into his supervisor’s office to update her on a situation at the payment desk.  Robert said that a customer was about fourth or fifth in line, waiting to be served, and the customer was complaining loudly about the wait.  He was there to make a property tax Read more

Lessons from the Greats - 3/5/24


I was recently facilitating a workshop on the customer experience, and I made the point that it’s usually beneficial to look at your personal life for great experiences; identify what really resonates with you in a positive way in order to uncover ideas to improve your own customer service. So, Read more

The Empathy Roadmap - 2/27/24


For some people, empathy comes naturally.  There’s an innate desire to learn about the other person and to sincerely convey that sense of interest and caring.  But for many of us, sometimes it helps to have a communication plan.  It helps to know what to do in order to Read more

“You’re the Boss” - 2/20/24


Terrence is excellent at what he does.  From a technical standpoint, he knows how to keep the facility clean.  He’s the lead custodian, and he knows that keeping things straight does not necessarily mean keeping things sanitary.  He knows what chemicals to use and not to use, how to Read more

Customer Understanding Leads to Relationship Growth - 2/13/24


We’ve worked with educational organizations at all grade levels over the years.  One special and unique characteristic about the staff who work in these organizations is that there’s a clear intent to know about the students as individuals, to focus on them rather than purely focusing on what’s delivered Read more

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Create Your Own “Fan Guide” – 12/17/13 TOW

Posted on December 17, 2013 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


Benchmarking is a wonderful thing. Airlines learn how to turnaround flights faster by watching NASCAR pit crews. Businesses learn how to create engaging employees by watching the Disney experience.

In keeping with this theme, here’s a benchmarking exercise for you. Let’s look at the “A-Z Fan Guide” from a sports organization. One of our pro basketball clients creates this Guide every year for its fans. It’s a pocket-sized document (also provided in “e-form”) that is given to key fans and employees who work with the fans.

These are some of the topic areas:

  • Event/Game Schedule.
  • Contact Information for Corporate Offices and Customer Service.
  • Arena Policies.
  • ATM Machine Locations.
  • Program/Product/Merchandise Overviews and Contact Information.
  • Information on Broadcast Partners (e.g., television and radio).
  • Concessions – Options, Descriptions, and Locations.
  • Directions.
  • Arena Map.
  • Guest Conduct Overview.
  • Account Holder Management Website Information.
  • Parking Locations, Access, and Cost.
  • Free Promotions.
  • Publications.
  • Season Ticket Holder Express Lines and Other Benefits.

Essentially, it’s a combination of educational and promotional information all in one good looking, convenient package. It addresses processes, products/services, promotions, personal contact information, policies, perks, partners, and the physical location. Now think about how this could apply to your business.

What would you share with your clients to educate them on the best experience they could have with you? What promotional options would you mix into this tool? To whom would you provide such a tool? In other words, who would benefit most from one key tool to best navigate your organization and utilize your products and services?

Learn from the pro sports “A-Z Fan Guide” to best educate and inform your customers.