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Identify Your Point of Empathy - 1/20/26


I was watching a webinar recently on empathy.  The speaker mentioned that empathy - to a large extent - is something that you are born with.  It’s something that’s very difficult to learn.  And while I agree that some people are predisposed to being empathetic and understanding of others Read more

Pressure is a Privilege, but... - 1/13/26


When athletes are asked about the pressure of a playoff match or a late-game situation, many times they will say that “pressure is a privilege.”  In other words, usually pressure exists because you’re in a match that matters most.  It exists because you are a player put in a Read more

While I’ve Got You on the Phone… - 1/6/26


I’m a big planner.  Whether it’s strategic planning or planning out the year or planning my week first thing on a Monday morning, I like to plan.  I do this because it gets all of my action items documented and ensures that I have some understanding of what I Read more

Pass the Quick Impression Test - 12/30/25


Some studies have shown that people create an impression of you in less than a second when they first meet you face-to-face.  Other studies have shown that that initial impression can take up to 7 seconds.  Regardless, first impressions are quick.  First impressions are not always the lasting impression, Read more

2025 Holiday Poem - 12/23/25


We hear the word change And that change can be good, But we like things to stay same, And sometimes they should.   The weather can be wet And then dry as a bone. We know things will change, Even if all left alone.   Our customers change. Our co-workers do, too. It seems like our resources Are often too few.   The technology Read more

Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter - 12/16/25


When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, Read more

When Kindness Means More in Customer Service - 12/9/25


Since a large part of the work we do at CSS includes customer research, we have seen tens of thousands of comments over the years about staff, and it is great to hear the positives that customers, fans, and account holders say about our clients’ team members. One word that Read more

Don’t Create the Second Complaint - 12/2/25


Maria was upset.  Rightfully so.  The product delivery was delayed, she couldn’t get anybody on the phone, and nobody would reply to her e-mails.  So, she went down to the store, and she found a customer service representative. After the initial greeting, the employee listened to Maria’s complaint.  While Maria Read more

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

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The New Burger Experience – 7/16/24

Posted on July 16, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Floyd loves a good hamburger. Any chance he gets to try a new spin on an old standby, he takes it. Recently, a burger joint opened near his house, and Floyd was very excited! It was owned by and named for a world-renowned chef, so it had to be good – expectations were high!

Wanting to do takeout, he hopped on the restaurant’s website at dinnertime, but there was no order online button. He did find a phone number, so he called; the system said they would send him a text with a link to the ordering page. He immediately received the link, immediately clicked it, and immediately realized the link was broken. He clicked over and over again, and it was broken over and over again.

Hurry Up and Wait

Well, the restaurant was only open for about 2 weeks, so he assumed they might not have gotten all of their technology together, or maybe they were overwhelmed by people wanting to check out the restaurant. So, Floyd decided to drive and order in-person. He packed his patience just in case the place was bombarded with customers wanting to check out the new restaurant.

When he arrived, Floyd’s assumptions were confirmed.  The line was at least 30 people long, with 10 standing outside.  As his place in line finally got inside the front door, he noticed that the kiosks that were set up within the restaurant for ordering were offline. Everyone went to the same sole cashier to order.

Employees Shine!

But then Floyd noticed some other things, as well. Staff were constantly engaging the people in line. They were bringing the food to the patrons and calling them by name. They were periodically giving an overview about the unique qualities of the restaurant and the unique ingredients used in the recipes. It was highly engaging and made the time go by fast. Despite all the activity and stress on the workers, they were making the restaurant shine.

In the end, there was a 45-minute wait from when he first got in line to when he finally got his food. Floyd tasted the burger, and it was OK. He tasted the fries, and they were OK. He tasted the shake, and it was fantabulous!

The next day, Floyd, burger-lover that he is, reflected on his experience. The place was basically brand new, so their technology was down. The lines were excessively long – all that was understandable. The food was adequate, so this is probably not going to be a place he frequents. But it was interesting that despite all of the glitter of this being a famous chef’s restaurant and all of the hype about the quality of the ingredients, the best thing about the experience was the people he encountered – the energy and positivity of the employees despite slow processes, bad technology, and a product that was middle of the road.

