Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 34

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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

Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

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

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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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Talk Up Your Teammate – 12/5/23

Posted on December 5, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

It happens all the time in business. The salesperson transitions the new customer to their service representative.  The nurse tells the patient about the doctor about to come into the room.  The gatekeeper tells the customer about the supervisor they’re about to transfer the customer to, in order to address an issue.

An employee is handing off the customer to a teammate.  At this point, the initial employee has a few options.  They can (1) Simply conduct the handoff, (2) Make the handoff with a little ambivalent or not-so-positive statement about their co-worker, or (3) Talk up their teammate in the handoff process.

We should strive to set our co-worker up for success.  We also want to deliver a great customer experience, one where we’re infusing positivity and building customer confidence.

So, let’s be intentional when we’re making that transition, discussing the co-worker about to enter the conversation, or transferring that call.  Let’s be intentional to infuse some positivity and confidence.

Our account holders love working with Jenny!  She’s very upbeat, is very responsive to requests or concerns, and she really enjoys getting to know our new customers.

Dr. Smith is excellent.  He asks about you, likes to listen and learn, and he’s cared for and helped patients in situations such as yours for over 20 years.

Julio’s definitely the best person to answer your question and help you resolve this issue.  I’ll let him know the details of the situation, and I’m sure he’ll ask you questions to confirm things.  He’s good at determining the cause of the issue, identifying a solution, and following through on his promise.

Part of delivering a great customer experience requires that we strive to be a great teammate.  And when we have to do those handoffs of the customer to a co-worker, be intentional about infusing some positivity and building customer confidence.

Talk Up Your Teammate.

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Use Silence Wisely – 11/28/23

Posted on November 28, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Silence is golden…until it isn’t.

Silence is an excellent tool to use when talking to the customer.  Silence can convey that you’re listening, that you are patient, that you are being kind and are deferring to the other person.  Being silent can convey that you’re intentional about what you say, pausing before speaking.

And the benefits of silence are not just about the effect it can have on the customer, silence can also benefit you.  By being silent, you’re allowing yourself time to understand the other person.  You’re allowing yourself time to formulate a response.  You are oftentimes able to relax yourself by breathing rather than speaking, by thinking rather than feeling like you have to immediately react to the other person’s statement.

But there are times when even silence can be overdone.  Particularly when you’re dealing with somebody who has an issue, silence can mean – to them – that there is a bigger issue than even they had anticipated.  Silence can mean – to them – that you’re not understanding their situation.  Silence can mean – to them – that you’re having trouble finding their order, coming up with their account, accessing their appointment information.  And silence can mean – to them – that you just don’t care that much, that you aren’t very interested in engaging with this person.

So, even though we’re not communicating verbally with someone when we’re silent, we are definitely communicating with them.  If we use silence intentionally, we’re silent to convey a certain message, or to be more thoughtful, or to ensure we’re just listening as sincerely and as productively as possible.

But think about, as well, these examples for when silence is overdone. There are times when that customer needs that dialogue, needs you to convey that understanding, needs you to convey the steps you’re going through on their behalf.

Ensure you understand the situation before you determine whether and how to use silence.  Then, use silence wisely.

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