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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

What Phones and Football Have in Common - 2/11/25


Congratulations!  You made it through weeks/months of hype for football’s Super Bowl!  You made it through hundreds of pregame shows and podcasts, endless debates on things endlessly inconsequential, 10 hours of pre-game shows on Sunday, what seems like 100 commercials designed specifically for the “Big Game,” and the longest Read more

Create Awareness of Alternatives - 2/4/25


Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The Read more

Listen with Your Eyes - 1/28/25


Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw the customer enter the lobby.  The customer was carrying a large shoulder bag with several papers in her hand.  The customer was shuffling the papers and looking down; then she stopped, looked up, and saw the staff navigator sitting at Read more

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Avoid the Unfriendly Ghost – 3/25/25

Posted on March 25, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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; either way, here are some examples of action or inaction to avoid:

  1. Excluding Etiquette
  • Not stating your name or department when answering the phone.
  • Putting someone on hold without asking permission or stating how long it will be.
  • Not showing appreciation or not saying “thank you” at the end of a transaction.

 

  1. Ghosting the Customer
  • Not responding to e-mails or voicemails within 24 hours or less.
  • Not following through on next steps promised during a conversation.

 

  1. Blaming Others
  • Responding to a complaint without apologizing for the company’s mistake.
  • Blaming a co-worker or the customer for an issue.

 

  1. Focusing on the Phone
  • Making better eye contact with your device than with your customer.
  • Viewing e-mails as texts (instead of as a professional business correspondence); sending messages without using their name or yours.

 
To satisfy the customers, avoid the dissatisfiers.

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Patience is… – 3/4/25

Posted on March 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 100 times, but the customer is still telling their story, and they waited 15 minutes on the phone to get to us, so they don’t exactly want to get rushed through their opening statement.

We’re ready to end the meeting, but our boss decides to wax eloquent about something she did in college that deals with fishing or football or physics, and we’re supposed to somehow relate this to our day-to-day job.  So, we have to be patient.

Our new co-worker asks 1,000 questions, and we have 1,000 answers, but we don’t have 1,000 hours.  We have to be patient.

Patience Quotes

Cato said that “Patience is the greatest of all virtues.”

Kierkegaard said “Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.”

There’s an old saying that “Patience doesn’t always help, but impatience never does.”

And here’s my favorite – from Lec.  I have no idea who he/she is, but it’s a good quote: “You have to have a lot of patience to learn patience.”

Patience Tests

For many of us, the skills that we need to learn most are the skills that are most tested.  And when it comes to personal interactions with people less knowledgeable on a topic than we are in customer service, people who are a little bit more anxious or upset, people who don’t quite appreciate all the different plates we have spinning at any given point in time – those types of conversations require extra patience.

Patience Positives

So when you show patience, realize you are doing something virtuous.  Realize that it might not reap you any immediate benefits, but it will help down the road.  Realize that showing impatience and interrupting others rarely leads to the right tone and a positive outcome.  And realize that you’re likely showing a lot of patience when you’re put in positions where you’re having to learn patience.

 Patience is…a virtue in customer service.

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Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks – 12/3/24

Posted on December 3, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias!

It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of “Thank You” noted above.  It’s a universal phrase throughout the world.

The phrase shows that we acknowledge what the other person did or didn’t do; it conveys appreciation for an individual, their attitude, their action.  It is something that is simple, but it typically leaves a positive impression and feeling with the other person.

And in the world of customer service, there are also many ways to say Thank You.  Customers appreciate the thanks.  Co-workers appreciate a Thank You, as well.  And a Thank You is especially appreciated when it’s coupled with sharing the reason for the thanks.

A Quick Story of Thanks

So, a thank you can be a wonderful thing; it can be a pivot point in someone’s day.  It can be something that provides mutual benefit.  Here’s a quick story…

I was recently going to an event downtown, and traffic was moving at a snail’s pace.  It seemed like the more drivers waited, the more impatient they got.  When I pulled into the parking deck and saw the attendant, I rolled down my window, greeted him, and asked how he’s doing.  He replied dryly:  It’s been a day.

He started to pull two tickets to give me that I would need to get out of the deck later that day.  I have parked in this location multiple times, and when you pay upon entry, they give you 2 tickets.  To exit, you scan the pink one first and the yellow one second.

So, as he was pulling tickets, I said with a smile:  Pink, then yellow, right?!

He replied with a smile:  You got it!

I paid the fee, and he said: Thanks! I appreciate your smile, especially today.

I replied:  I appreciate yours, too!

His was a thanks of appreciation, but it wasn’t just for the parking fee.  He specified that he appreciated the person.  He appreciated the smile, especially after probably dealing with 100 cars before me laden with frowns and grumpy customers.

When you give the routine Thank You, make it a little more meaningful, a little more special.

Tell them what you thank them for, and maybe you’ll start feeling a little better yourself.

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