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Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

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

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Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26

Posted on June 30, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center – when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he just loved people, was very cheery, and he was a never-met-a-stranger type of person.

And when we look at the impact of the greeter, there are many layered benefits.  Let’s focus on the key one – the first impression.  The greeter is the tone setter.  They create the environment for the encounter by simply being welcoming up front, initiating the conversation, letting the customer know that they are seen and heard.

There are ancillary benefits, as well, in terms of people getting their questions answered right off the bat.  The customer receives directions so that it saves them some time.  And customers who may have some unsavory reason for entering the building will realize they are not so inconspicuous, and they may change their mind about what they had planned.

But again, the core benefit is that initial warm welcome.

Maybe we’re not as gregarious as most greeters, but we all have the ability to use our words to welcome someone.  We all can initiate a conversation with someone.  We all can look people in the eye and smile so they feel seen and heard.  We all have the knowledge to answer questions and to direct people, or we likely know a co-worker or a resource that can do that when we don’t have the best answer in the moment.

In other words, we can still gain the benefits of the greeter, by just seeking the customer, engaging the customer, and setting a positive tone for the visit.

Create a great first impression by channeling the greeter inside you.

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Seamlessness – Why the Customer Thanked You – 6/23/26

Posted on June 23, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer.

Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, and extra work resulted.

The Many Serving the One

The reason for the e-mail wasn’t just about thanking this employee for the great service, but it was also about how the first employee contacted really listened and understood the uniqueness of the situation.  How subsequent employees were patient in dealing with the personal emotions as they helped set up new accounts, change account holders, and educate the customer on options.

It was about some staff being unavailable on a given day, but others jumping in.  It was about notes being taken so that the customer didn’t have to retell their story over and over again, and – in the end – it was a story of appreciation because employees listened, they documented, they did what a customer wanted and offered options, and they did it all with patience and care.

As the customer said in their letter, the employees were able to balance being “understanding and knowledgeable.”

Our Lessons Learned

More often than not, your interactions with customers are not 1-time transactions.  There is a series of conversations and requests and emotions and education, and often it’s not one employee being the only point of contact.  Rather, it’s many employees collaborating – sometimes in real time, and sometimes when there are weeks between each individual encounter.

To any given staff person, this may just be 1 customer.  So, there’s the risk of 6 different employees treating the situation as 6 different customers.  But to the customer, it’s all one company, all one series of needs, and all one long thread of communications.

From the customer’s perspective, their communication with you is part of a long thread that weaves throughout the relationship with your company, with many communications before today and likely many after today.

Make sure the thread is strong, continuous, and seamless for the customer.

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When to Avoid the Escalation – 6/16/26

Posted on June 16, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation?

Why You Would Escalate

The first thing to consider is why you would escalate.

Is it that you don’t have the authority or responsibility to make the policy or process exception that the customer requests – or that’s needed to address the issue?

On this particular topic, you may not have the experience or skills needed to identify and implement a resolution.  The customer could demand to talk to the supervisor, and their behavior could be teetering on abuse.

Is the situation too important not to escalate?  Maybe it’s that ultimate keep or lose the customer situation, and the risk is too great not to escalate.

Issues with Escalation

Now, if these are some of the top reasons to escalate the customer contact, it also becomes more clear when to avoid it.  Remember that escalations take more of the company’s time because two employees (you and your boss) are now involved.  Since a handoff is taking place, the customer may have to repeat themselves, so that takes more of the customer’s time and can frustrate them even more.  In the end, your supervisor may get frustrated about being brought into communications that they feel you should be able to address without them.

When to Avoid Escalation

If you have the authority and responsibility to address the issue, if you have dealt with a similar situation before or have the resources handy to guide you through the service recovery process, try to address instead of escalate.  If they’re being aggressive, first use your training to defuse the situation, lower the emotional temperature, and gain some control.  If you feel there’s risk of customer loss but you’re not certain, ask clarifying questions to gauge their concern levels instead of assuming this 1-time issue will be a long-term loss.

Then, if you can’t avoid it, bring in the supervisor, equipping them with the information you’ve gathered so they can more quickly help to resolve.

When dealing with the complaining customer, seek to avoid the escalation.

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