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Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

Reciprocate the Thanks - 5/19/26


Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience. The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied Read more

Don’t Skip the Recap - 5/12/26


The playoff hockey game goes on for almost 3 hours.  There’s non-stop action, with plenty of penalties and takeaways and hits against the boards…and a few goals, as well. You didn’t get to watch the whole game because you had other plans, but you wanted to know what happened.  So, Read more

Finalize the Solution with the 6 Step Checklist - 5/5/26


In last week’s Tip, we showed why and how to Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue.  We noted the importance of taking 15 seconds to mentally walk through the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to feel confident that you know what’s needed to fix Read more

Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue - 4/28/26


We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward. But what are you trying to clarify?  What are you trying to Read more

Use the Customer’s Words - 4/21/26


The customer is describing a problem on what they call their “computer.” They mentioned that the “screen” doesn’t “move from one page to the other.” They say that the “website’s name is typed at the top,” and it says sample.com with a “line, and then it says ‘home’ after Read more

Affirming the Customer with Empathy - 4/14/26


We’ve spoken and written about empathy for the 20+ years of these customer service tips, noting empathy as the most important quality any individual can have if they want to be great at customer service.  We’ve shared that - in order to serve our customers most effectively – it’s Read more

The Power of Teaching While Helping - 4/7/26


If you’re trying to develop a relationship with the customer rather than just simply handling their transaction and moving on, you are taking a long-term view.  You realize that that individual is someone you want to keep with your business for months or years to come, so it’s a Read more

Bear with Me - 3/31/26


As a customer, you’ve probably called a company and heard the phrase “bear with me.”  At that point, you know there’s going to be some sort of delay.  The CSR is giving you a heads up that there’s going to be additional wait time.  Essentially, they are trying to Read more

Slowing Down the Fast Talker - 3/24/26


Jeffrey had always been told by his manager to figure out the issue quickly and wrap up the conversation as fast as possible.  So, Jeffrey was hyper-focused at finding that one key word that could identify the issue and help him to transition quickly to what might be some possible Read more

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Reciprocate the Thanks – 5/19/26

Posted on May 19, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience.

The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied online: Jasmine, What a fantastic review! We are thrilled that you shared these wonderful things with us.  Please know how much we appreciate you and hope that every experience you have with us is as positive!

Fred was supporting a client – a local government agency that had previously not been performing well.  During a meeting about 6 months into the consulting project, a director at the agency paused to thank Fred for the ongoing support and guidance, and for helping the department performance metrics to consistently improve over the most recent 4-5 months.

Fred replied: That’s very kind of you.  It’s been a great experience working with you and your team, and I’m glad we’re seeing the progress you all have been working hard to achieve.

In both of these real-life examples, the customer is appreciative – WOOHOO!!

And in both cases, the person who receives the thanks on behalf of the company reciprocates that appreciation.  Those statements back to the customer are short, sincere, and positive.

It’s great to get a “Thanks!” from the customer.  And some days those thank yous are few and far between.  But if we’re fortunate enough to get them, it’s often good to thank the customer for their role in making it a great experience, to convey you appreciate them, to convey you value them.

Reciprocate the Thanks.

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

Posted on November 25, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 to give thanks clearly applies to the world of customer service.  Although we’re providing the customer with some service or product, some answer or something to address their need – I’m a strong proponent of making sure that we initiate the thanks to the customer.  Thank them for…

  • Their Effort: Thank them for taking the time to come onsite, planning their trip and navigating the traffic to and from your location.
  • Their Communication: Convey appreciation for bringing an issue to your attention so that you can help them and possibly fix any issues before they cause frustrations for other customers.
  • Their Quality: Thank them for completing their paperwork correctly or filling out that form accurately so it saves everybody a bit of time.
  • Their Patience: Offer some gratitude for their waiting on hold while you were helping other customers, for being so patient, as you know they’re also busy.
  • Their Pleasantness: Thank them when they’re pleasant with you, when they smile, when they actually ask you how your day is going, or thank you – the employee – for being there, even though they know it’s your job to be there.
  • Their Business: Oh! And of course, thank them for their purchase and their business, their loyalty and their frequent returns.

 
To offer appreciation, it helps us to refresh on the effort, the attitude, the actions your customer is taking to do business with you.

Refresh on the reasons to appreciate the customer..

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Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks – 12/3/24

Posted on December 3, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias!

It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of “Thank You” noted above.  It’s a universal phrase throughout the world.

The phrase shows that we acknowledge what the other person did or didn’t do; it conveys appreciation for an individual, their attitude, their action.  It is something that is simple, but it typically leaves a positive impression and feeling with the other person.

And in the world of customer service, there are also many ways to say Thank You.  Customers appreciate the thanks.  Co-workers appreciate a Thank You, as well.  And a Thank You is especially appreciated when it’s coupled with sharing the reason for the thanks.

A Quick Story of Thanks

So, a thank you can be a wonderful thing; it can be a pivot point in someone’s day.  It can be something that provides mutual benefit.  Here’s a quick story…

I was recently going to an event downtown, and traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.  It seemed like the more drivers waited, the more impatient they got.  When I pulled into the parking deck and saw the attendant, I rolled down my window, greeted him, and asked how he’s doing.  He replied dryly:  It’s been a day.

He started to pull two tickets to give me that I would need to get out of the deck later that day.  I have parked in this location multiple times, and when you pay upon entry, they give you 2 tickets.  To exit, you scan the pink one first and the yellow one second.

So, as he was pulling tickets, I said with a smile:  Pink, then yellow, right?!

He replied with a smile:  You got it!

I paid the fee, and he said: Thanks! I appreciate your smile, especially today.

I replied:  I appreciate yours, too!

His was a thanks of appreciation, but it wasn’t just for the parking fee.  He specified that he appreciated the person.  He appreciated the smile, especially after probably dealing with 100 cars before me laden with frowns and grumpy customers.

When you give the routine Thank You, make it a little more meaningful, a little more special.

Tell them what you thank them for, and maybe you’ll start feeling a little better yourself.

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