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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

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

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Don’t Skip the Recap – 5/12/26

Posted on May 12, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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, you pull up a summary online and scan through the article.  In a minute, you’ve gotten a good feel for the ebbs and flows of the game, you know who won, and you know when the next game is going to be held and where it will be televised.

In the world of customer service, the recap helps here, too.  We might have a customer conversation that lasts 2 minutes or 25.  I had an online chat recently that lasted an hour.  It was as painful as it was long.

And none of us can be expected to remember every detail of every conversation, nor does that serve a great purpose.  But in the world of customer service, if we’re going to spend this much time with the customer, if we’re going to hear all the questions and concerns, if we’re going to do all the investigation, if we’re going to map out what happened and why, what needs to go next and when, then it helps to close with a recap.

What are those 2-3 key takeaways?  What are the key next steps?  What’s the timeline that both you and the customer need to be aware of and committed to?

As a customer service professional, our interpretation of everything that happened during that conversation might differ from the customer’s interpretation.  Are we clear on the customer’s details?  Are they clear on our answers to their questions?

We don’t want a difference of interpretation, misunderstood points, unanswered questions to result in a difference of understanding about what’s going to happen next and when it’s going to happen.

Take time at the end of the conversation and confirm the key points, particularly those that are upcoming.

Don’t skip the recap.

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