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A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach - 2/18/25


I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said: If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us. That was an excellent statement that embodies Read more

What Phones and Football Have in Common - 2/11/25


Congratulations!  You made it through weeks/months of hype for football’s Super Bowl!  You made it through hundreds of pregame shows and podcasts, endless debates on things endlessly inconsequential, 10 hours of pre-game shows on Sunday, what seems like 100 commercials designed specifically for the “Big Game,” and the longest Read more

Create Awareness of Alternatives - 2/4/25


Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The Read more

Listen with Your Eyes - 1/28/25


Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw the customer enter the lobby.  The customer was carrying a large shoulder bag with several papers in her hand.  The customer was shuffling the papers and looking down; then she stopped, looked up, and saw the staff navigator sitting at Read more

When You’re the Educator, What Should You Teach? - 1/21/25


The best customer service professionals are also excellent educators.  Not only within the organization, but I’m talking specifically about the role they play as educator with their customers.  With all the self-service options that technology provides, customers often have the opportunity to do things on their own, to investigate Read more

Wrap It Up Right: Why Follow-Up Communications WOW Customers - 1/14/25


Dena had some questions about her water bill, so she looked for answers on the utility’s website.  She didn’t find specific answers, and she really didn’t want to get on the phone with somebody at the time and risk staying on hold.  She had lots going on, but she Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

Self-empower for the New Year - 12/31/24


Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership. The reality was Read more

2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

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A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach – 2/18/25

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

I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said:

If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us.

That was an excellent statement that embodies a guiding principle that a lot of organizations should focus on for customer feedback.

You want the word-of-mouth advertising, so are you asking for it from your customers?  Retention may be the most cost-effective marketing available, but a referral from an existing customer (i.e., asking them to tell a friend) is the second most cost-effective.  It costs you nothing but the great experience that you’re hopefully already delivering…and maybe a simple request from you to the customer.

Ask the customer to tell you if they have an issue.  Many customers leave businesses after a bad experience and never come back. The company may or may not know that that customer had an issue because frankly, the company doesn’t ask for feedback.  And most customers don’t offer unsolicited feedback, so most negative experiences are unknown to the company.  Sure, there is social media now, and people vent there, but it’s still a small percentage of the total customer base.

If you want to learn, you want to hear it from your customers directly.  Therefore, you have to ask for the feedback.  Never assume leaving customers are happy customers.  Never assume somebody who doesn’t complain is thrilled.  Never assume that if somebody has an issue, that they’ll tell you directly.

Ask the customer to share their great experiences with others, and ask them to share their concerns with you.

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What Phones and Football Have in Common – 2/11/25

Posted on February 11, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Congratulations!  You made it through weeks/months of hype for football’s Super Bowl!  You made it through hundreds of pregame shows and podcasts, endless debates on things endlessly inconsequential, 10 hours of pre-game shows on Sunday, what seems like 100 commercials designed specifically for the “Big Game,” and the longest halftime in football all year long.  Oh!  And I almost forgot – you also made it through the actual 3.5 hour game.

I won’t belabor the topic of the Super Bowl beyond what happened 2 days ago.  But I do want to talk football one more time, and note how it relates to customer service.

In football, when a quarterback (QB) gives the ball to a runner, they call it a handoff.  And it’s the QB’s responsibility to make sure that the ball is in the running back’s stomach, between his arms.  The running back is about to be hit by several 250-300 pound men running at 15-20 miles per hour, so he’s got to figure out how to avoid them.

You get the picture.  Therefore, if it’s a bad handoff, it’s the quarterback’s fault.f

The same is true in customer service; it’s primarily the responsibility of an employee talking to a caller to ensure a solid handoff to a co-worker.  The first employee has the information and is engaged with the customer.  Now, it’s that first employee’s responsibility to put their co-worker in a position to succeed.

After the handoff, it’s pretty much up to the co-worker to carry the experience forward, but here are some things that the first team member can do to get the process started effectively.  He can:

Avoid the use of the word “transfer.”  This has a negative connotation in society today.  Instead, say: “I am going to connect you with…”

Explain why he’s “transferring” the call.  The caller should realize that the transfer’s being done – not because the QB doesn’t care about them – but because the employee is trying to get the caller to the person who can best help them.

Give the caller the co-worker’s name and number.  This personalizes the conversation about to occur.

Stay on the line and introduce the caller to the co-worker, possibly telling his team member that a call is coming, from whom, and why.  Prepare and educate the co-worker for success.

Ask the caller if there’s anything else they need help with prior to the transfer.  This conveys patience and ensures all the customer’s needs are met.

When making a handoff, make sure the ball carrier is set up for success.

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Create Awareness of Alternatives – 2/4/25

Posted on February 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The line for people placing the order was so long that it almost stretched to the street; there was no line in the mobile order lane.  Luckily, Sandy had downloaded the mobile app once before, so she pulled it up on her phone, placed the order, and then moved into the mobile app lane.  She had her food in less than two minutes.

The next day, Sandy had to make a deposit into one of her accounts at the bank, and withdraw cash from another account.  She had a habit of going into the branch, but when she walked in, there were 15 customers in line with two tellers waiting on them.  While waiting for a couple minutes, she noticed the drive-thru teller in a separate room in the back.  She noticed that teller was looking at her phone and occasionally peering at her computer screen – she wasn’t busy.  So Sandy left the branch, hopped in her car, and was first in line at the drive-thru.  She was out of there in about 3 minutes.

When Sandy got home, the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.  She used her phone app to access the internet provider’s site and logged into her account; she noted the customer care phone number, so she dialed.  The system said that she was sixth in line, and the estimated hold time was 12 minutes.  She noticed a chat function on the app, so while she remained on hold, she launched a chat.  Sandy got a hold of a representative immediately, they put a ticket in, and within two minutes, they had begun remotely testing her Wi-Fi.  She hung up the call.

These are three organizations that could have had clear stories of poor customer service experiences, but luckily for them (and for Sandy!), there was an alternative option in each case.  Sandy was able to order via the mobile app.  She was able to get into her car and go through the drive-thru teller line.  She was able to initiate a chat even while she was on hold on the phone.

It was a better experience because there was an alternative option, and most of all because she was aware of the alternative.

As you strive to deliver great customer service, know the options available to your customers.  Maybe the line is long, but the line might be shorter if some member of the team informed the customer of the other options.  Maybe the wait seemed excessive, but the wait would be shorter if one of the employees could convey an alternative to the customers that might give them service quicker.

Sometimes the best thing we can do to serve our customers is to build their awareness of other ways they can get their needs met.

Create awareness of alternatives.

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