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When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26


Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving. When we Read more

Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26


We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency. Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side Read more

See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26


That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next. But in the life Read more

Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

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

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When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26

Posted on July 21, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving.

When we say “Moments of Truth” in customer service, this is about the ultimate Moment of Truth.  They are at a tipping point, and how you handle this conversation can determine whether they stay or truly go.

There are so many factors that are at play that it’s difficult to concisely address them all in a brief tip.  But let’s at least talk about one of the most important aspects to this conversation – finding out the Why.

Consider the Potential Whys

Is it because of a bad or a stale relationship, or maybe issues with a product or service?  It could have been the pricing or technology or perceived lack of value.  Maybe it’s about the customer experience, or a competitor just reached out with some enticing pitch or offer.

Whatever their priorities are – speed, responsiveness, quality, benefits and perks, access, consistency and predictability – they are not being met.

Gather Yourself and Respond

When you’re in this situation, in this Moment of Truth, don’t panic.  Take a deep breath, and professionally and respectfully start searching for the why.  Use phrases like “I’m sorry to hear that this is something you’re considering…” OR “Help me understand…” OR “We definitely would love to keep you as our customer, so please share more about but you’re thinking and some of the reasons for it.”

In other words, convey empathy.  Don’t get defensive.  Seek to understand before making some grand sales pitch.  Convey your desire to keep them as a customer, and gain a deeper understanding of their decision-making process.

When faced with a customer who is stating that they’re getting ready to leave, downshift your emotions, convey your interest in them, and seek to understand.

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Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26

Posted on July 14, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency.

Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side of the document from the other side.  And that physical example has a lot of similarities to what transparency means in customer service.

Think about Openness, Honesty, Clarity.

Openness includes a willingness to say something that may be uncomfortable to share with the customer.  It’s the fact that a price increase is coming.  It’s a willingness to answer their question, even if it puts you and your organization in a negative light.  Therefore it’s 2-way: an openness of sharing, and an openness of listening to the customer and being willing to respond.  It’s letting them know you have a fee increase – not hiding it by saying you simply have a new pricing structure.

Honesty is obviously saying the truth, but again, it may not mean that you’re conveying the most positive side of your business.  You’re stating that you’re asking them to resubmit a document because there was an error on your end.  It’s letting them know that the delay was due to a keying mistake which caused the customer’s submittal to be put on hold.

Clarity is about effectively setting and managing customer expectations with some specificity.  Don’t say it’s only going to be “a minute” if it’s going to be literally 1 hour.  Avoid describing something as a “brief” review process when it’s going to be 10 business days.  It’s letting them know the specifics of time and place and people involved more precisely.

Just to be extra clear on one point, we can be open about good things, honest about happy news, clear about positive next steps.  Transparency is not inherently about communicating the negative, but a willingness to have those less-than-positive conversations is where many of us fall short.

If transparency is something important to you and your organization, focus on being more open, honest, and clear with the customer.

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See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26

Posted on July 7, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next.

But in the life of the customer, they have a journey, often an ongoing one with your organization.  So, it helps to understand their perspective, so that you can deliver a better experience, foster a stronger relationship.

Need and Awareness

Let’s start very high-level.  Their journey usually begins with them identifying a need or issue to be addressed, followed by their creating an awareness of your product or your service, or their need reminds them of having heard of your service.

Research and Purchase

Then, they conduct research on the service, or they make an inquiry.  They want to learn more.  That’s when the sales and customer service kick in, and it can lead to an acquisition or a purchase.  This is what most people think of when they think of that customer transaction.

Receipt and Evaluation

Then they receive the product or the service that you deliver.  They are experiencing that product or service and every process/person/policy associated with its delivery, and they’re forming opinions.  They’re going through an evaluation process.

Support…or Not

Then they need support, they need guidance, they need questions answered or issues resolved, and they have to determine or research how to make that happen.

They get that support…or not.  They get that answer from your team…or elsewhere.

Word-of-Mouth and Repurchase

Finally, they decide what that word-of-mouth is going to be.  Will they talk you up positively, be indifferent and not mention your organization at all, or complain to their friends and co-workers?

And that word of mouth – formed from their opinions and experiences – could lead to the potential repurchase of your product.

Understand where you are in this journey, but realize everything that comes before and everything that comes after.  The nature of your encounter with the customer is going to be framed by what happened before, and the experience that the customer and your co-workers have down the road is going to be framed based on the customer’s encounter with you.

See the customer’s journey from their perspective.

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