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Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer - 11/25/25


This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close - it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past. The idea of reflecting on reasons Read more

Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff - 11/18/25


An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to Read more

Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

Familying with Customers - 10/28/25


In our transactional society, it’s hard to think about customers in the long-term.  But if we want to be as successful as we can as an individual or as a business, we need to view customers through a relationship lens. What do we need to know about them to Read more

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

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Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer – 11/25/25

Posted on November 25, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close – it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past.

The idea of reflecting on reasons to give thanks clearly applies to the world of customer service.  Although we’re providing the customer with some service or product, some answer or something to address their need – I’m a strong proponent of making sure that we initiate the thanks to the customer.  Thank them for…

  • Their Effort: Thank them for taking the time to come onsite, planning their trip and navigating the traffic to and from your location.
  • Their Communication: Convey appreciation for bringing an issue to your attention so that you can help them and possibly fix any issues before they cause frustrations for other customers.
  • Their Quality: Thank them for completing their paperwork correctly or filling out that form accurately so it saves everybody a bit of time.
  • Their Patience: Offer some gratitude for their waiting on hold while you were helping other customers, for being so patient, as you know they’re also busy.
  • Their Pleasantness: Thank them when they’re pleasant with you, when they smile, when they actually ask you how your day is going, or thank you – the employee – for being there, even though they know it’s your job to be there.
  • Their Business: Oh! And of course, thank them for their purchase and their business, their loyalty and their frequent returns.

 
To offer appreciation, it helps us to refresh on the effort, the attitude, the actions your customer is taking to do business with you.

Refresh on the reasons to appreciate the customer..

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Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff – 11/18/25

Posted on November 18, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to go.  The ATC is there to ensure the pilot is set up for success.

Similarly, we want to make sure our customers are set up for success.  If there is any information about next steps or pathways or upcoming decisions, any clarification needed on the players involved in the situation that the customer’s dealing with, we want to make sure there’s clarity.

Here are some examples of the types of things to consider sharing with the customer to confirm they are ready for their version of the takeoff.  Is the customer clear…

  • How to get to a customer service representative?
  • How to locate the right item/office/information?
  • What options are available to them?
  • What their part is in a process?
  • Who the other employees are in the process and what will be their roles?
  • What the next step in the process is and when it will happen?
  • In general, how to get their question answered, their need met, or their issues resolved?

 
Then, even though the pilot is told they are cleared for takeoff, they verify it themselves, because they are the ones ultimately responsible for flying the plane.  Similarly, although we have all this information we want to convey to the customer so that they are clear, it helps for us to confirm with them that they actually are clear, that they actually do understand.

To set the customer up for success, before you end the conversation, confirm the customer is clear.

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

Posted on October 14, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 issue was located.  So, she scheduled an appointment.

When the technician came to her house, he ran a camera down the pipes.  He told Geri that – according to the equipment – he thought he saw a crack in the pipe 77 feet from the house. The technician paced off 77 feet and ended up in the middle of Geri’s driveway. The tech said:  This is where I think the roots are getting into the pipe and causing the backup.  Since it’s in the middle of your driveway, we’ll need to bring out some equipment and dig up the concrete to get below the driveway and replace the pipe.

Geri was disappointed that the issue was under her driveway.  She asked a simple question that all customers would probably ask in this situation: Are you sure this is where it is?

The tech proudly replied: I have a 95% accuracy rate for knowing where the issue is located.

At that point, Geri remembered that the tech said he thought he saw a crack.  He said I think the roots are getting into the pipe.  And then she thought 95% accuracy means 5% inaccuracy – a 5% chance he could be digging out her driveway, and the issue isn’t really there.

A Second Opinion

It turns out that the issue was not where the tech thought it was.  A second company came out and found the issue about 25 feet from the house about a foot below the surface of her lawn.  This resulted in a less costly solution, and it was a matter of digging a hole and replacing a piece of the pipe rather than digging up the driveway and having to repour part of the concrete.

Quality means different things to different people, so we need to define quality through the customer’s eyes.  And oftentimes that customer is not focused on the percentage of times that things go right; rather they’re concerned with the possibility that he or she is part of the percentage of times when things go wrong.

View quality through the customer’s eyes.  It makes you more empathetic, and it helps you convey a solution that better meets the customer’s needs.

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