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Energy v. Apathy - 4/22/25


I asked a couple friends who are much more scientifically-oriented the question: What is energy?  I didn’t mean E=MC2.  I meant physiologically, what is energy? They described a lot of things that sounded really good, yet far too advanced for my non-medical mind. Part of the reason why energy is of Read more

Prep Enough to Personalize - 4/15/25


Everybody loves Howie.  He is an account rep for the local air conditioning and heating company.  When I say Everybody loves Howie, I’m definitely talking about the customers.  His co-workers love him too, but customers are especially fond of him.  They seem to really enjoy their conversations with him, Read more

Get Your Customers to Brag, Not Bolt - 4/8/25


Here are two customer retention concepts that we discuss with some sports clients: BIRG and CORF.  BIRG is Basking In Reflected Glory.  CORF is Cutting Off Reflected Failure. You want BIRG.  You want the customers feeling so good about your organization that they want to be a part of your Read more

Narrow Your Focus to Seek Excellence - 4/1/25


You’ve probably heard companies use phrases such as: “We want to go from being good to great.”  Maybe they’ve said: “We strive for perfection, and although we’ll never reach perfection, maybe we can achieve excellence along the way.” These organizations find some kind of a catch phrase or slogan, but Read more

Avoid the Unfriendly Ghost - 3/25/25


Last week we talked about the qualities of “PERKI Customer Service,” essentially what attitudes and actions are characteristics of those who provide great customer service.  This week, let’s take the opposite approach.  What are some of the mistakes that people make?  Maybe these are mistakes of omission or commission; Read more

PERKI Customer Service - 3/18/25


After having worked on hundreds of projects over the years with thousands of thousands of individuals, some things become pretty clear. There are certain traits held by people who are great in customer service.  Look at this list, and do a self-assessment.  Which apply to you? Positive and Patient Do you Read more

It Helps to Downshift - 3/11/25


One of the first tips I heard when I was learning how to drive related to what to do when the brakes fail - downshift.  Shifting into a lower gear can slow down a moving vehicle.  I would explain this in technical terms to you, but considering I’m not Read more

Patience is… - 3/4/25


Patience is a…pain in the neck.  Why is it so hard to be patient?  Those of us who work in customer service know that we constantly have to show patience with our customers.  We’re ready to move to the next step or the solution because we’ve heard this issue Read more

Everybody Doesn’t - 2/25/25


Joey received the compliment, but he was confused.  Paula, his boss, and Joey had their monthly one-on-one meeting, and Paula noted that, although he was new, Joey was already doing a great job!  While there were learning curves on some of the organizational policies and the technology that he Read more

A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach - 2/18/25


I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said: If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us. That was an excellent statement that embodies Read more

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Beat Your Competitor with Customer Service

Posted on August 9, 2011 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

Why does the Apple iPad have such a huge share of the tablet market? Why does Google dominate search? Why does Disney dominate discussion of the great family vacation locations?

There’s something they do so much better than others. They beat the competition continuously because they have some competitive advantage. Maybe they’re an innovator, maybe they’re fast, or maybe their customer experience cannot be matched.

Yes, customer service and the overall customer experience can be your differentiator.

To be a differentiator, your customer has to have a perceptibly better experience with you than at your competitors. They have to believe that the knowledge of your staff, the attitudes of employees, the speed of service, the ease of navigating your facility or your website far outshines your competitors.

Maybe your organization anticipates customer needs better than others, and you proactively make suggestions. It could be that you reach out to customers when they’re not onsite with you, and when you do so you’re not just pushing something to sell, but you’re offering some advice or something else of value. You’re developing a relationship.

One key to differentiating is to know how you stack up against your competitors. So be a customer. Shop your competitors. Gauge their employees’ knowledge and attitudes, their speed, their ease of navigation, whether they’re purely reactive or they’re proactive as well.

Know where you stand versus competitors, and then ramp up your customer service to beat your competitor.

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/


Easy v. WOW!

Posted on August 4, 2011 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

What do Nike, Bank of America, and Earthlink have in common?

They were all part of a research study recently conducted by the Corporate Executive Board. One of the core focus areas of the study was the link between customer service and loyalty. Although much of the study addressed the call center experience, the key findings were meaty enough for any organization to learn something.

There were 3 key findings I want to highlight:

· Exceeding customer expectations had a moderate impact on loyalty.

· Satisfaction does not predict loyalty.

· Reducing effort has the greatest impact on loyalty.

Again, this is a call center-focused survey, but the key point to glean is that the effort that the customer has to go through to work with your organization (to get their question answered, to get an issue resolved, to go through a process) has a significant impact on their loyalty.

This gets at process. This gets at looking at process from the customer’s perspective. This gets at having an organization that tries to make it easy on the customer to do business with you.

This says that in many cases, “Easy” is more important than “Wow!”

So ask yourself, how easy is it for your customers to do business with you? How easy is it for them to get a question answered, an issue resolved, or to go through a process of yours?

To impact loyalty, make it easy on the customer.

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/


Business Retention & Expansion – The Process That Drives Your Top Line

Posted on July 28, 2011 in Business Advice, Government Please leave a comment

In news articles that come out on a daily basis, business retention and expansion successes are touted. Oftentimes, these articles announce an expansion of a plant, consolidating functions from other locations to the local facility, or moving into a larger local facility.

But for all these good things to happen, they don’t simply occur on their own. Most local municipalities today have (or fund) an economic development organization to help drive these successes. Many of these EDOs have a dedicated Business Retention and Expansion program. We work with several BRE organizations and have identified some of what makes for a great BRE program. Review these keys, and apply them to your business:

· BRE organizations need to be great at quick issue resolution. Can you efficiently link your customers with somebody who can resolve them, or how quickly can you resolve issues yourself?

· The best of BRE Programs view their role as relationship-building. They define and execute 12 month Touch Point Plans to continually pull/push information to local business to learn about them, understand their retention drivers, and look for growth and partnering opportunities.

· BRE organizations need a focus on efficiency. Just like most account representatives in business today, BRE representatives have too many clients to truly know all deeply and personally. They have to prioritize communications, touches, and retention efforts for maximum staff time efficiency and maximum retention and growth of jobs

Learn from the Business Retention and Expansion leaders, and use these keys to continually develop client relationships and grow your community and your business.

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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