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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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Be GREAT? Just try Beating Competitors First…

Posted on July 2, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

So many organizations desire to be “Great” or “Phenomenal” or…ugh…“World Class” at customer service. I even wrote a book on how an individual can become GREAT at customer service.

But when you’re a business, not an individual, avoid the talk of “Great” or “Phenomenal” or “World Class,” and try something different.

Simply try to beat your competitors’ customer service.

Why is Chick-fil-A noted as a company GREAT at customer service? Sure they’re really good, but look at their competition. It’s not that Chick-fil-A is perfect; it’s more that they are SO MUCH BETTER than their competition that they get recognized for customer service.

Why are credit unions loved for customer service? They’re generally more personal in their service, but the typical customer experience at a credit union doesn’t make you go “Wow!” Credit unions are perceived to have a customer service advantage in large part because banks are comparatively so poor in customer service.

Why do Harris Teeter and Publix get a lot of accolades for customer service? They’re good, but so much of what makes them look good is the fact that much of their competition is so bad.

If you’re in a business that wants to have a reputation for great customer service, don’t feel like you have to rise to Disney or Nordstrom levels of customer service. Just look at your competitors and evaluate their customer service. Mystery shop your competitors. See what they do right and wrong.

And determine how to create a customer experience that is SO MUCH BETTER than competitors that your company will be talked about in the same breath as other great customer service organizations!

Be GREAT? Just try beating your competitors first.

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/


Riding the Train to Better Customer Service

Posted on June 13, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

For those of you from “my era,” you may remember the song “Metro” by the rock group Berlin. The singer was on a train from Paris to London, met her boyfriend in a pouring rain, and he was “Swimming through apologies.”

Well the group Berlin must have been ahead of its time, because there is a modern day Metro that apparently got tired of giving apologies, and they decided to do something about it.

In the article Metro To Revamp Customer Service, the author discusses how the Fairfax Metro system is creating a new customer service program. After dealing with numerous complaints, the Metro has created a “Customer Service Action Plan” to improve the customer experience. Let’s quickly review the key plan points:

  • Provide customer service training
  • Put new electronic displays in the train stations
  • Improve their payment card system
  • Upgrade the stations themselves with better lighting and other improvements
  • Address and communicate better about security and youth behavior.

If we take a broad assessment of these key points, they deal with the impact of staff on the experience, process improvement, facility layout/signage, external communications, and safety. From that broad perspective, that’s very good. That deals with people, processes, and products. It deals with communications to the public. So we like the comprehensive nature of what they’re trying to do. So what are they missing?

How will they reinforce the importance of customer service and skills with staff after the training? What will they do to ensure the trains run on time? How can they ensure that processes (other than payment processes) are quick and self-evident?

When you think of revamping your organization’s customer experience, be comprehensive enough to address your people, processes, and products. But don’t just do something that will make an impact today. Incorporate plans to continually communicate and improve the experience in the future.

Ride the train to GREAT customer service!

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

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


Alignment, Alignment, Alignment

Posted on June 6, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

Why in the world would General Motors tie employee bonuses to customer loyalty? According to a Motor Trend article, “The better the overall customer retention GM has with its four brands, the higher the bonuses will be.”

It’s about alignment. In the world of positive motivation, you get what you reward. You want higher customer retention? Then tie a substantial portion of your employees’ pay to retention. You want a responsiveness culture? Then tie bonuses to responsiveness metrics and service recovery performance. You want to increase annual dollars spent by existing customers? Then incent those in the organization on retention, cross-selling, and up-selling.

It’s about alignment. If you align organizational goals with reward and recognition systems, you have a better chance of achieving those goals. And while this might seem simplistic, take this test. Look at a copy of your organization’s Top Organizational Goals for this year. Then ask “What is the financial impact on staff if these specific goals are achieved…or are not achieved?”

If the typical executive, the typical manager, the typical staff person will get paid roughly the same whether those goals are achieved or not, then there’s not sufficient alignment…and there probably won’t be much success.

Remember – you get what you reward.

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

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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