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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

A More Complete Definition of Responsiveness - 10/15/24


I was purchasing something recently that was being custom-developed.  At one point, the company’s employee and I had a good 20 e-mails going back and forth - 10 from each of us.  Unfortunately, I broke my own rule, and I did not pick up the phone after 2 or Read more

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Develop an “Always Culture” – 2/18/14 TOW

Posted on February 18, 2014 in Customer Service Tip of the Week 1 Comment


Many of our healthcare clients are adopting the concept of creating an “Always Culture.” This movement is often in response to a change in Federal Government reimbursement to hospitals that is based in part on the results of patient satisfaction surveys. Those surveys are structured to have patients evaluate whether staff, nurses, and physicians “Always” do certain activities (as opposed to “Usually, Sometimes, or Never”). To maximize reimbursement, the healthcare organization wants a high percentage of their patients answering “Always.”

Now the concept of the “Always Culture” has been around for years, in and out of healthcare. The way we’ve described it is that you don’t want customer service to be a light switch (where you turn it on with clients and turn it off with co-workers); instead, it needs to be an all-the-time thing.

But regardless of what industries use the phrase, it’s still a meaningful concept.

The idea of “Always” implies that we’re CONSISTENT (hopefully Consistent Excellent) across departments, shifts, product lines, and people. That consistency requires that the organization hires those individuals with the propensity to be customer service-oriented, sets expectations of what is a great customer experience, trains ALL staff on the key principles and techniques, monitors performance in ALL areas, and rewards not only the “WOW” but also the Consistent Excellence. It requires that we hold those accountable that keep us from Consistent Excellence, and that we have leaders that understand that they must model the practices they expect of others.

Organizations striving for the Always Culture must continuously communicate the expectations, the goals, and the performance – celebrating success whenever possible.

But – in the end – “Always” comes down to the individual. Is it a habit to serve, a habit to care, a habit to be inquisitive, and a habit to be empathetic? Is it a habit to be responsive, a habit to proactively communicate, a habit to quickly resolve issues, and a habit to appreciate others?

Create your own “Always Culture.” Make excellence a habit.


C.A.R.E. for Customers – 2/11/14 TOW

Posted on February 11, 2014 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


In our analysis of customer satisfaction data for a client recently, we identified the survey attributes which had the strongest correlation to the customer’s feeling that the organization cared about them as an individual.

These “Care Perception Drivers” fit nicely into an acronym (C.A.R.E.), and we shared the analysis in a brief educational session with our client. Maybe these tips can help you, too:

  • C = Communicate before and after the transaction. The customers appreciated it when the employees engaged them upfront and proactively thanked them or addressed them in follow-up communications after the transaction. It’s not just about the task; it’s the start-to-finish experience.
  • A = Ask them about themselves and their situation. Customers perceived that the employees cared if they were inquisitive and sought to learn about what made that customer unique.
  • R = Relate on their level. The customer cares about the customer, so relate to them in a way they’re comfortable – with your tone and body language, tailoring your style to appeal more to them.
  • E = Educate them on how to have a great experience. Customers aren’t usually experts in your business – you’re the expert. So they appreciate tips or directions that can maximize their enjoyment.

When customers feel that you care, they’re more likely to come back to you, to be open to your suggestions, and even to cut you some slack when something goes wrong.

Ask yourself “Have I conveyed I C.A.R.E.?”


Fix Fast to Reduce Stress – 2/4/14 TOW

Posted on February 4, 2014 in Customer Service Tip of the Week 1 Comment


This tip is all about you. The vast majority of the advice we provide involves helping the customer, serving them better, or the benefits to the organization or the customer for creating a great experience.

For example, when we discuss service recovery – dealing with complaints or issues – we often talk about how quick resolution increases your chance for customer retention. We note that many customers feel better about the company when an issue is resolved quickly than if no issue had ever happened.

But when you think of service recovery and their impact on you, oftentimes you think of stress. When you’re on the phone or face-to-face with a griping customer, you may think “I’m dealing with an emotional customer” (or a raving lunatic, however you like to describe them). Your heart starts to pump, your temperature starts to rise; it’s not a situation that many of us find comfortable. It can create stress.

So when you’re considering how to deal with the situation, there is a benefit to you to resolve it quickly. A fast fix may reduce your stress. The longer the delay in identifying a solution, moving the customer to the next step, making that fix occur, the more time that you are dealing with the emotions, thinking, worrying.

On a more basic level, the longer it takes to deal with a complaint, the more likely you are to have to add items to a To Do list, to play phone tag with others, to send e-mails flying back and forth to co-worker and customer.

Please don’t misconstrue this advice to be to “give the customer whatever they want to get them off your back.” Instead, when faced with an opportunity to call the customer back the next day or take care of it while they’re on the phone, take care of it then. When given the options to resolve it over the next week or to begin the process now, begin. When you have a chance to get them in touch with your co-worker immediately or take their information and tell them someone will call them later in the week, handoff now.

Cut your stress by looking for the faster path to the fix.


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