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Energy v. Apathy - 4/22/25


I asked a couple friends who are much more scientifically-oriented the question: What is energy?  I didn’t mean E=MC2.  I meant physiologically, what is energy? They described a lot of things that sounded really good, yet far too advanced for my non-medical mind. Part of the reason why energy is of Read more

Prep Enough to Personalize - 4/15/25


Everybody loves Howie.  He is an account rep for the local air conditioning and heating company.  When I say Everybody loves Howie, I’m definitely talking about the customers.  His co-workers love him too, but customers are especially fond of him.  They seem to really enjoy their conversations with him, Read more

Get Your Customers to Brag, Not Bolt - 4/8/25


Here are two customer retention concepts that we discuss with some sports clients: BIRG and CORF.  BIRG is Basking In Reflected Glory.  CORF is Cutting Off Reflected Failure. You want BIRG.  You want the customers feeling so good about your organization that they want to be a part of your Read more

Narrow Your Focus to Seek Excellence - 4/1/25


You’ve probably heard companies use phrases such as: “We want to go from being good to great.”  Maybe they’ve said: “We strive for perfection, and although we’ll never reach perfection, maybe we can achieve excellence along the way.” These organizations find some kind of a catch phrase or slogan, but Read more

Avoid the Unfriendly Ghost - 3/25/25


Last week we talked about the qualities of “PERKI Customer Service,” essentially what attitudes and actions are characteristics of those who provide great customer service.  This week, let’s take the opposite approach.  What are some of the mistakes that people make?  Maybe these are mistakes of omission or commission; Read more

PERKI Customer Service - 3/18/25


After having worked on hundreds of projects over the years with thousands of thousands of individuals, some things become pretty clear. There are certain traits held by people who are great in customer service.  Look at this list, and do a self-assessment.  Which apply to you? Positive and Patient Do you Read more

It Helps to Downshift - 3/11/25


One of the first tips I heard when I was learning how to drive related to what to do when the brakes fail - downshift.  Shifting into a lower gear can slow down a moving vehicle.  I would explain this in technical terms to you, but considering I’m not Read more

Patience is… - 3/4/25


Patience is a…pain in the neck.  Why is it so hard to be patient?  Those of us who work in customer service know that we constantly have to show patience with our customers.  We’re ready to move to the next step or the solution because we’ve heard this issue Read more

Everybody Doesn’t - 2/25/25


Joey received the compliment, but he was confused.  Paula, his boss, and Joey had their monthly one-on-one meeting, and Paula noted that, although he was new, Joey was already doing a great job!  While there were learning curves on some of the organizational policies and the technology that he Read more

A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach - 2/18/25


I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said: If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us. That was an excellent statement that embodies Read more

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It Helps to Downshift – 3/11/25

Posted on March 11, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

One of the first tips I heard when I was learning how to drive related to what to do when the brakes fail – downshift.  Shifting into a lower gear can slow down a moving vehicle.  I would explain this in technical terms to you, but considering I’m not technical (especially when it comes to automotive engineering), let’s just say that downshifting leverages the engine RPMs to essentially slow down the vehicle.

I noticed early on in my career that when situations got anxious or were intense, I tended to downshift.  Not that I would rev my engines, but rather I would try to figure out how to slow myself.  It seemed that in difficult situations, tough conversations, unexpected deadlines or changes in priorities, I handled things better if I allowed myself to slow down physically and mentally, and tried to understand the situation a little bit before making decisions or taking action.  The situation wouldn’t come at me too rapidly, because I wasn’t running into the situation so rapidly.

On a separate but related note, I’m somebody who likes to do things exceptionally quickly, and early on that was a plus.  I was highly productive…until mistakes happened.  Then I became highly unproductive.  I learned that doing things exceptionally quickly has risks, particularly if there’s not a quality check, there’s not a pause to think through decisions and review documents before pressing “Send” or taking action.  I had to learn to slow down at the beginning to think through the process.  I had to learn to slow down at the end to ensure everything was clean before I put something out there for others to review and evaluate.

Resolving issues quickly is imperative to good customer service.  But jumping in too quickly and not resolving an issue because one doesn’t fully understand the root cause of the problem – that is not good customer service.

Working quickly is exceptionally important.  But having to do rework on the backend because of something that wasn’t done right on the front end can create frustration, delays, and ultimately, low productivity.

When you’re trying to get through your To Do list, or you’re trying to address a difficult customer situation, downshift – slow your body and your mind before you jump in.

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Patience is… – 3/4/25

Posted on March 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Patience is a…pain in the neck.  Why is it so hard to be patient?  Those of us who work in customer service know that we constantly have to show patience with our customers.  We’re ready to move to the next step or the solution because we’ve heard this issue 100 times, but the customer is still telling their story, and they waited 15 minutes on the phone to get to us, so they don’t exactly want to get rushed through their opening statement.

We’re ready to end the meeting, but our boss decides to wax eloquent about something she did in college that deals with fishing or football or physics, and we’re supposed to somehow relate this to our day-to-day job.  So, we have to be patient.

Our new co-worker asks 1,000 questions, and we have 1,000 answers, but we don’t have 1,000 hours.  We have to be patient.

Patience Quotes

Cato said that “Patience is the greatest of all virtues.”

Kierkegaard said “Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.”

There’s an old saying that “Patience doesn’t always help, but impatience never does.”

And here’s my favorite – from Lec.  I have no idea who he/she is, but it’s a good quote: “You have to have a lot of patience to learn patience.”

Patience Tests

For many of us, the skills that we need to learn most are the skills that are most tested.  And when it comes to personal interactions with people less knowledgeable on a topic than we are in customer service, people who are a little bit more anxious or upset, people who don’t quite appreciate all the different plates we have spinning at any given point in time – those types of conversations require extra patience.

Patience Positives

So when you show patience, realize you are doing something virtuous.  Realize that it might not reap you any immediate benefits, but it will help down the road.  Realize that showing impatience and interrupting others rarely leads to the right tone and a positive outcome.  And realize that you’re likely showing a lot of patience when you’re put in positions where you’re having to learn patience.

 Patience is…a virtue in customer service.

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Everybody Doesn’t – 2/25/25

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

Joey received the compliment, but he was confused.  Paula, his boss, and Joey had their monthly one-on-one meeting, and Paula noted that, although he was new, Joey was already doing a great job!  While there were learning curves on some of the organizational policies and the technology that he was using in working with his customers, his customer service skills were excellent.

Joey appreciated the positive feedback, but he was struggling to figure out what he did that was so special.  He’s not the most outgoing person in the world, not the most gregarious or chatty or social individual.  So, he asked for some specifics from Paula.

She talked about how he’s always patient with the callers on the phone.  He always responds to the emails.  If there was a next step, he always follows up with the customer later on to make sure they were satisfied.  He always touches base with a co-worker when he handed something off just to make sure the co-worker understood things and was able to follow through.  Joey always completed his projects on time, and when he anticipated a delay, he gave his team members a heads up well in advance.

Joey thanked Paula, but then he asked: I’m not sure what is so special about that. Doesn’t everybody do those things?

Paula paused, and then she responded:  Unfortunately, no.  At least not with your consistency.  You are always being patient, always responsive, always following up, always communicating with your co-workers, always managing expectations.  So, no, everybody doesn’t do those things.  At least they don’t do them all the time.

In 2025, “Delighting” the customers or “Delivering a WOW Experience” is great, but you can be special by executing those core customer service actions consistently…by doing them ALL the time.

Become better by becoming even more consistent.

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