Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 24

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Pass the Quick Impression Test - 12/30/25


Some studies have shown that people create an impression of you in less than a second when they first meet you face-to-face.  Other studies have shown that that initial impression can take up to 7 seconds.  Regardless, first impressions are quick.  First impressions are not always the lasting impression, Read more

2025 Holiday Poem - 12/23/25


We hear the word change And that change can be good, But we like things to stay same, And sometimes they should.   The weather can be wet And then dry as a bone. We know things will change, Even if all left alone.   Our customers change. Our co-workers do, too. It seems like our resources Are often too few.   The technology Read more

Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter - 12/16/25


When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, Read more

When Kindness Means More in Customer Service - 12/9/25


Since a large part of the work we do at CSS includes customer research, we have seen tens of thousands of comments over the years about staff, and it is great to hear the positives that customers, fans, and account holders say about our clients’ team members. One word that Read more

Don’t Create the Second Complaint - 12/2/25


Maria was upset.  Rightfully so.  The product delivery was delayed, she couldn’t get anybody on the phone, and nobody would reply to her e-mails.  So, she went down to the store, and she found a customer service representative. After the initial greeting, the employee listened to Maria’s complaint.  While Maria Read more

Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer - 11/25/25


This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close - it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past. The idea of reflecting on reasons Read more

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

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Don’t Kick the Problem Down the Road – 9/3/24

Posted on September 3, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The error was obvious.  Shania is a clerk at a local government office, and she could tell that something was wrong with the permit request.  She was about to reject the request because the address was invalid.

If this would have been handled like the normal process, Shania would have marked the request as rejected, and the resident would receive an e-mail within the next week that was automatically generated from the system.

The message would simply say that the request had been rejected and for the resident to contact the local permitting office.

Pause to Find the Cause

But instead of doing what’s normally done, Shania made a little extra effort.  She decided to do a little investigation.  She found out that the resident had submitted the request by filling out a form, and that one of Shania’s co-workers entered the information into the permit request system.  What the resident wrote down and what was keyed into the system were different.  The co-worker had made a keying error.

Shania updated the information in the system, so the permit was officially completed correctly and was allowed to continue through the review process.

Consider the Impact Beyond the Moment

Shania’s simple act of patience, this simple investigation, this simple questioning why somebody would have put in an invalid address – these actions avoided a lot of issues.  The resident didn’t have to wait a week for a rejection notice that they would have to follow-up on and address.  A co-worker wouldn’t have been brought under scrutiny by an angry customer for the error.  The delay in the permit process for the customer would not happen. Additional work for the team to reprocess the request would not have to happen.

By being patient, asking herself a couple key questions based on her experience, and discerning what would be the best approach overall rather than what would be most expedient in the moment – these actions resulted in a better customer experience and time saved for her team.

Pause to find the cause, instead of simply kicking the problem down the road.

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Reflect the Best of Your Customers – 8/27/24

Posted on August 27, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When Alice walks into a business, whether it’s a restaurant or government building, whether it’s a Goodwill or a grocery store, she has a certain way about her.  She’s the customer, and it’s not unusual to hear her say to the employee:  Thanks for being here today!

It’s not unusual for Alice to keep the conversation going when the employee is ringing her up during a sale.  Alice will compliment a ring an employee is wearing or how helpful they were during their conversation.

Alice will talk to a customer service rep on the phone, and she’ll thank the employee for being patient with her questions.

If there was a role play during customer service training, and somebody was pretending to be a customer like Alice, the people watching the role play would likely say:  That customer is so nice!  Unfortunately, it’s just not realistic. Customers are not really like that.

Believe it or not, if we – the employees – were acting like Alice, customers would say the same thing about us:  Wow, that employee is so nice!  I wish all employees were like that.  I wish all employees had a good attitude, were appreciative of me coming in or giving them a call.  I wish all employees would continue to chat with me while they’re doing some activity.  I wish employees would be a bit more patient with me and ask me more questions.

Alice may be an unusually nice customer, but – for many customers – it would be unusual for them to engage an employee who is just as nice, just as appreciative.

One way to convey we care about customers is to reflect what we see in the best of our customers.  The best customer attitudes.  The best customer communication skills.

Reflect the best of your customers to deliver a great customer experience.

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Create Your Personal Motto – 8/20/24

Posted on August 20, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Take a look at these mottos:

It’s the real thing.

Just Do It.

Have it your way.

Betcha can’t eat just one.

Breakfast of champions.

Do you know the companies?  The answers are at the bottom of this tip.

So why am I asking you about mottos?  And why do almost all of them make me hungry?  I digress…

I’m asking about mottos in part because they are memorable. They reflect what the companies are trying to convey, what the companies are trying to be or to become.

A motto or a tagline is something often catchy, often short.  My company, CSS, created a Mission Statement that is our statement of purpose, but it’s also short and easy to remember: To help others

When I’m speaking with someone, my thought is: How can I help them?  I know that whether it’s an existing client or prospective customer, whether it’s a co-worker or another member of my team, whether it’s a business partner or somebody I just run into at the office who seems to have a question or wants to talk – that’s my primary focus:  How can I help them?

Whether or not I make the perfect presentation or make a sale, at least my goal is to help them.  Whether they have some business concern that we can address or something that is not in our wheelhouse, the least I can do is try to help them. Whether they need advice or guidance or just need somebody to listen, my goal is to meet that need.

We’ve talked about personal mission statements in the past – that statement of purpose that shows the greater good in what you do.  So think about your personal mission statement in terms of a motto.  Describe (in fewer than 10 words) your purpose at your job, the guiding principles within which you operate, what you hope to do…or to be…or to become.  Write that thought down – and help it to guide you throughout the day.

Create Your Personal Motto.

By the way, here are the companies associated with the mottos above: Coke. Nike. Burger King. Lay’s. Wheaties.

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