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Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25


The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint.  They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody.  You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation.  It’s important for Read more

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25


We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done.  But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

When Patience Begets Patience - 9/2/25


Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant.  The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table.  Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week. Since the Read more

Address the Expectations that Were Set - 8/26/25


Before the caller ever got to Marco – the customer service representative, the customer had been working with the company for months.  They had read the marketing brochures, had a conversation with a sales rep, reviewed the new customer information on the website, and read all the information e-mailed Read more

When Technology Fails the Customer - 8/19/25


Technology is a wonderful thing…until it isn’t.  The website is down, the mobile app won’t work, the system keeps kicking them out of their account, or they received a spoofing phone call supposedly from your department. If you’ve ever been manning the phones or managing the department inbox, you know Read more

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Culture Transformation and K-12 Schools

Posted on April 24, 2014 in Business Advice, Education Please leave a comment

Blog 4-24-14Changing a culture in an organization of any size is a challenge – but it’s often a challenge that must be addressed if the organization wants to succeed. And in the world of K-12 school systems, the organization’s success is dependent on the student’s success, so culture change has an even higher calling – to improve the capabilities and likelihood of success of the children.

In the article Allentown School District proposes new high school as part of ‘transformation of our culture’, the school system is trying to create a new focus for many of its students through the development of a new high school – one that is local-industry focused and requires a great deal of partnering with local businesses. This is a new way of thinking, of building, of teaching, and of growing the talents and confidence of local youth.

When describing the overall culture transformation process, the Superintendent states “It will not take 10 days, or 10 weeks; it may even take 10 years before it’s all over because we’re talking about a fundamental, systematic change.” The article notes that “District officials hope this change will keep the district relevant and competitive with charters.” The School Board President notes that “This is a vision, and we all know that visions cost money.”

A way to summarize these key points is to say that competition can be a driver of change. Change requires a vision, that new vision often requires a new culture to enable it to succeed. And to succeed in the long-term, sometimes it takes a longer-term view, time, and money.

This is not a negative about change and competition. In the public school world, it’s become a reality. And to those K-12 organizations wanting to succeed long-term, doing as has always been done is a recipe for a slow, painful demise.

Look to the future with a vision about how to improve the capabilities and likelihood of success for children; then determine the culture that’s required to begin moving toward that vision.

Did you like this post? Here are other Education-related posts:

Learn about our CSS Education services at: http://cssamerica.com/education-industry


Improve the Patient Experience from the Inside Out

Posted on April 18, 2014 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

Blog 4-17-14There is no shortage of patient satisfaction “experts” and CEOs in healthcare wanting you to implement the latest measurement tool, rounding format, physician best practice, script, or leading-edge technology – all with the promise of launching patient satisfaction scores to the stratosphere! Okay, maybe I’m overstating it, but it’s not overstating it to suggest that many of these experts offer a tactic or tool as the panacea.

However, the article on Park Ridge Health in Hendersonville, N.C. suggests a different approach. They did implement a new training program, but after the description of the training, the Director of Patient Experience notes that “When we changed the culture, that’s when we saw the scores improve. We always want the patient to be involved in their care, and we try to provide them a voice to be able to talk to us in layman’s term about their experience and their needs.”

The key words? “Changed the culture.”

The consistency required for sustainable excellence comes from inside. It comes from culture. If a hospital wants to have a great patient experience, they need to look inside at the people, processes, policies, services, and facilities that comprise the experience.

The best scripting results in merely words if not delivered with interest, empathy, and sincerity. The best leader preaching on efficiency and marketing a “2 minute wait in Our E.D.!” are setting staff up for failure until the organization internally has communication and service delivery processes that are efficient and high quality. The great customer service techniques that we and others teach won’t be effective long-term if they are not reinforced on an ongoing basis and modeled by leaders.

To get a great patient experience, “provide them with a voice” as they did in Hendersonville. But also start with each other; start with culture.

Improve the Patient Experience from the Inside Out.

Did you like this post? Here are other Healthcare-related posts:


The Great Manager I Never Met – 4/15/14 TOW

Posted on April 15, 2014 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment


I was fortunate to have been asked to speak at a finance association conference this past month on the topic of “Customer Service in the Tax Office.” I know that’s not the most exciting title, but it was a fun group!

I stayed at the hotel where the conference was held and had several interactions with the hotel staff while there:

  • I talked with two staff at the front desk during my stay; they each greeted me as I entered the lobby on two separate occasions, addressed my needs, proactively shared where the events were taking place in the hotel as I was checking in, engaged me in some pleasant chit-chat about the weather, etc. It was simple, pleasant, proactive, and done in personable way.
  • Since I arrived late in the day, I decided to order room service, and the room service person on the phone was upbeat, made recommendations to me in a confident manner in response to my questions, confirmed my order, and told me by when the meal would be delivered.
  • The room service delivery person delivered the meal a little early. He was professional in dress/demeanor, pleasant to chat with, patient with me, and closed positively.
  • As I entered the elevator from my floor to check-out, a housekeeper exited the elevator. She smiled, placed her hand on the side of the door to keep it open, and asked me to what floor I was going. She then pressed the button for me, smiled, thanked me, and moved on.

There was no individual “WOW” moment, but the high performing consistency made it a collective WOW experience!

Now, I never met the hotel manager; I’m not sure I ever even spoke with a supervisor-level individual. But I can tell they have a great manager. In the Moments of Truth with these five employees, every interaction was positive, was pleasant, was professional. Every interaction had a little that went beyond the basic expectations.

You don’t get that purely by being lucky. You develop efficient processes. You hire the right people, train them well, don’t overly script them, and motivate them to keep them happy and pleasant.

Sometimes you can identify great managers without ever seeing them.


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