motivation | Customer Service Solutions, Inc.

Home  /  Build Your Shield – 3/21/23  /  motivation

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

•••••

Build Your Shield – 3/21/23

Posted on March 21, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When the customer complains or the boss gets upset, when the negativity gets too personal or you get that unprofessional e-mail from the angry client – those are the times when we can feel hurt.  Those are the times when we in customer service roles can feel that physical or emotional or spiritual gut punch.

But there are ways we can build an inner strength to deal with some of this outer negativity.  There are ways we can build our own capabilities to deal with criticism.

Be Self-motivated. Don’t rely on others to motivate you or affect your self-perception.  The more you get your motivation and drive from the inside, the less the feelings and perceptions of others will affect you.

Accept Responsibility for Your Actions. If you accept responsibility for the issues you caused, you can more readily understand the other person’s point of view in those situations.  And when somebody comes after you with accusations that are not your doing, it helps you more objectively receive those comments, knowing they’re not really speaking the truth about you.

Be Proud of What You’ve Accomplished. Know the good that you have done, and keep that good top-of-mind even if a bad tone is coming your way.

Be Tolerant and Respectful of Others. You don’t have to love the other person, you don’t have to agree with their position.  But if your concern is conveying respect and being tolerant of the other individual, it helps you to focus more on treating them as a human (imperfect like we all are) rather than getting immersed in their negativity.

Have Integrity. Do the right thing, even when it’s not the easy thing.  Take solace in knowing that what you’re doing is fair, honest, and true, and you’ll never regret how you addressed the situation.

We can prepare for the difficult moments by building our own shield day-after-day.  This is not a shield to separate us from the complaints or the complainers.  It is something that we can nurture inside of us to strengthen our ability to handle criticism in the moment.

To Build Your Shield, self-motivate, accept responsibility, take pride in your accomplishments, be respectful, and have integrity.

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


Regain Lost Motivation – 4/6/21

Posted on April 6, 2021 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

For many of us over the last 12 months, our home has also become our workplace.  Our work interaction has been 2-dimensional through the computer screen as opposed to the 3-dimensional experiences we’re used to with co-workers and customers.

We are all motivated in our own unique ways.  Some are money-motivated.  Some are personally motivated to do a great job.  Some are motivated by incentives or accountability measures.

But when COVID hit, we lost one big motivational factor – that is a more personal human touch and interaction with those that we work for and work with on a daily basis.

We are in the process of getting that motivational factor back.  We’ve gone from no remote to fully remote; now we’re moving toward the hybrid model or maybe even back to some semblance of an in-person model over the next few months.  And whereas there are challenges with that change, one of the big benefits of this movement is that we regain some of our lost motivation.  For some of us, the informal and formal interaction, the human touch, the encounters with folks in a 3-dimensional kind of personal way is a motivating factor.

It’s one thing to have those ZOOM calls; it’s one thing to have those e-mails and texts and phone calls going back and forth. But for many of us, it’s a better thing to be with other people.  It’s a better thing to form relationships with others.  It’s easier to feel a part of something, and not so isolated from everything.  It’s easier to be motivated instead of having to constantly motivate ourselves.  And for many of us, that motivation comes from being with other people, even if what we’re doing is the business aspect of life.

I know there will be a lot of challenges as we transition back into more in-person activities.  But also realize that the challenges we’ll face will also come with the joys of getting back in touch with co-workers and customers alike.

Regain your lost motivation.

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


Grind it out Today for a Better Tomorrow – 8/11/20

Posted on August 11, 2020 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

It’s been said that You Learn Perseverance by Persevering.  You are becoming mentally tougher right now.  The pain and the difficulties and the change today are making you stronger for dealing with the uncertainties of tomorrow.

We’re all having to be more flexible.  We are all facing less consistency, less predictability.  Work processes are different.  Customers are different.  Expectations of us are different.  Communications with teammates are different.  And for many, our personal lives and those of our loved ones are very different.

In the future, when we look back on today, we may remember all the difficulties.  We might not remember all the positives, but we will be stronger in the future.  We will be better equipped to deal with the difficulties that come next.  And though work…and life will be difficult again, we will be more prepared – mentally, physically, spiritually – to get through those tomorrows because we got through these todays.

You are building wisdom, strengthening your character, and having experiences that will guide your future decision-making and your direction.  Maybe there are a lot of small defeats today, and maybe some big defeats today, but they can be stepping stones to big joys and victories tomorrow.

So, grind it out today, this hour, this minute.  Persevering through today’s challenges is a victory in itself.  Tomorrow will be there tomorrow; no use worrying about it today.

Persevere through this day.

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


1 2 3 4 5 6 7   Next »