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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

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

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


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.  Read more

Refine Your Decision-making Process - 11/26/24


Every day, you make decisions of what to do and what not to do.  And in the world of customer service, often the affected parties are our customers, our co-workers, and our company.  Here are a few quotes to consider when you’re thinking about evaluating and refining your decision-making Read more

Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/12/24


It’s hard to know every procedure, every policy, every technique possible to handle every situation correctly.  After all, maybe our procedures are standard, but our customers are not.  Maybe our policies stay pretty consistent, but our customers’ needs and issues, their attitudes and actions can change from customer to Read more

From a Simple Question to an Exceptional Experience - 11/5/24


Phyllis loves her job.  It’s not just because she loves being a customer service representative, not just because she really likes her co-workers, and not just because she enjoys her company.  It’s because she really appreciates her customers, as well. A customer had ordered a register book off the company Read more

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

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Handle Interruptions Heroically – 6/18/24

Posted on June 18, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

In the middle of a project, Jimbo, the customer service team member, had to stop what he was doing because he received an e-mail from a customer complaining about their experience at a recent event.

Later that day, Jimbo was asked by his boss to put everything on hold for a “rush request” from the boss’s boss for some customer satisfaction data from the past month.

Just as Jimbo was getting ready to go home, he decided to check e-mail one more time before shutting off his computer.  A long-time client had requested a status update on an annual renewal gift that she should have received last week; since she hadn’t received it, she wanted to change the gift she selected.

These were just 3 interruptions that Jimbo had to deal with – none at opportune times (if there even is such a thing), and yet – this staff person gathered himself each time, took a deep breath, got focused on the person he was engaged with, and handled the situation professionally.

The interruptions were not what he wanted, but they were typical of what he – and likely you – deal with EVERY workday.

When you’re providing customer service, rarely does the day flow as planned and without interruptions.  About the only thing you can consistently count on is that at some point during the day, you’ll be interrupted.

But you keep your composure.  You smile.  You find a way to make that interruption a temporary priority, and you still get most of your priorities done and done well.

Don’t let the frustrations of interruptions keep you from being your best.  Continue to do a good job because that’s who you are, that’s what you do, and that’s what the job requires.  Handle Interruptions Heroically.

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From Employees to Teammates: The Shift – 6/11/24

Posted on June 11, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Be a great teammate. Be a good team player. We’re all part of the team. We’re no longer employees, we’re team members!

The phrase “Team” is used in describing co-workers so much more than it was used years ago.  Then, we would be talking about employees, talking about staff, talking about divisions or departments or agencies.

But today, we’re all asked to be part of a team.  But what does that really mean, particularly in customer service?

Attitude and Empathy:  Much of what goes into being a good teammate relates to the attitude that you bring. You’re part of a group dynamic with the others on your team.  Try to convey an attitude of positivity rather than negativity or apathy.  Talk about what you get to do as opposed to what you have to do.  Consider the impact of your role or responsibilities on teammates by understanding their roles and responsibilities, their priorities.  Bring empathy to your team.

Communication and Collaboration:  Convey what you know, not hiding information to garner power.  Work with others, not purely working in silos.  Most issues in work – and to some extent in life – boil down to communication.  And it’s easier to work toward a common goal if you communicate well and collaborate.

Actions and Accountability:  With 11 players on a football field, a pro football coach often talks about how his players need to “do their 1/11th.”  He means two things by this; first, don’t expect others to do your work for you.  Make sure you’re pulling your weight.  Second, try to get your job done before you wade too much into the waters of others’ responsibilities.  If we try to do others’ jobs without trusting them to do theirs, there’s always a chance we don’t do ours well, and we could also alienate those teammates.  Accountability?  When you mess up, acknowledge, apologize, learn from it, and move on.  We’re better teammates if we complement our responsibilities with our accountability.

Intentionally shift from employee to teammate.

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Nurture New Relationships – 6/4/24

Posted on June 4, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Freddie was a new business owner in town.  He was launching a franchise, had acquired some funding from a local bank, and was in search of staff who cared about customer service.

All the while, he was in the process of renovating a storefront for his business, so he was dealing with the local municipality a lot on plans and inspections.  But to Freddie, the process was shockingly easy.  Well, maybe the process wasn’t easy, but going through the process was easy.

For the most part, submitting plans through the web portal, getting comments on plans and getting inspections scheduled and conducted was typical. Getting results of the inspections and correcting issues – these were all fairly standard processes – sometimes cumbersome, sometimes clunky or not self-evident.

The Secret Weapon

But Freddie had a secret weapon; the municipality in this community had a navigator position.  This was essentially a governmental point person to help business owners and developers work through all the different processes that they had to deal with for remodels, renovations, new development, etc.  No matter what area of the city or county that Freddie was dealing with, the navigator helped him through the process.

The navigator not only met with Freddie upfront when he first submitted his plans, but the navigator conducted what was akin to an onboarding session like you would do for a new employee.  The navigator set up bi-weekly calls with Freddie to ensure he was on track, and would have as-needed communications to help through issues.

See Him as an Individual

The navigator learned about Freddie as well as learning about his project.  The navigator would send Freddie information in advance of when he needed it to help him to prep for the next step and make sure he kept things on time and on budget.

The navigator’s name was Helen.  And while this seemingly fairy tale experience did not end with the main characters getting married, it did end with Helen having started and nurtured a relationship on behalf of the municipality with the new business owner.

Think about the new customers you have and how they and their needs are so different than those of your existing customers.  Intentionally map out a process and approach to help them navigate any pitfalls.  Dedicate resources to onboard these clients, nurture relationships, and grow your business by helping them to grow their success with a great customer experience.

Nurture New Relationships.

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