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When You’re the Educator, What Should You Teach? - 1/21/25


The best customer service professionals are also excellent educators.  Not only within the organization, but I’m talking specifically about the role they play as educator with their customers.  With all the self-service options that technology provides, customers often have the opportunity to do things on their own, to investigate Read more

Wrap It Up Right: Why Follow-Up Communications WOW Customers - 1/14/25


Dena had some questions about her water bill, so she looked for answers on the utility’s website.  She didn’t find specific answers, and she really didn’t want to get on the phone with somebody at the time and risk staying on hold.  She had lots going on, but she Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

Self-empower for the New Year - 12/31/24


Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership. The reality was Read more

2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks - 12/3/24


Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias! It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of "Thank You” noted above.  Read more

Refine Your Decision-making Process - 11/26/24


Every day, you make decisions of what to do and what not to do.  And in the world of customer service, often the affected parties are our customers, our co-workers, and our company.  Here are a few quotes to consider when you’re thinking about evaluating and refining your decision-making Read more

Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

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Be Amazing – 4/23/24

Posted on April 23, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 cannot do, or we just truly appreciate.  Unfortunately for me, I’m not amazing enough to steal and dunk a basketball in the NBA Finals, or to be an astronaut, or to be somebody who can replicate my mom’s cooking.

But fortunately, none of those skills or attributes are required for being great at customer service.  We can still amaze others in customer service.

To amaze is to do beyond what others expect or typically experience.  It’s to be different…in a good way.

So how can you be amazing in customer service?  Find your something better or your something different…in a good way, compared to others in customer service.  Find that thing you do or that way you do something that is beyond what others expect or experience.

When the customer walks up, most employees remain seated.  Stand up when the customer arrives.  Most employees will hop into their script when they get the phone call.  Instead, make your first couple questions about them as a person rather than about their account number.

Most employees never share their name in a conversation.  Start the conversation by introducing yourself.  Most employees try to figure out where the customer needs to be transferred or where they need to go next.  Instead, you could take them to the next stop, or you could help them navigate to the next step in the process.

Consider what most employees don’t do, what they are in a rush to do. Consider what information they leave out, what activity they try to avoid.  Then – to be amazing – do what other employees don’t do, what they don’t have the patience to do, sharing what information they leave out, doing the things that others try to avoid.

Be amazing by being helpful, patient, informative, and supportive.

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

Posted on April 9, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 you provide to the organization through the customer service and great experience you provide to others.  Here are a few examples:

  • 87% of customers actively avoid buying from brands they don’t trust. You help to build the customer’s trust of your organization.
  • 60% of leaders say customer service improves customer retention. You help to retain customers.
  • 64% of leaders say customer service has a positive impact on their company’s growth. You help your organization grow.
  • 81% of customers say a positive customer service experience increases the chances of them making another purchase. You’re helping to generate repeat business.
  • In 2022, only 3% of U.S. companies were customer-obsessed, a decrease of 7% from 2021. By caring about the customer, you’re helping your organization differentiate itself from others.
  • 39% of consumers have less patience today than they did before the pandemic. You’re dealing with impatient customers so your bosses won’t have to.
  • 86% of consumers say showing empathy is powerful in building a strong relationship with the brand. When you show empathy, you’re helping the company to engender loyalty.

 
There is true value in what you do, not just to the customer, but to your organization, as well.

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

Posted on March 12, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 payment, had been standing there for 5 minutes, and the line had not hardly moved.

The supervisor, Janice, came out of her office, saw the customer, and listened to him from a distance for about 10 seconds. Janice turned to Robert and said:  It’s not about the 5-minute wait.

Robert and Janice walked up to the customer to speak with him, and they took the customer to the side, away from the rest of the group. They chatted with him about his situation, and Janice was right.

The customer had to be at work in 15 minutes, and he was a 15-minute drive from his job. He was going to be late.

His mapping app on his phone had directed him to the right building, but the parking spaces were full. So, he had to find another parking area – which was a block away.  That took five more minutes of driving and a 6-7 minute walk to get to the building.

The man lived 20 minutes from this building, so, he had left his home a long time ago to get to this location on time, to make his payment on time, and to get to his job on time.

He actually had to make the payment in person, because the County’s web payment portal was down, and the payment was due today.

Robert just assumed it was an impatient customer raising a ruckus.  Janice didn’t make any assumptions, and – after witnessing the customer from afar for a few seconds – she was pretty sure something else was going on.

When a customer is making a big deal about something that doesn’t seem so big, consider that maybe it’s not about the 5-minute wait.  Show a willingness to ask, listen, and learn.

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