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Be Amazing - 4/23/24


Watching Michael Jordan steal a pass and then dunk a basketball is amazing.  Taking a rocket to the moon is amazing.  The taste of my mom’s homemade beef soup is amazing. We all have our personal examples of what is amazing.  Usually, it’s something that we cannot comprehend, that we Read more

Talk About Yourself to Build Customer Confidence - 4/16/24


When you’re dealing with somebody who is anxious or nervous about a situation, a customer who feels like they don’t have much control, an individual who is unsure and uncertain, it’s important to put the customer at ease.  It’s important to build their comfort level.  It’s important to help Read more

The Proven Value in What You Do - 4/9/24


Forbes wrote an article last year based on a compilation of the results of research on customer service and the customer experience; it was titled:  100 Customer Experience Stats For 2023. In reading the article, you’ll note that many of these key research findings are about you – the value Read more

A Tale of Two Texts - 4/2/24


Having to get allergy shots once a week is never fun, and for Janet, it became an even bigger frustration. She had the shots typically scheduled on Tuesday around 10:30 in the morning, figuring she would avoid the morning rush as well as the lunch rush by going mid-morning.  However, Read more

The Secret Sauce for Great Customer Service - 3/26/24


I was working with the League Office for a major American sport several years back, and one of the executives asked me to describe our Secret Sauce that helped our clients improve the fan experience and customer retention.  I gave him a sense of what makes us unique and Read more

The Miracle of an Apology - 3/19/24


Unfortunate but true story… The manager basically lost his mind.  He terminated his employee on the spot.  She had told the customer that there was going to be a delay in the shipment.  The employee called up the customer ahead of time to let the customer know what was about Read more

It’s Not About the 5-Minute Wait - 3/12/24


Robert went into his supervisor’s office to update her on a situation at the payment desk.  Robert said that a customer was about fourth or fifth in line, waiting to be served, and the customer was complaining loudly about the wait.  He was there to make a property tax Read more

Lessons from the Greats - 3/5/24


I was recently facilitating a workshop on the customer experience, and I made the point that it’s usually beneficial to look at your personal life for great experiences; identify what really resonates with you in a positive way in order to uncover ideas to improve your own customer service. So, Read more

The Empathy Roadmap - 2/27/24


For some people, empathy comes naturally.  There’s an innate desire to learn about the other person and to sincerely convey that sense of interest and caring.  But for many of us, sometimes it helps to have a communication plan.  It helps to know what to do in order to Read more

“You’re the Boss” - 2/20/24


Terrence is excellent at what he does.  From a technical standpoint, he knows how to keep the facility clean.  He’s the lead custodian, and he knows that keeping things straight does not necessarily mean keeping things sanitary.  He knows what chemicals to use and not to use, how to Read more

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Fill ‘er Up! – 6/14/16 TOW

Posted on June 14, 2016 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


I’ve found myself watching the local and national news much less the last few years. Virtually all their news was negative or graphic or something that engendered every possible feeling that was NOT positive.

I had had enough of the negativity.

Today, I still get my news, but it’s when I want it through the source I want it, and it’s more balanced than you’ll ever see in the nightly news. I get that balance because I choose to fill myself up with knowledge and positivity.

It’s not to say that you should ignore the negative; what I am saying is that – if you fill yourself up with negatives – it’s incredibly difficult to consistently exhibit mindsets and behaviors that are positive.

As a customer service professional, positivity and knowledge are important. The customer prefers those traits, our co-workers would rather work with individuals oozing those traits, and we are generally happier, more confident, more pleasant, and more effective when we have those traits.

So look at what you review online – do you learn and feel better for having engaged with that information source? Make those external sources that which fills you up internally with positives.

Note what people you surround yourself with that provide knowledge/wisdom and positivity. Ensure that those that you interact with – as much as you can control – are individuals that bring you something that you can grow with, learn from, and enjoy.

