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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

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

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

Posted on July 29, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 negative outcomes, part of what brings their anxiety down, part of what calms their nervousness is their confidence in you.  So, that might require that you talk a little about yourself – not to brag – but more so to help them realize they’re working with somebody who will help.

What can you say about yourself to build confidence in the mind of the customer?

First, make sure they know your name.  If you’re going to help them through a process, they feel more comfortable with somebody that they feel like they know or can call by name.

Next, weave in how long you’ve been working at the organization.  If you haven’t worked there that long, let them know how long you’ve been working in the industry or how long you’ve been working on similar issues.  Time conveys experience which can convey knowledge and expertise.  If you are brand new to the company or industry, tell them about your training or your team of co-workers.

Talk about similar customers – probably not by name – but those who were in similar situations or were dealing with similar stresses as the customer in front of you.  Talk about those customers without going into too much depth on what their issue was, because it’s not about the other customer.  But talk about those similar customers and the positive outcomes that transpired.  Here you are painting a positive picture for the individual in front of you by sharing stories of those you’ve helped in the past.

Note your familiarity with the process you’re going through or technology that you’re using to go through this process.  If they sense you’re knowledgeable about the nuts and bolts of resolving the issue or addressing the need, then that’s another confidence-builder.

Sometimes you have to talk about yourself even if you’re the most humble person in the world, because sharing about yourself creates comfort for the customer.

Talk yourself up to take down their anxiety.

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

Posted on July 22, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 customer may not visibly react, but – inside – they sense something different in a good way, something positive, something special.

When the customer walked in, you immediately looked up and informally greeted them.  You smiled and even stood up!

They sent you an e-mail at lunchtime, and you responded mid-afternoon.  The customer left a voice mail, and you responded in the next hour.

The patient had a question, so you turned away from the computer and patiently (no pun intended!) answered; you then asked what other questions they had in mind.

While they waited, you walked up to them and provided some educational information about the vehicle service you were performing for them as well as other useful features on their car – some they weren’t aware of previously.

The customer was talking to you – a customer service representative in some far away location – but you asked them for their name upfront and used it throughout the conversation.

A few days after the appointment, they received the handwritten thank you note that you penned on the day that you met.

Creating the WOW Experience doesn’t always require that over-the-top-the-employee-saved-the-day act of brilliance.  You don’t have to be the best ever.  But if you’re consistently better than what the customer experiences elsewhere, you become a WOW.  You become the standard.  You become that something positive, that something special in their day.

Use little acts to make a big impact.

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

Posted on July 15, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 you.

The more an issue drags on, the more likely the customer is going to call you back, e-mail your co-worker, try to get your boss on the phone.  It’s extra touch points.  Maybe they are just trying to get an update, or maybe they don’t realize that it’s on your To Do List already, or maybe they’re wanting to light a fire by bringing your colleagues into the matter.

Whatever the rationale behind their extra communications, it’s causing you more work, and it could be increasing pressure and stress from inside your organization.

When issues are still open, when they still are not resolved, they are part of your backlog.  They’re part of the things that you need to address.  They become one of those things you have to organize and manage, one of the many actions that you need to track and take.

So, the more open items there are, the more you have to manage, the better organized you have to be, and the more opportunity there is for something to fall through the cracks.

Stress is an emotion that we feel; it’s reflective of pressure that we’re under.  And while stress is a reality of life that we all have to deal with, there are opportunities for us to operate in such a way that we can avoid the causes of some of the stress.

One way to do that is to try to address issues on the spot.  Try to resolve complaints as quickly as possible.  It’s not just great service to the customer, but it’s a good way to serve yourself.

Avoid some stress by addressing issues quickly.

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