Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 25

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A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach - 2/18/25


I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said: If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us. That was an excellent statement that embodies Read more

What Phones and Football Have in Common - 2/11/25


Congratulations!  You made it through weeks/months of hype for football’s Super Bowl!  You made it through hundreds of pregame shows and podcasts, endless debates on things endlessly inconsequential, 10 hours of pre-game shows on Sunday, what seems like 100 commercials designed specifically for the “Big Game,” and the longest Read more

Create Awareness of Alternatives - 2/4/25


Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The Read more

Listen with Your Eyes - 1/28/25


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 Read more

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


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 Read more

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


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 Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

Self-empower for the New Year - 12/31/24


Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership. The reality was Read more

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

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What “One in a Million” Means – 10/3/23

Posted on October 3, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

You are One in a Million!

That can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  Depending on the tone in which it’s said, the phrase can be a compliment or a criticism.  If there are 8 billion people in the world, that means there might be 8,000 of you on this earth.

But regardless of how it’s intended, there is one core meaning:  You are unique.

We often talk about customers needing to be viewed as individuals, not as a number.  They need to be considered for what makes them and their situation unique.  But what makes an individual or the situation unique?

If Service Excellence requires that we treat each person as an important and valued individual, let’s talk about what makes that individual in front of you or on the phone with you, that person you’re e-mailing or texting…unique:

  • How long have they worked with your business?
  • How urgent is their need?
  • What is their emotional state?
  • What is their knowledge or experience level in working with your organization or in dealing with situations like this?
  • What is their demographic makeup?
  • Where are they from, and where are they going next?

 
If they’re coming to you about a prior experience:

  • When did their prior experience or issue occur?
  • Who was involved in that prior experience or issue?
  • What caused that prior experience or issue?
  • What is their ultimate goal moving forward?

 
Maybe the individual responses to these questions are not unique, but the sum of all these responses are usually quite unique.  Think of it this way – if you flip a coin, there are only two options, heads and tails.  What’s so unique about that?  But if you flip that coin 20 times, how many different combinations of heads and tails could you have? What do you know, it’s about a million!

To treat someone like one in a million, work to uncover what’s unique.

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Same Place, Different Experiences – 9/26/23

Posted on September 26, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Meredith was getting discharged from the clinic, when the nurse came in, gave her a packet of information including the discharge instructions, explained the next steps, and asked if Meredith had any questions.  Freida, across the hall, was told that she could leave when ready.  However, Freida had to ask if there were any discharge instructions since she hadn’t received any.

Meredith was going to the sporting event, and she was very excited!  Her account representative e-mailed her a week beforehand with instructions on parking options and other amenities/activities around and in the arena.  Freida showed up to the same sporting event.  She had no idea where to park, how much it would cost, or where to enter the arena.

Meredith happened by a new coffee shop, and she ordered a drink.  The employee showed her where the cream, milk, chocolate, and other items were that Meredith could add to her coffee.  The employee also told her about a loyalty program.  Freida went to that same coffee shop later in the day, got her coffee, and left.  She thought:  This tastes good but could have used a little more milk and a dash of mocha.

Both Meredith and Freida went to the same businesses on the same day.  Obviously, these businesses need to learn a lot about consistency, because they were all inconsistent in the experiences that their customers received.  In each case, Meredith had a better experience.  And the key differentiator was that the people serving Meredith were proactive.  They were anticipating next steps, and the result was a customer who was more comfortable, more confident, had a better experience, and even had a better cup of coffee!

Don’t wait for the customer to ask.  Stand out from the crowd by simply being more proactive.

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What Annoys the Customer? – 9/19/23

Posted on September 19, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Domino’s Pizza had TV commercials years ago where they promoted how they trained their employees to “Avoid the Noid.”  The “Noid” was basically an annoying person or thing that would disrupt the delivery driver, possibly making the driver drop the pizza on the way to your door.  The goal at the time was to deliver a Domino’s Pizza in 30 minutes or less, so Domino’s tried to avoid those situations that kept them from their goal.

It was important for Domino’s to avoid those negative customer experiences – those delivery delays – especially since its advertising promoted that 30-minute goal.

Every one of our organizations also has goals, and one of the more tactical goals should be to avoid customer dissatisfiers.  Avoid the issues that cause lost customers, that create a negative experience.

Most organizations focus on what they do best or what they can do to make the perfect experience for the customer.  They focus on retention drivers, which is great, but they define retention drivers purely as why a customer patronizes that business.  They never expand the definition of retention driver to include what could make that customer so upset that they’d leave.

Do account representatives never return customer voice mails?  Does the event organizer fail to communicate effectively with fans during a weather delay?  Does the customer choose the electronics store because of the technology selection, but they never return because of the aggressiveness of staff in selling warrantees?  Does the local government provide a great experience at the front desk, but their website and phone trees are so confusing that the taxpayer HAD to go onsite to get their question answered?

It’s great to strive to be the best in your customer experience, but make sure you’re also identifying and avoiding those things which can drive the customers away.  Avoid the Noid.

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