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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

The Misunderstood Physician - 8/12/25


I was speaking with one of my personal physicians years ago, and when we were talking about my work – particularly customer satisfaction research - he started talking about online physician ratings.  He lamented that a few low ratings were dinging his overall score.  Then he shared that the Read more

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

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Tell the Patient What to Expect

Posted on December 7, 2011 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

A UK physician practice that had won a Customer Service Excellence Award addressed what they did to ramp up customer service in a PULSE article. In a nutshell, this is what they did:

  • They decided they wanted to win an award for customer service.
  • They did research with patients via interviews and surveys to determine what the patients wanted out of the customer experience.
  • They determined what needed improvement in the eyes of the customers.
  • They used this information to define expectations (or customer service standards or policies) that patients should have of their experiences with the practice.
  • But they also used this information to define expectations (or customer service standards or policies) that the practice had of patients.
  • They trained staff and changed processes to ensure that they could meet these expectations.
  • Then they continuously publicized these expectations.

Pretty simple stuff, right? Another way to view this approach is the following:

  • Define a Rallying Point (a near-term goal that explains why change needs to occur). Staff can buy-in to change a lot better if they understand the “why behind the what.”
  • Ask the customer what they want and expect.
  • Improve performance to address those expectations.
  • Define and communicate expectations that customers have of you…and that you have of customers.
  • Then deliver, deliver, deliver.

Create your own plan to become great at customer service.

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


Let the Patient Decide How Much You’re Paid

Posted on November 17, 2011 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

In the Ocala.com article Medicare gives hospitals an incentive to please patients, the author notes how “Munroe Regional Medical Center officials in Ocala said the overhauled health care law could result in about $700,000 annually in lost Medicare revenues or as much in additional incentives, based on how other hospitals nationwide fare.” The Medical Center has about 400 beds, to that’s roughly a $1.4 Million swing for a 400 bed facility (or about $3,500 per bed per year).

Medicare will be basing its reimbursement on several aspects of performance including quality and patient satisfaction. And much of the feedback on which the reimbursement is based comes directly from patients and family members. Let me restate this – $1.4 Million in reimbursement is dependent on the customer’s perception.

Think of it this way – hospitals get paid for its procedures, treatments, medicine, etc. But soon, how much they are paid for those procedures, treatments, medicine will be based on the customer’s opinion. It’s almost like the patients are naming the price for the care they’re receiving.

Think about this relating to your business. Imagine that your customer could determine how much you’re paid for each encounter with your organization based on the quality of the product and their experience with you. Would you look to find ways to improve the quality of your products and services? Would you try to improve the attitudes and customer service skills of your staff? Would you try to make your processes quick and seamless? Would you try to be better than you are now?

I hope you just said “Yes” 4 times.

For most hospitals, they need to ensure that their staff (clinical and non-clinical) are well-trained in customer service skills, principles, and techniques. They need to ensure that processes are simple and self-evident. They have to create a culture of caring for the customer. They have to hire staff focused on the patient as much as the arm being X-rayed. They have to incent staff to create a great experience and hold them accountable when they don’t. They have to have management who understands how to create a culture of customer service as well as how to model Service Excellence. They have to understand how to redesign customer service processes to be more efficient. They have to communicate smoothly about patient needs and processes. They have to be all about the patient.

If they do these things great, maybe revenues will increase by $700,000; do them poorly, and revenues will drop by $700,000.

Medicare is making it all about the patient. If you’re not in healthcare, thank your lucky stars that you don’t have Medicare.

But still learn this important lesson – make it all about the customer.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


Easy v. WOW!

Posted on August 4, 2011 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

What do Nike, Bank of America, and Earthlink have in common?

They were all part of a research study recently conducted by the Corporate Executive Board. One of the core focus areas of the study was the link between customer service and loyalty. Although much of the study addressed the call center experience, the key findings were meaty enough for any organization to learn something.

There were 3 key findings I want to highlight:

· Exceeding customer expectations had a moderate impact on loyalty.

· Satisfaction does not predict loyalty.

· Reducing effort has the greatest impact on loyalty.

Again, this is a call center-focused survey, but the key point to glean is that the effort that the customer has to go through to work with your organization (to get their question answered, to get an issue resolved, to go through a process) has a significant impact on their loyalty.

This gets at process. This gets at looking at process from the customer’s perspective. This gets at having an organization that tries to make it easy on the customer to do business with you.

This says that in many cases, “Easy” is more important than “Wow!”

So ask yourself, how easy is it for your customers to do business with you? How easy is it for them to get a question answered, an issue resolved, or to go through a process of yours?

To impact loyalty, make it easy on the customer.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more at our new website! http://www.cssamerica.com/


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