Are the videos you watch, the messages you read, the conversations you have, and the dialogue you witness filled with negativity, anger, rudeness, divisiveness, or self-centeredness? Find interactions that make you laugh, inform your future decisions, and help you do your job and build your relationships more effectively.

You can’t control everything, but where you have control, fill yourself with knowledge, wisdom, and positivity.

Fill ‘er Up – with good!

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Improve the Health of Your Customer Service – 5/31/16 TOW

Posted on May 31, 2016 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


Webster’s has a couple definitions of health. One is “not being sick.” True, but I don’t like defining something by simply saying what it’s not.

Another definition is “vigor of body, mind, and spirit” – much more positive! Let’s apply that to one of our favorite customer service people – you!

The Body – Human energy is something that has not been scientifically studied like it should. Sure, there’s more sleep recommended, Red Bull, 5-hour Energy shots, healthy eating, etc. that are supposed to give you energy. But the reality is, I’ve never heard of a study that identified the true source of “human physiological energy.” So to create physical vigor, that “body energy,” may be difficult. However, in customer service you at least want to have physical health that enables you to go TO the customer, to quickly respond to e-mails, to be there on time for them, to go to the co-worker to address the issue. If you don’t have the energy for these basic customer care responsibilities, work on your body health.

The Mind – Tying into body health, those who want to be great at customer service must be able to focus on the task and the customer. You have to be able to take in the considerations of the customer, co-worker, and company, finding solutions that will – long-term – be best. You have to think outside yourself, identifying what’s truly best for others, and realizing that the more successful those are that you serve, the more success you’ll have, as well. To create the healthier mind, work on your focus, your consideration for others, and making decisions that are best for the long-term.

The Spirit – What I generally love about caddies of professional golfers is that their conversations with the pros revolve around two things – helping make the best decision, and being exceptionally positive! That positivity with the pros improves their comfort level and confidence in hitting the right shot in the best manner. Positivity can drive confidence and higher results. So are you a good caddy for yourself? Do you spend more time telling yourself positives than beating yourself up for issues? Be a good caddy to yourself. Foster a healthy spirit.

Become healthier to improve your service to others. Work to build vigor into your body, mind, and spirit.

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Rudeness is an Issue – How to Avoid it – 8/11/15 TOW

Posted on August 11, 2015 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


According to a recent times.com article, there are several top reasons why customers get frustrated with customer service. Tied for the biggest frustration is dealing with rude customer service representatives. Survey results noted that 75% of customers are “highly annoyed by rude or condescending employees.”

While many of us feel that we’re generally pleasant people, even the most pleasant individuals can run the risk of coming off as rude or condescending. This perception by others can come from the tone of voice, the actual words used, or body language in face-to-face situations.

In order to ensure that the answer you give or solution provided does not reflect negatively on you, here are several things you can do to avoid being perceived as rude or condescending:

  • Watch Subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) Tone Issues – Avoid the “huffs” or frustrated sighs, and don’t let your booming voice dominate them.
  • Avoid Using “you” if Discussing Blame – Don’t do this: “If you would have just done ABC, this wouldn’t have been an issue.”
  • Convey Some Empathy – There’s a difference between a coldly delivered “That’s against policy” and an empathetic “Unfortunately we’re not able to do ABC for this reason, but let’s talk about what we CAN do for you.”
  • Effectively Move to the Hold or Transfer – Don’t put someone on hold or transfer unless you first ask and explain why you’re making the move.
  • Consider the Body Language – Avoid the eye rolls, folded arms, smirks, a lack of focus on the customer, and – ugh – putting your hand up in the “stop” position.
  • Don’t Rush the Customer – This is by far the most frequent cause of perceived rudeness – even when customers are dealing with kind customer service representatives. Lacking patience, talking quickly, giving short answers, interrupting the other person, and not confirming that the customer got their need met are all drivers of that perception of a rude employee.

 
Avoid rudeness – the customer’s hot button with customer service.

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