Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 31

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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

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25


We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done.  But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

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

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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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It’s Not What You Did… – 12/12/23

Posted on December 12, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The statistic we have quoted a lot relating to customer retention is that 68% of lost business is due to perceived indifference. That means that about 2 out of every 3 customers were lost because the customer perceived that that company was indifferent to them.

It’s kind of an odd way to look at things. This statistic does not suggest that the company specifically did something to lose the customer.  This statistic can be interpreted to convey that it was what the company did not do that lost the customer.

So, let’s think about this as it relates to our individual roles…

The reason for the customer loss may not be the billing error as much as it is the LONG process to get the error rectified.

The reason for the customer loss may not be the content of the e-mail in response to the customer complaint; instead, the reason may be the lack of empathy conveyed in the company response.

The reason the customer decided to start buying the product elsewhere may not have been the callback from the company after the customer left a voice message with a question; the reason could be the fact that the customer call was not returned for a week after the message was left.

The reason they didn’t renew their annual membership wasn’t that the membership was a bad value. It’s just that the only time the organization contacted the customer was when the company was trying to sell the customer something.

When you think about how to better the customer experience, instead of always focusing on how to improve what’s currently done, consider what aspects of the experience lack urgency on behalf of the customer, lack empathy, lack responsiveness, or lack an intent to develop a relationship.

To improve retention, don’t always focus on what the company did.  Sometimes focus on what the company did not do.

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