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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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Thanks for Reading – 8/1/23

Posted on August 1, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

My company, Customer Service Solutions, Inc., just celebrated our 25th Anniversary!  We love the work we do for our clients, and we definitely love our clients.  We’ve developed many friendships over the years, and we’ve tried to provide consistently high quality and personal support for whatever may be their particular goals or needs or issues.

For about 24 of those 25 years, we’ve written these tips of the week.  So, thank you for being a Tip fan, and Thank You for Reading!

CSS conducts a lot of research for our clients, and among all the different types of research we provide, we’ve conducted well over 1,000 surveys.

Sometimes these are web-based surveys where – in lieu of or in addition to completing the survey – the customer or account holder will e-mail us directly, since we’re the survey administrator.

If they have a question or a need or an issue to be addressed, we always reply.  It’s amazing how many times that survey respondent replies to our reply by saying: Thanks for reading! By saying: I can’t believe somebody actually responded. By saying: Thanks for taking my issue seriously.

It’s interesting that the customer is showing appreciation just for somebody reading their message.  Just for getting a response.  Just for feeling like they are being heard.

It’s amazing how simply responding – simply allowing people to feel heard – has a tremendous impact on how the customer feels.  And as Maya Angelou once said:  People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

And it makes me feel great that you all have read all these tips, and hopefully they’ve helped you a little bit over the years.

Thanks for Reading!

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Share the Why to Value the Customer – 7/25/23

Posted on July 25, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We encourage our clients to explain “The Why behind the What” to the customer.  Usually we suggest that staff explain Why so that the customer understands the reason for a change or can buy-in to a particular solution.

However, explaining the Why is also effective when you’re doing some very routine things for the customer.  When you explain Why you’re doing the task, the customer understands the benefit to them.  It makes them feel valued.  It often makes them feel important.

I’ll walk you through this document, so you’re clear on the main takeaways and are comfortable with the next steps.

To keep you informed, I’ll send you an e-mail on Friday with an update.

To protect the carpet and floors in your home, I’ll be wearing covers on my shoes.

I’ll share a copy of the contract using an encrypted document to protect your privacy.

I’m providing you this 1-page map of the event site so you can quickly get to the activities of most interest.

I’ll give you my cell phone number so you can easily get in touch with me if you have any questions or if other needs arise.

If you just take the action noted in the 6 statements above, then:  You share a document, you send them an e-mail, you wear shoe covers, you send the contract, you give them a 1-pager, you give them a phone number.

However, if you explain Why and focus on the benefit to the customer, then: They feel comfortable with next steps, they’re kept informed, their carpet and floors are protected, you’ve protected their privacy, they save time getting to the activities of most interest to them, and they can easily get in touch with you as needs arise.

Even when you’re doing the routine, try to describe it to the customer.  State what you’re doing, but also share Why to help them feel important and valued, to ensure they understand the benefits of what you do for them.

Share the WHY to Value the Customer.

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Navigate their New Experience – 7/18/23

Posted on July 18, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Everything is changing for customers.  How they buy products and services…how they get customer service…where they get information from, and who provides the information.

So, confusion and frustration can ensue.  Let’s help customers navigate our new world, our new systems and processes.  It’s about Empathy and Expectations; it’s about Input and Improvement:

  • Empathy: If customers are upset or frustrated, and you show empathy, they’ll feel you’re listening. Listening conveys that you’re an understanding person who cares about them, their situation, their feelings.  Don’t argue or interrupt; instead, agree with some of what they say.  They’ll feel that they’re interacting with someone who’s on their side, and that can bring down the emotion.
  • Expectations: If customers are used to different processes, systems, and wait times, be proactive in communicating what they should expect from now on; in e-mails, texts, letters, onsite signage, and in discussions, explain processes simply and succinctly.  Describe timeframes, and share what they need to do v. what will be done by the company.  And when the customer is engaged with your business, ensure that your best teachers are charged with engaging the customers on the new steps.
  • Input: Getting through the implementation of change is a success; but it’s just the start.  How can we get feedback from the customer?  If satisfaction and retention of the customer are important, then we need to find ways to get them to weigh-in on the process.  What’s the experience like from their perspective, and how can we be set up to pivot based on the input?
  • Improvement: Take the customer input; use it to consistently improve the processes, systems, communications, and training.  Consider 90-day post-implementation action planning – make continuous improvement just how you operate.  Seek input to drive progress.

When changing the customer experience, help the customer to navigate their new world.

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