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Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff - 11/18/25


An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to Read more

Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

Familying with Customers - 10/28/25


In our transactional society, it’s hard to think about customers in the long-term.  But if we want to be as successful as we can as an individual or as a business, we need to view customers through a relationship lens. What do we need to know about them to Read more

Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25


The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint.  They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody.  You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation.  It’s important for Read more

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Listen with Your Eyes – 1/28/25

Posted on January 28, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 the desk.

The customer quickly walked to the navigator, said something, got a response from the navigator, and then looked around the lobby.  The eyes of the customer stopped when she saw the sign above Patrick’s area.  She turned and smiled at the navigator and nodded, and then the customer briskly walked toward Patrick.

How the Customer Waited

She saw a little sign-in kiosk right in front of Patrick’s area, signed in, got a number, and sat down.  Patrick received notification that she was #37, and he was working with customer #35.  Occasionally, Patrick glanced at customer #37; she never took out a phone.  She was looking at the papers fervently, and she was using a pencil to write and erase certain things.

When a particular song came on in the lobby, Patrick noticed that she started tapping her feet, and she paused her review of the papers.  After a couple seconds, she went back to her papers and kept the foot tapping.

In the 8 minutes that the customer was in the lobby before Patrick called for customer #37, Patrick had noticed the customer and her mannerisms for about 30 seconds total.  But a lot of things were clear to him. They were clear to him because he was listening to her gestures, expressions and body language, even though he couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

What Patrick Learned

Patrick knew that this was someone who had never been to the office before.  She was somebody who didn’t have her whole game plan together, and she was formulating her questions and how to express them as she waited.  She was not tech savvy, or at least not technology-focused.  Although she seemed a little nervous and in a rush, a little frazzled as well, she seemed like a pleasant person.  She appeared to be somebody who liked music and knew how to relax herself in the moment.

Patrick knew that she had settled herself down and had started to get her thoughts together, but she would likely have questions and follow-up questions to address whatever her issue or need was at that time.  Patrick had an impression of her without ever having spoken to her.

How This Helps Us

When we’re face-to-face with others, we have the same opportunity that Patrick had – to observe and try to understand others even beyond what they say, even if we haven’t even spoken to them.  Sometimes these observations and the resulting conclusions are accurate.  Sometimes…not so much.  But with face-to-face conversations, words only tell part of the story.

By watching the body language, the gestures, the movements, it helps you to read the other person and glean a little bit more about what’s going on inside that individual.

And if you get a chance to make these observations even before you speak to the other person, you can better prepare for the encounter.

Listen with your eyes.

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

Posted on January 21, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 on their own, to address issues on their own.

Unfortunately, technology is not always self-evident.  It doesn’t always think like customers think.  It doesn’t often convey what the customer needs to know when they need to know it in a way that the customer can absorb, understand, and use moving forward.

So, if we want to be the best of customer service professionals, we need to be excellent educators.

Let’s say we have a customer named Christopher.  About what do we need to build Christopher’s awareness?  What does Christopher need to know to get things done?  What knowledge does Christopher need to build in order to have the best experience possible with our organization?

Ask yourself (or your customers) these types of questions, because these questions build your understanding of what content is required in your educational endeavors with customers.

Does Christopher need to be more aware of technology options such as mobile apps, self-service website functions, chat functions, automated phone options?  And does he need to know how to navigate those mechanisms?  Does he need to know how to place in order, how to check status, how to follow-up directly with the right person, how to see if a service is completed or a delivery has been made?  Does Christopher need to know the services available, the features available, the different ways to experience your product or your service, your event or your facility?

To strengthen your role as an educator of customers, first identify what the key content is where they need to be more knowledgeable or better trained.

Identify what THEY need to know in order to have the best experience possible.

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

Posted on January 14, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 noticed the opportunity to use the chat function.  So, she clicked in.

When the chat conversation was done, Dena signed off.  Immediately afterward, she received an e-mail.  It was a transcript of the chat.  She had never used the chat before, and she was surprised to receive the e-mail.  But once she reviewed it, she loved it!!

Whether you – as a customer service representative – just completed a chat with a customer, ended a phone conversation, or wrapped up a face-to-face conversation, these follow-up communications are often exceptionally helpful to the customer.  There are several ways that your customers benefit from chat transcripts or other documented follow-ups to your conversations:

  • Documentation: The customer has a record of the conversation, the issues, potential solutions, and the actions to take.
  • Trust-building: The customer sees that the company also has documentation, and they are willing to stand by what was communicated during the encounter.
  • Quick Access: The customer can easily find a record of the prior communication.
  • Accountability and Follow-Up: It offers a checklist of what the customer or the company are expected to do next.
  • Time-saving: Customers are less likely to have to repeat their story during the next encounter, since they can just reference the transcript.
  • A Sense of Feeling Valued: Customers feel like they’ve been heard, and the conversation was important enough to the company to document.

 
When you complete that encounter with the customer, if you want to build their trust, make their life a little bit more simple, build in some accountability on next steps, save them some time, and help them to feel valued, provide an immediate follow-up communication.

Wrap it up right.  Use follow-up communications to WOW customers.

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