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Use AI to Improve Your Performance - 7/23/24


Many companies are integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some aspect of their business.  This could greatly change how they operate, how they communicate with customers. This AI wave reminds me of a story from 20+ years ago when a stock brokerage firm launched a new website that greatly enhanced the Read more

The New Burger Experience - 7/16/24


Floyd loves a good hamburger. Any chance he gets to try a new spin on an old standby, he takes it. Recently, a burger joint opened near his house, and Floyd was very excited! It was owned by and named for a world-renowned chef, so it had to be Read more

Boost Customer Happiness - 7/9/24


There’s a cooking show that a friend of mine watches, and the premise is all about reverse engineering food.  They may take a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, analyze it, and determine the ingredients just by tasting it.  Then they figure out a recipe.  The cook will try to make Read more

Brainstorm to Better Yourself - 7/2/24


I’ve led enough sessions with clients on continuous improvement topics to have solid experience on how to lead ideation exercises, brainstorming to develop new ideas.  Oftentimes these sessions start with the right question; the first answers may not be the ultimate solution, but they can serve as a jumping Read more

The Power of the Pause - 6/25/24


When I’m facilitating a meeting, and it feels like it’s going off-track or the discussion is going a little longer than it should, I may say something like “let me pause the conversation so that…” or “let’s pause just for a minute and consider…” I don’t like the word STOP. Read more

Handle Interruptions Heroically - 6/18/24


In the middle of a project, Jimbo, the customer service team member, had to stop what he was doing because he received an e-mail from a customer complaining about their experience at a recent event. Later that day, Jimbo was asked by his boss to put everything on hold for Read more

From Employees to Teammates: The Shift - 6/11/24


Be a great teammate. Be a good team player. We’re all part of the team. We’re no longer employees, we’re team members! The phrase “Team” is used in describing co-workers so much more than it was used years ago.  Then, we would be talking about employees, talking about staff, talking Read more

Nurture New Relationships - 6/4/24


Freddie was a new business owner in town.  He was launching a franchise, had acquired some funding from a local bank, and was in search of staff who cared about customer service. All the while, he was in the process of renovating a storefront for his business, so he was Read more

There’s Positivity in Patience - 5/28/24


The employee at the financial services firm was working with a new client on a relatively simple loan.  The documentation was about as clear as it could get to the employee, but the customer had lots of questions.  The employee calmly, clearly, and specifically answered each question.  The meeting Read more

The Goal – A Great Experience - 5/21/24


The following is a narrative of a great experience (people, process, service, facility) at a minor league sporting event – key points that could apply to any business are in bold… Mark and I pulled into the parking lot, excited about the game.  The Slapshots had been on a roll Read more

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Build Your Customer’s Confidence by Building Yourself Up – 10/9/18

Posted on October 9, 2018 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


I want you to have an ego, just for a minute. I want you to brag on yourself, just for a few seconds. I want you to lose the humility, just for a little while.

Sometimes you’re dealing with a customer or co-worker that is conveying some emotions that are tough to deal with, and those emotions are not always anger and upset. Sometimes those emotions are anxiety and nervousness. They’re worried about what MIGHT happen. They are worried about what the ramifications COULD be. They’re worried about something in the future, something unknown to them.

When dealing with this emotion, sometimes it’s beneficial to talk about yourself or your organization.

After hearing the concern from the customer, restate it back to them, telling them the details you know about their situation. This way, they realize they’re not a number to you. This way, they realize that the facts and the uniqueness of their situation are important to you. This gives them a little sense of comfort that you care enough about them to know about them.

But the next step is actually about YOU. Remember, they have anxiety and fear due in part to some lack of confidence or comfort with what might happen in the future. If you can talk about yourself or your organization and let them know how you successfully navigated the waters that they are about to traverse, that can build their confidence.

“My name is Ed, and I am one of the senior representatives here at Widget World. I’ve helped many different customers go through a similar experience to what you’re dealing with, so I’m confident that we can help you.”

