Customer Service Tip of the Week | Customer Service Solutions, Inc. - Page 57

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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

Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue - 4/28/26


We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward. But what are you trying to clarify?  What are you trying to Read more

Use the Customer’s Words - 4/21/26


The customer is describing a problem on what they call their “computer.” They mentioned that the “screen” doesn’t “move from one page to the other.” They say that the “website’s name is typed at the top,” and it says sample.com with a “line, and then it says ‘home’ after Read more

Affirming the Customer with Empathy - 4/14/26


We’ve spoken and written about empathy for the 20+ years of these customer service tips, noting empathy as the most important quality any individual can have if they want to be great at customer service.  We’ve shared that - in order to serve our customers most effectively – it’s Read more

The Power of Teaching While Helping - 4/7/26


If you’re trying to develop a relationship with the customer rather than just simply handling their transaction and moving on, you are taking a long-term view.  You realize that that individual is someone you want to keep with your business for months or years to come, so it’s a Read more

Bear with Me - 3/31/26


As a customer, you’ve probably called a company and heard the phrase “bear with me.”  At that point, you know there’s going to be some sort of delay.  The CSR is giving you a heads up that there’s going to be additional wait time.  Essentially, they are trying to Read more

Slowing Down the Fast Talker - 3/24/26


Jeffrey had always been told by his manager to figure out the issue quickly and wrap up the conversation as fast as possible.  So, Jeffrey was hyper-focused at finding that one key word that could identify the issue and help him to transition quickly to what might be some possible Read more

Don’t Bury the Lede - 3/17/26


Mary was working at the office, and she received an e-mail alert from the water company.  There was a water outage in her neighborhood.  It looked like it was going to be a couple hours to fix the issue. Sure enough, a few hours later around mid-afternoon, Mary received another Read more

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RELATE to Your Customers – 2/28/23

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

One of the more interesting processes we go through with some clients is the development of Customer Service Standards.  One might think that the expectations that organizations have of their staff are pretty consistent when it comes to customer service and relationship-building.  However, the Standards are often unique because the organizations are unique.  Their Core Values are unique. Their purpose is unique.  And their customers are unique.

We helped one of our clients develop their expectations of staff, and the acronym RELATE lent itself nicely to the description of these expectations.  Here’s a quick summary:

  • Relate – Treat all courteously/fairly. Be inclusive, open to and appreciative of the diversity of the community and the customers. Be professional in representing the organization in appearance, interactions, and in showing respect for the privacy of others.
  • Educate – Understand the organization well enough to effectively serve others. Get to know the customers and their needs, educating them about the organization and their service experience.
  • Listen – Acknowledge others and those needs; be patient, communicate clearly, and listen so they feel valued and important, striving to address their need right the first time.
  • Act – Own the service experience, taking responsibility for being prompt/responsive to the needs and issues of others. Help others, and hold yourself accountable for your actions and on behalf of co-workers.
  • Team-up – Work with others in the organization to address collective goals and customer needs – guiding others to the right resource when needed. Understand your role, be involved and trustworthy, sharing information and ideas.
  • Enjoy – Be friendly and welcoming, proactively engaging others in a natural, enthusiastic, and attentive manner. Convey the energy, active nature, and positivity that we hope to see from our customers.

 
Relate, Educate, Listen, Act, Team-up, and Enjoy!  Where are you and your teammates strong in delivering these Standards, and where could you improve?

Do a little self-evaluation so you can better RELATE to your customers.

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Show Progress to the Customer – 2/21/23

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When I enter the Chick-fil-A drive-thru lines, there are typically 10-15 cars ahead of me.  The cars move slowly but surely.  Employees take your order.  Others confirm your order.  Others provide the food.  In a study conducted a couple years ago, Chick-fil-A was noted as having the longest drive-thru times.  But I don’t mind the wait.  It just does not seem that long.

Recently I went to a different fast food restaurant.  When I arrived at the drive-thru, there were only 4 cars ahead of me.  After 5 minutes, one car had moved.  I did not see hardly any progress.  I exited the line and left.

There are times when I’ll call a company, and they’ll estimate my hold time – let’s say it’s 4 minutes expected until someone will answer my call.  A minute later the message says that the estimated hold time is 3 minutes or 2 minutes.  I stay on the line.  But with most organizations, when we are put on hold, there’s either no noise, or there’s music, or there’s a repetitive message.  There is no clear sign of progress or an estimate of when the phone will be answered.

Yes, with so much business being done on phones or via computers, people expect the instant answer.  They expect the instant gratification.  But for a lot of us, we have the expectation, not of immediacy, but at least of progress.  At least seeing the next step.  At least being provided an estimate of when that next step will occur.  Not only progressing to the next step but being told of or shown that progress.

Sometimes it’s not the wait or the perceived inactivity that is bothersome.  The problem is the perceived lack of progress.

Maybe companies are working like crazy to help you, to keep the process moving.  But for customers to appreciate it, they need to see it.  They need to be told it.  They need to understand it.

We can’t assume that – because we’re running 100 miles an hour – that the customer feels like we’re working on their behalf; we can’t assume they feel like there is progress.

When the process isn’t done, show progress to the customer.

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Provide the Promise of Patience and Kindness – 2/14/23

Posted on February 14, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Patience and kindness go a long way in life, and they go a really long way in customer service, as well.  These are two of the harder qualities to exemplify in customer service, particularly when you are spinning multiple plates, have a backlog of work or calls or contacts or customers, and are dealing with people that are not the most patient with you, or not the most kind with you.

Patience is waiting calmly as the senior citizen writes out a check instead of tapping their phone to make a credit card payment.  Patience is letting the other person finish instead of interrupting to get on to the next point.  Patience is slowing your movements and focusing on the person standing in front of you.  Patience is asking what else you can do to help the other person before you hang up the call.  Patience is not expecting an immediate response, but rather giving the person a reasonable requested due date.

Kindness has a definite component of simply being nice to the other individual.  Being respectful with your terminology, opening doors for others to walk through, and using a tone that’s more conciliatory than confrontational.

But kindness is also conveying you truly care about the other person.  That comes across with patience, but it also comes across with being inquisitive, providing empathy, offering to help, and doing something unexpected beyond the specific product or service – just to be helpful to the other person.  It could be doing something on their behalf (making the call, completing the form) when they are having difficulties doing it themselves.

If you want to do something distinct, somewhat unique, and beyond what your customer experiences in a typical interaction with other businesses, simply be patient and kind to the other person.  You’ll likely exceed 90%-95% of their experiences elsewhere.

Provide the promise of patience and kindness.

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