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When Patience Begets Patience - 9/2/25


Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant.  The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table.  Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week. Since the Read more

Address the Expectations that Were Set - 8/26/25


Before the caller ever got to Marco – the customer service representative, the customer had been working with the company for months.  They had read the marketing brochures, had a conversation with a sales rep, reviewed the new customer information on the website, and read all the information e-mailed Read more

When Technology Fails the Customer - 8/19/25


Technology is a wonderful thing…until it isn’t.  The website is down, the mobile app won’t work, the system keeps kicking them out of their account, or they received a spoofing phone call supposedly from your department. If you’ve ever been manning the phones or managing the department inbox, you know Read more

The Misunderstood Physician - 8/12/25


I was speaking with one of my personal physicians years ago, and when we were talking about my work – particularly customer satisfaction research - he started talking about online physician ratings.  He lamented that a few low ratings were dinging his overall score.  Then he shared that the Read more

Uncover Silent Concerns - 8/5/25


One of the customer service statistics we have quoted many times over the years is:  For every complaint you do hear, there could be 26 other customer issues that you don’t hear. And when we bring up that statistic, we bring it up because we want to make sure companies Read more

Talk Yourself Up to Take Down Their Anxiety - 7/29/25


I believe that most customer service people are pretty humble, so I’m not asking you to lose your humility.  But I do have one ask of you… When that customer is anxious or nervous, when they fear the future because the future is unknown or it could be laced with Read more

Use Little Acts to Make a Big Impact - 7/22/25


A WOW Experience is not always one instance, one act that blows away the customer.  It’s not always an over-the-top-the-employee-saved-the-day act of brilliance.  Sometimes a WOW is the sum total of a series of little things that others don’t do – those actions that differentiate you from others.  The Read more

Avoid Some Stress by Addressing Issues Quickly - 7/15/25


It’s good customer service to resolve issues quickly.  The customer sees the light at the end of the tunnel.  They more quickly bring their anxiety and stress, their negative emotions down.  And they more quickly get to a solution. But this tip is not about them.  This tip is about Read more

Better Customer Service through Better Teamwork - 7/8/25


We spend so much time talking about what great customer service looks like in those 1-on-1 Moments of Truth, that we often neglect to discuss what goes on inside the company that leads to those great moments.  We’ve talked about customer handoffs within an organization, but what does a Read more

Highlight the Hidden Value - 7/1/25


Marketing campaigns often highlight a particular product and ALL the features and extras that the customer will receive… “For 3 low, low payments of only $39.99, you not only get these world-renowned chef knives, but you can also get this free laser-etched spatula!  AND THAT’S NOT ALL!  We will also Read more

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Make Empathy Your Superpower – 1/2/24

Posted on January 2, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

I was facilitating a Service Excellence Training class for a Higher Ed client in the Northeast several years back.  As I was walking through the portions of our technique for defusing the angry customer, I talked about empathy.  I talked about accepting responsibility.

Immediately, one of the hands in the room went up.  The employee said: I would never make statements like you’re suggesting.  Once you start saying you’re sorry or once you start acknowledging their feelings, they’re going to sense that you’re weak.  They’re gonna walk all over you.

I was a little bit taken aback initially, but not because somebody was challenging the technique.  Primarily, I was surprised somebody would consider it a weakness to be empathetic.  Somebody might consider it a weakness to accept responsibility.

I’ve always viewed empathy as a strength.  It’s a higher level of awareness, a higher level of caring for another person.  Being willing to look outside yourself to understand the unique needs and situations of another.  It’s a strength to have emotional awareness of others.  These are strong, positive attributes.

Now, I understand the employee’s point was that if you ‘put down your guard,’ if you acknowledge the other person, they may feel that they can berate you, or get you to do things on their behalf that are against policy, not ethical, or not the acceptable procedure.  But what he was suggesting was to maintain a defensive posture.  To not acknowledge the issue or any company responsibility.

What empathy does is to help the customer feel that you care, and to more quickly move you to a next step.  What lack of empathy does is to create a stalemate, to bog down the conversation, to S-L-O-W progress toward a resolution, and to ramp up the negative emotions.

Use empathy to make the customer feel better, to feel heard and understood.  But use it also because it saves you time, it keeps down emotions, and it moves the conversation along.

Use empathy as a strength.  Make it your superpower.

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Holiday Poem 2023 – 12/26/23

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

The days are getting longer,

The skies are getting brighter.

Festivities behind us,

And festivities before us.

 

There’s ups and downs and change coming,

And we can’t predict when or where.

There’s challenges and joys and opportunities around,

Of which you may or may not be aware.

 

But one thing we know as we look at each day,

Is that there’s always a means to find the good way.

There’s a way to push through and a way to overcome.

There’s a way to deal with the trials that come.

There’s a way to celebrate when the good things occur.

There’s a way to see positives as challenges occur.

 

Maybe it’s tough to feel positive as we go into each day.

It’s unreasonable to push all negatives away.

But part of the way that we see in all some good

Is to open our eyes and seek what is true.

 

So on those days when inside when we’re not feeling so good,

There is one thing we can do if we allow ourselves to.

Look for good that is already there,

It’s the flowers and the pets, the smell of something good in the air.

 

Seek out those who laugh and who bring you joy.

Allow yourself to walk toward those whose company you enjoy.

Look around for something funny, something comforting, something sweet.

Reach out to someone whose company you’ll enjoy for a meet.

 

At times when it’s tough to feel good from within,

Be intentional about seeking good from those around you then.

 

I hope you have joy in the upcoming year.

And for the tough days…

Seek those who share love and good cheer.

 

Happy Holidays!

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Refresh, Rejuvenate, Refocus – 12/19/23

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

It’s that time of year.  We’re going 100 miles an hour, and holiday time is upon us.  We not only have all the work to do, but we somehow have less time to do it.  We somehow have other things that are of competing interest, and even though those extra To Do’s are often wonderful things, the fact is that we have more to do.  We often have more stress.  We are getting pulled in multiple directions, many of which are not of our own choosing.

Wouldn’t it be great in times like this to just be able to take a break?!  Wouldn’t it be great to just invest in ourselves a little bit?

This is a customer service tip, but as you all know, I highly value folks who are in customer service, and I realize that you spend so much of your days doing things for others, that it’s easy to forget to do things for yourself.

So, let’s all do a brief exercise and see if we can conjure up any ideas that can be good for you, to help you refresh, rejuvenate, refocus.

Just Imagine…

Imagine that you had $200 given to you, but you could only spend it on yourself.  What would you spend it on to refresh yourself mentally, physically, spiritually, intellectually?  What could help you to become a better co-worker, person, or a representative to your clients?  What would refresh, rejuvenate, and refocus you?

What if you found yourself with 2 free hours in your day?  Even just for one day.  But you had to spend those 2 hours only on yourself.  Would you rest?  Would you watch some old shows or movies?  Would you work out or go for a run?  Maybe you would read or do something that stimulates you more than an old episode of Three’s Company.  It’s totally up to you.  What would refresh, rejuvenate, and refocus you?

What if you were told you need to eliminate (or at least spend less time on) 2 tasks or activities that you do most weeks at work?  What are the 2 things you’d eliminate because they provide little value to the company, the co-worker, or the customer?  What tasks would you stop that would actually refresh, rejuvenate, and refocus you?

Invest a little money or time on yourself. Take a couple items off your To Do List. Be intentional to refresh, rejuvenate, and refocus.

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