Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 38

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See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26


That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next. But in the life Read more

Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

Reciprocate the Thanks - 5/19/26


Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience. The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied Read more

Don’t Skip the Recap - 5/12/26


The playoff hockey game goes on for almost 3 hours.  There’s non-stop action, with plenty of penalties and takeaways and hits against the boards…and a few goals, as well. You didn’t get to watch the whole game because you had other plans, but you wanted to know what happened.  So, Read more

Finalize the Solution with the 6 Step Checklist - 5/5/26


In last week’s Tip, we showed why and how to Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue.  We noted the importance of taking 15 seconds to mentally walk through the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to feel confident that you know what’s needed to fix Read more

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The Goal – A Great Experience – 5/21/24

Posted on May 21, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The following is a narrative of a great experience (people, process, service, facility) at a minor league sporting event – key points that could apply to any business are in bold…

Mark and I pulled into the parking lot, excited about the game.  The Slapshots had been on a roll lately, and this was my first chance to see them play this year.  The line moved smoothly and signs alerted us to the $10 parking charge, so we had the money ready when we reached the parking attendant.  “Good evening, and welcome to the Slapshots!” the man exclaimed as he took the money.  “Please follow the other attendants’ directions to your parking spot, and have a terrific night!”

The ticket window attendant offered a friendly “hello!” and offered to help us locate the best seats.  I asked about the $22 seat locations, and – showing me a color-coded map of the arena – she pointed out the best remaining seats for that price.  She asked if we were familiar with the ice box seating.  We weren’t, so she explained the expanded food and beverage service in those seats.  We agreed to the extra $5 to avoid missing any game action in the search for food. “Great,” she said, as she rang up the sale.  “Enjoy the game, and here’s some information on season ticket packages in case you’re interested.”

We entered the main concourse and immediately spotted the merchandise table and requested a couple team magazines.  “Is this your first Slapshots game?” the booth worker asked.  Since it was Mark’s first game, the employee pointed to the “Hockey 101” fact sheets on the table.  “You might find this useful if you’re new to the sport.  A lot of folks around here are, and they find this useful.” 

Mark followed the signs to our section, and an usher greeted us and showed us to our seats. The menus were on our seats, and we placed our dinner order with the server who appeared almost as soon as we sat down.  “What great seats!” Mark said, as the puck slammed into the window right in front of us!

It was an awesome game, and the food was great, better than expected for minor league hockey. At the second intermission, we walked the concourse to stretch our legs and grab a drink.  The Slapshots had taken the lead by the end of the second period, and the staff we talked with were excited about the game and thanked us for coming.

After an exciting ending to the final period to secure a 5-4 victory for the Slapshots, Mark and I headed to the exits.  “That was a ton of fun!” Mark exclaimed.  “I’m going to stop off at the information desk and find out about their season ticket packages.”

Whether it’s the people, the process, the service, or the facility – learn from these examples to move all aspects of the customer experience from good to great.

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Your Best Ability is… – 5/14/24

Posted on May 14, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

I enjoy watching sports, and I’ve even listened to some sports press conferences over the years, just to hear what coaches are saying.  Basically getting the leadership perspective from the sports industry either out of my interest or curiosity, or to figure out how to apply it to the business world.

A pro football coach was discussing some of the injuries that players were dealing with, and he stated: Someone’s best ability is their availability.

I found this interesting, because usually when we talk about the best players, we’re talking about those with the best skills.  But really, the most impactful players are the ones that are on the field, the ones that are able to participate in 80%, 90%, 100% of their team’s plays.  Maybe there are more skilled players on the bench, but because they’re nursing injuries, they may miss weeks of games or may be limited to only a few plays for each game.

In customer service, availability is also huge.  It’s not just a matter of handling that question or the complaint.  It’s a matter of being available to communicate.  Availability is the opportunity to serve.  Availability gives us a better chance of being responsive.  Availability enables us to show our abilities, to show our skills and knowledge.

So how do you make yourself available?

Consider how you can be available via the phone or via e-mail a little bit more.  Consider how to spend less time in meetings to find more time for the customer.  Look at the administrative tasks that you perform, those reports you produce for management, and determine how to spend less time on these to free up more time for the customer.  Find activities you perform that do not affect the customer, and figure out which of these items you could stop doing, reduce time on, or defer to the lighter times of the day or week.

You have tremendous abilities in customer service, communication, and issue resolution.  To be even more impactful, find ways to make availability your BEST ability.

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A Complaint is a Gift – 5/7/24

Posted on May 7, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

A complaint is a gift.  Okay, so the complainer is not always a “gift.”  The customer’s delivery of the complaint is sometimes more like a stocking filled with coal than a vase filled with roses.  But this is why we need to be able to differentiate the complaint from the complainer for a moment.

A complaint is feedback; it’s an opportunity to improve.  It’s often an example of something 5 or 50 other customers have experienced, but they did not voice to you.  Companies send out surveys, and many customers don’t respond.  Some customers proactively provide real-time feedback; others will only share when asked, if even then. 

It’s hard to learn from a lack of information.

So, a complaint is a gift because it provides information.  It tells you what the customer experienced, perceived.  It conveys who was involved, what happened or didn’t happen, what experiences didn’t meet expectations, what was too early or too late, what attitudes came across poorly, what products didn’t work, what policies were frustrating, and what processes were clunky or not self-evident.

In the moment, we need to deal with the complaint and the customer.  But to make a complaint a gift, we need to revisit the complaint after the fact and identify what information was gained, what lesson was learned, and how we can apply those learnings moving forward.

Give yourself time to get over any negative emotions from the dust-up with the customer, and then glean what you can from what happened and the customer’s perspective on the experience.  Use the complaint for continuous improvement.

Unpack the complaint to make it a gift.

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