Sometimes you are serving customers, and you’re not always serving them top quality products or merchandise. Sometimes you’re dealing with processes or technologies that bog you down or bogged the customers down. So sometimes, the best part of the experience, is you.

Even if the rest of the experience is not memorable in a good way, do your best to make sure that the memories of you are positive.

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Boost Customer Happiness – 7/9/24

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

There’s a cooking show that a friend of mine watches, and the premise is all about reverse engineering food.  They may take a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, analyze it, and determine the ingredients just by tasting it.  Then they figure out a recipe.  The cook will try to make it from scratch.  Sometimes it’s a success – it looks and tastes just like the original – and sometimes it’s not just like the original…it’s even better!

In customer service, it’s difficult to “make someone else happy,” so let’s consider this Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup approach.  Let’s reverse engineer customer happiness.

Think about times and situations where you see a happy customer.  What is happening in that moment?

When I see happy customers, I can usually tell customers are happy because they’re smiling or laughing.  When they’re smiling, they’re often talking to an employee who’s also smiling.  They’re engaging with an employee or others around them about some light topic.  It’s a conversation, not about issues or politics; it’s a conversation about a pet, the greeting card they’re buying, something interesting about the building, or something funny going on around them.

The customer had a need, and the employee showed them the exact right product to meet the exact right need.  The customer smiles.  There was an unexpected coupon or a special discount.  The customer’s eyes light up.

So, those happy customers are often a reflection of happy employees.  The happy customers are engaged in conversations.  The topics are lighter and less serious.  They are aware of their surroundings and notice the interesting aspects, or the employees are pointing out those sites or situations for the customers.  The customers have some unexpected positive, or the employee helps them to find the perfect answer to their question, the perfect solution to their issue.

While it’s tough to make other people happy, to create a little more happiness in your customers, just watch some happy customers.  See what’s making them smile or laugh or convey a little joy.

Then do a little reverse engineering to boost customer happiness.

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Nurture New Relationships – 6/4/24

Posted on June 4, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Freddie was a new business owner in town.  He was launching a franchise, had acquired some funding from a local bank, and was in search of staff who cared about customer service.

All the while, he was in the process of renovating a storefront for his business, so he was dealing with the local municipality a lot on plans and inspections.  But to Freddie, the process was shockingly easy.  Well, maybe the process wasn’t easy, but going through the process was easy.

For the most part, submitting plans through the web portal, getting comments on plans and getting inspections scheduled and conducted was typical. Getting results of the inspections and correcting issues – these were all fairly standard processes – sometimes cumbersome, sometimes clunky or not self-evident.

The Secret Weapon

But Freddie had a secret weapon; the municipality in this community had a navigator position.  This was essentially a governmental point person to help business owners and developers work through all the different processes that they had to deal with for remodels, renovations, new development, etc.  No matter what area of the city or county that Freddie was dealing with, the navigator helped him through the process.

The navigator not only met with Freddie upfront when he first submitted his plans, but the navigator conducted what was akin to an onboarding session like you would do for a new employee.  The navigator set up bi-weekly calls with Freddie to ensure he was on track, and would have as-needed communications to help through issues.

See Him as an Individual

The navigator learned about Freddie as well as learning about his project.  The navigator would send Freddie information in advance of when he needed it to help him to prep for the next step and make sure he kept things on time and on budget.

The navigator’s name was Helen.  And while this seemingly fairy tale experience did not end with the main characters getting married, it did end with Helen having started and nurtured a relationship on behalf of the municipality with the new business owner.

Think about the new customers you have and how they and their needs are so different than those of your existing customers.  Intentionally map out a process and approach to help them navigate any pitfalls.  Dedicate resources to onboard these clients, nurture relationships, and grow your business by helping them to grow their success with a great customer experience.

Nurture New Relationships.

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