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Uncover Silent Concerns - 8/5/25


One of the customer service statistics we have quoted many times over the years is:  For every complaint you do hear, there could be 26 other customer issues that you don’t hear. And when we bring up that statistic, we bring it up because we want to make sure companies Read more

Talk Yourself Up to Take Down Their Anxiety - 7/29/25


I believe that most customer service people are pretty humble, so I’m not asking you to lose your humility.  But I do have one ask of you… When that customer is anxious or nervous, when they fear the future because the future is unknown or it could be laced with Read more

Use Little Acts to Make a Big Impact - 7/22/25


A WOW Experience is not always one instance, one act that blows away the customer.  It’s not always an over-the-top-the-employee-saved-the-day act of brilliance.  Sometimes a WOW is the sum total of a series of little things that others don’t do – those actions that differentiate you from others.  The Read more

Avoid Some Stress by Addressing Issues Quickly - 7/15/25


It’s good customer service to resolve issues quickly.  The customer sees the light at the end of the tunnel.  They more quickly bring their anxiety and stress, their negative emotions down.  And they more quickly get to a solution. But this tip is not about them.  This tip is about Read more

Better Customer Service through Better Teamwork - 7/8/25


We spend so much time talking about what great customer service looks like in those 1-on-1 Moments of Truth, that we often neglect to discuss what goes on inside the company that leads to those great moments.  We’ve talked about customer handoffs within an organization, but what does a Read more

Highlight the Hidden Value - 7/1/25


Marketing campaigns often highlight a particular product and ALL the features and extras that the customer will receive… “For 3 low, low payments of only $39.99, you not only get these world-renowned chef knives, but you can also get this free laser-etched spatula!  AND THAT’S NOT ALL!  We will also Read more

Don’t Harp on the Customer’s Mistake - 6/24/25


Seth’s daughter, Sarah, had missed some swim classes, and Seth remembered that the aquatics center had several make-up classes available late in the summer.  So Seth pulled up the class schedule on his phone, found one that worked on his and Sarah’s schedules, and planned to attend a session Read more

Create Customers for Life - 6/17/25


Veronica has gone to the same automotive service shop for at least 20 years.  She bought a new car about a year ago, and this is the third car she’s brought to the shop instead of taking her car to the dealer where she bought it.  She’s had three Read more

Don’t Turn the Customer into the QA Department - 6/10/25


Roberta received a form with information filled in by the company after her conversation with the account rep.  Roberta just needed to review the information, fill in some of the blanks, sign it, and resend it in order to set up a new account. She noticed that the effective date Read more

Imitate to Improve - 6/3/25


Oscar Wilde said that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”  Now this doesn’t mean that plagiarism is the sincerest form of flattery.  Nor does it mean that great impersonators such as Rich Little, Dana Carvey, or Frank Caliendo are always offering flattering portrayals of those that they imitate. Wilde’s Read more

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Create Awareness of Alternatives – 2/4/25

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

Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The line for people placing the order was so long that it almost stretched to the street; there was no line in the mobile order lane.  Luckily, Sandy had downloaded the mobile app once before, so she pulled it up on her phone, placed the order, and then moved into the mobile app lane.  She had her food in less than two minutes.

The next day, Sandy had to make a deposit into one of her accounts at the bank, and withdraw cash from another account.  She had a habit of going into the branch, but when she walked in, there were 15 customers in line with two tellers waiting on them.  While waiting for a couple minutes, she noticed the drive-thru teller in a separate room in the back.  She noticed that teller was looking at her phone and occasionally peering at her computer screen – she wasn’t busy.  So Sandy left the branch, hopped in her car, and was first in line at the drive-thru.  She was out of there in about 3 minutes.

When Sandy got home, the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.  She used her phone app to access the internet provider’s site and logged into her account; she noted the customer care phone number, so she dialed.  The system said that she was sixth in line, and the estimated hold time was 12 minutes.  She noticed a chat function on the app, so while she remained on hold, she launched a chat.  Sandy got a hold of a representative immediately, they put a ticket in, and within two minutes, they had begun remotely testing her Wi-Fi.  She hung up the call.

These are three organizations that could have had clear stories of poor customer service experiences, but luckily for them (and for Sandy!), there was an alternative option in each case.  Sandy was able to order via the mobile app.  She was able to get into her car and go through the drive-thru teller line.  She was able to initiate a chat even while she was on hold on the phone.

It was a better experience because there was an alternative option, and most of all because she was aware of the alternative.

As you strive to deliver great customer service, know the options available to your customers.  Maybe the line is long, but the line might be shorter if some member of the team informed the customer of the other options.  Maybe the wait seemed excessive, but the wait would be shorter if one of the employees could convey an alternative to the customers that might give them service quicker.

Sometimes the best thing we can do to serve our customers is to build their awareness of other ways they can get their needs met.

Create awareness of alternatives.

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

Posted on January 21, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 on their own, to address issues on their own.

Unfortunately, technology is not always self-evident.  It doesn’t always think like customers think.  It doesn’t often convey what the customer needs to know when they need to know it in a way that the customer can absorb, understand, and use moving forward.

So, if we want to be the best of customer service professionals, we need to be excellent educators.

Let’s say we have a customer named Christopher.  About what do we need to build Christopher’s awareness?  What does Christopher need to know to get things done?  What knowledge does Christopher need to build in order to have the best experience possible with our organization?

Ask yourself (or your customers) these types of questions, because these questions build your understanding of what content is required in your educational endeavors with customers.

Does Christopher need to be more aware of technology options such as mobile apps, self-service website functions, chat functions, automated phone options?  And does he need to know how to navigate those mechanisms?  Does he need to know how to place in order, how to check status, how to follow-up directly with the right person, how to see if a service is completed or a delivery has been made?  Does Christopher need to know the services available, the features available, the different ways to experience your product or your service, your event or your facility?

To strengthen your role as an educator of customers, first identify what the key content is where they need to be more knowledgeable or better trained.

Identify what THEY need to know in order to have the best experience possible.

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

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

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 noticed the opportunity to use the chat function.  So, she clicked in.

When the chat conversation was done, Dena signed off.  Immediately afterward, she received an e-mail.  It was a transcript of the chat.  She had never used the chat before, and she was surprised to receive the e-mail.  But once she reviewed it, she loved it!!

Whether you – as a customer service representative – just completed a chat with a customer, ended a phone conversation, or wrapped up a face-to-face conversation, these follow-up communications are often exceptionally helpful to the customer.  There are several ways that your customers benefit from chat transcripts or other documented follow-ups to your conversations:

  • Documentation: The customer has a record of the conversation, the issues, potential solutions, and the actions to take.
  • Trust-building: The customer sees that the company also has documentation, and they are willing to stand by what was communicated during the encounter.
  • Quick Access: The customer can easily find a record of the prior communication.
  • Accountability and Follow-Up: It offers a checklist of what the customer or the company are expected to do next.
  • Time-saving: Customers are less likely to have to repeat their story during the next encounter, since they can just reference the transcript.
  • A Sense of Feeling Valued: Customers feel like they’ve been heard, and the conversation was important enough to the company to document.

 
When you complete that encounter with the customer, if you want to build their trust, make their life a little bit more simple, build in some accountability on next steps, save them some time, and help them to feel valued, provide an immediate follow-up communication.

Wrap it up right.  Use follow-up communications to WOW customers.

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