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Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/12/24


It’s hard to know every procedure, every policy, every technique possible to handle every situation correctly.  After all, maybe our procedures are standard, but our customers are not.  Maybe our policies stay pretty consistent, but our customers’ needs and issues, their attitudes and actions can change from customer to Read more

From a Simple Question to an Exceptional Experience - 11/5/24


Phyllis loves her job.  It’s not just because she loves being a customer service representative, not just because she really likes her co-workers, and not just because she enjoys her company.  It’s because she really appreciates her customers, as well. A customer had ordered a register book off the company Read more

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

A More Complete Definition of Responsiveness - 10/15/24


I was purchasing something recently that was being custom-developed.  At one point, the company’s employee and I had a good 20 e-mails going back and forth - 10 from each of us.  Unfortunately, I broke my own rule, and I did not pick up the phone after 2 or Read more

Have a Game Plan to Address Their Anxiety - 10/8/24


It seems like we all get deliveries - whether it is UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, the local courier, or all the above.  We order.  They deliver.  Or do they? It’s times like these, when we’re expecting that package, that item that we’re looking forward to or need urgently or are Read more

How Persistence Saved the Day - 10/1/24


Sherrie saw the customer walk into her store holding his cell phone, and Sherrie immediately knew that was William.  She had spoken to William on the phone about an hour ago, he said he would be at Sherrie’s cell phone store in less than an hour, and there he Read more

Notice the Little Changes - 9/24/24


“My, how times have changed.” Yes, times have changed.  As a matter of fact, one of the biggest reasons why an organization’s customer service deteriorates is that times have changed…customers have changed…and the company has not… If we think about customer service delivery today v. decades ago, changes in technology alone Read more

Don’t Hurry…Be Quick - 9/17/24


No, this is not a take off on the Bobby McFerrin song:  Don’t Worry Be Happy. It’s actually a take off on the John Wooden quote:  Be quick, but don’t hurry. When I read Wooden’s book with this title, I liked the concept, and not just because John Wooden was a Read more

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Service or a Perk – Pick 1

Posted on January 25, 2012 in Business Advice, Sports Please leave a comment

“Service, Price, or Quality – Pick any 2.”

A sign with that statement used to hang in my dry cleaners years ago – luckily, it was a joke. They’re pretty good at all 3!

But that statement hasn’t died; a recent article in Moneywise essentially had a revised version of the statement – “Service or a Perk – Pick 1.”

The article references a survey with the following finding: “Almost half (49%) of consumers would change banks because of bad customer service – more than twice the number (22%) of people who would change providers because of rewards and incentives.” Now you may be thinking of an incentive from a bank being a stereotypical “toaster,” but different organizations have different definitions of incentive, reward, or perk.

We work with lots of organizations that focus on perks, particularly professional sports organizations. And many of them are constantly looking to expand their offering of benefits to season ticket holders (STHs) to impact renewals for the next season. But instead of assuming perks drive retention, we often survey (or tell our clients to survey) STHs and ask them directly – how much impact does “X” have on your likelihood to renew?

Now “X” could be “Direction of the Team” or “My Relationship with My Account Representative” or “Perk A” or “Benefit B.”

But don’t make assumptions; ask the customers what drives their retention and renewals, and then act on that information. Remember, Perks/Benefits can cost a LOT of money, so don’t spend it unless you have to do so.

So when you’re determining what perks and benefits to provide, first ask your customers if those items really drive retention.

Listen to our Pro Sports episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/2011/10/11/stepping-up-service-3-customer-service-in-professional-sport.html

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


You, Your Car, and Customer Retention

Posted on January 19, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

A recent J.D. Power study on retention among automobile manufacturers noted that Hyundai has the best customer retention – a 64% rate. The industry average was only 49%. So that means that only half of you (and me) buy the same brand of car that we’re replacing. Yikes! If that’s not a red flag to businesses, I don’t know one.

Take this perspective (more numbers…). Hyundai sold 645,691 vehicles in 2011. At a 64% retention rate, that’s equivalent to a 36% loss rate. So when those 2011 vehicles are turned in by owners for their next vehicle, 232,449 of them will not be a Hyundai.

If I wanted to create a revenue-generating job at Hyundai, it would be “Chief Retention Officer.” The CRO would be in charge of trying not to lose as many of those 232,449 customers as possible. If he saved just 1% of them, he’d generate over $30 million for Hyundai. Keep in mind that we’re talking about the BEST automotive manufacturing company there is at customer retention.

Now, look at your own company, your own business. Who is your CRO? Who has the authority to do the research and create the strategy to generate your additional revenue by reducing customer loss? Who has the capability to design the training and customer relationship development approach to increase loyalty?

Find a CRO so you can crow about your retention.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


2012 Customer Service Trends – Sneak Preview

Posted on January 18, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

I recently participated in a podcast on the 2012 Trends in Customer Service (see the MESH Network’s Stepping Up Service 6 Episode or visit iTunes). Here’s a sneak peek at the key trends to look for this year:

Social Media Learns How to Play Well With Others

Look for intentional integration of Social Media with other traditional customer service vehicles. Facebook and Twitter will no longer be standalones in the customer service world; you’ll see internal knowledge management systems, customer service standards, and communication protocols more consistently applied across all service delivery channels.

You’ll also see the Social Media systems more tightly integrated with other customer service vehicles (i.e., telephone, face-to-face, e-mail, self-serve, live chat, etc.) to streamline customer information flow – and the flow of the customers themselves – to where they will best get their needs met.

Customer Serve Thyself

We’ve heard the saying “physician heal thyself.” Well this trend is an increased focus in self-service customer service. With knowledge management systems growing stronger and SaaS (software as a service) proliferating, it will become more timely and effective oftentimes for the customer to get their question answered/their need met via self-service. And we all know that self-service is usually a highly cost-effective service method for businesses, so expansion of self-service (done right) can be a win-win for customers and businesses.

What’s Out is Now In

I’m seeing lots of bell bottom jeans, tie-dyed t-shirts, and peace signs lately. The band Journey is making a comeback. Is it the 1970s? 1980s?

Remember about 10-15 years ago when outsourcing exploded (particularly outsourcing call centers overseas)? Well insourcing will become a bigger trend in 2012. With the mix of customer service changing (fewer calls, more self-service, live chat, etc.), the cost-benefit of outsourcing will continue to drop. Also, productivity/utilization of contact center staff in the U.S. will continue to increase as they have less downtime with the proliferation of the other service channels, and – again – the financial benefits of outsourcing contact center functions will drop.

On the Road Again

With all due respect to Willie Nelson, this is about…Mobile Customer Service. With over 400 million smart phones sold last year, mobile computing and communications will continue to increase. It used to be that you’d have a telephone with you on the road, so you’d call from the road. When you’re at home or work, you’re close to a computer, so you’d often check websites for support. Now, the phone and computer are – in effect – with you at all times due to smart phones. So customers have more choice, and click-to-call apps or customer service apps will proliferate. Customer service is going highly mobile in 2012!

Let me know what you think will happen in 2012. And don’t forget to check out the full podcast on the 2012 Trends in Customer Service at the MESH Network’s Stepping Up Service 6 Episode or at iTunes.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


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