At this point you’ve shared enough about yourself so that they have a vision of success. You shared enough about your experience that they can picture themselves moving toward a solution. You shared enough about you that they realize that what is going on with them can be addressed successfully with your support.

When you’re dealing with the anxious or nervous customer, by building yourself up, you can build the customer’s confidence.

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Take Away Their Worry – 8/7/18

Posted on August 7, 2018 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


One summer, Janet was given a new chore. She had to take out the trash and recycle bins to the street every Tuesday night so that they could be picked up Wednesday morning. She would go out around 7 or 8 o’clock at night, take the bins out, and come back inside. As summer was about to end, it began getting dark earlier, so Janet began putting the bins out earlier.

Janet was worrying about things. She kept hearing noises and didn’t know what they were, so she decided to at least avoid the darkness when putting out the bins. Her dad asked why she kept going out earlier, and when she explained, he said that the noises were probably some small animals, and she shouldn’t be afraid.

The next week she went out a little later – when it was a little bit darker – and she heard some noises and ran back inside. Her dad asked what was wrong, and when she explained about the noises again, he got out his flashlight, and they walked out together. They heard a noise, he pointed the flashlight in that direction, and it was a squirrel. They walked a few feet and heard another noise, and the flashlight revealed a bunny on some leaves. It was a windy day, and after another noise, the light showed a small branch that had fallen.

What the dad had said a week earlier had been proven true. Janet continued her chore, and she did so at night – and she usually went out with a flashlight.

For our customers, similar to Janet, sometimes things are scary. It could be that patient’s unexpected visit to an urgent care, or possibly that a sports fan was about to make a big payment on season tickets. Maybe that resident was not used to dealing with the government on the tax issue.

If we can tell them what they’re going to experience, it can make them less worried. Better yet, it we can SHOW THEM what’s going to happen – being that flashlight – noting all the steps they could be experiencing through the process, they become even more comfortable.

When you are interacting with a customer on something that may create worry or anxiety, do what Janet’s dad did for her. Patiently describe what the experience will be like; shine the light on the path they’ll be going down to bring down their emotions.

Take away their worry.

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Unleash Your Persuasiveness – 7/31/18

Posted on July 31, 2018 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


Sometimes the facts are not enough. The customer is irate, or they don’t like the alternative you’re suggesting. You need them to do something, and they want you to do it. They need to do options A or B, and they want to select imaginary option Z.

You need to persuade them so that the right choice or a reasonable choice or the best choice for them is the one they select. So how do you unleash your persuasiveness?

Here are four (4) key points of consideration:

  • Identify what’s in it for them, or how it would benefit them. Then reference this in the conversation. The customer is more easily persuaded to take a certain action if they understand the benefit to them of taking that action. Instead of purely understanding what needs to be done and understanding why it’s beneficial to you or your organization, use a little empathy to understand what’s in it for them.
  • Model positive behaviors – nods, eye contact, smiles. Persuasion is not just about the words you use. Persuasion is something where they are feeling the positive energy associated with the option you’re promoting. They feel the confidence that you have not only in what you say but how you’re saying it. They feel a level of sincerity in the message you’re sending. You do this with your body language and tone of voice as much as you do it with your words.
  • Build their confidence by sharing successful experiences in a simple/relatable way. Let them know you’ve done this successfully with others. Oftentimes, customers come into situations with one solution in mind, and if that solution is not the one you’re suggesting, they need to be able to envision a successful outcome clearly like they’ve already envisioned that outcome using their own solution. So talk about other customers that have successfully utilized this option; talk about clients similar to them where this has worked well. Keep it simple, and make sure they can relate to the examples of success you provide.
  • Uncover their concerns with the potential solution/alternative. In the end, what you’re really doing is overcoming their fears and concerns about the option that you’re providing. So ask them why they would prefer a certain option. Ask them what in particular is causing them to hesitate about selecting a particular alternative. The more you can uncover the specific concerns, the better you can address them.

 

Unleash your innate persuasiveness!

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