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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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Address the Expectations that Were Set – 8/26/25

Posted on August 26, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 to them as they began using the services provided by Marco’s company.

All those communications, all that information set an expectation in the caller’s mind.  Now it was up to Marco to respond to the complaint, the comment, the momentary confusion of the customer.  That complaint, comment, confusion were the result of expectations set through all those communications, and expectations not met through the actual service delivered.

For Marco to best handle the situation, he had to know the content of the marketing collateral, the sales conversation, the website onboarding information, and the information e-mailed to new customers.

It’s hard enough dealing with somebody who’s angry or they’re upset, they’re confused or flummoxed, or they’re seeking clarification or confirmation of information. It’s doubly difficult if you don’t know what precipitated all of those emotions and questions.

Luckily, Marco was well-aware of the communications customers receive, and the company is good enough to provide information between the different divisions so everybody can stay aware of the freshest set of information that goes in front of customers.

While being great at customer service often requires us to be great in that Moment of Truth, sometimes the success of those conversations is based on what happens before that customer engagement.

It’s when individual staff like Marco take time during downtime (or they allocate a little bit of time every day) to make sure they understand what’s being communicated to customers and what kind of questions, concerns, complaints can be driven from that information, and how that information and the expectations it sets differ from reality.

To best meet customer expectations, study the information and communication tools that create customer expectations.

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When Technology Fails the Customer – 8/19/25

Posted on August 19, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 that when your company has a technical issue, there’s an escalation in customer contacts.  And usually they’re reaching out to you because they’re confused, concerned, or there’s some heightened sense of consternation.

So how do you respond?

Reassure: Let them know that their accounts are safe, that no data has been compromised, that it’s not a technology issue on their end.  Address their specific concern immediately.

Rectify: Share what the organization is doing to address the technical issues or to deal with that bad actor that is spoofing your phone number.

Respect: Ramp up your messaging that acknowledges their time is important, that appreciates their reaching out to you to share this information.  Reference their name in a professional manner throughout the conversation.

Reiterate: Close the engagement by restating your appreciation of their bringing this to your attention, and reassure them once again that their information is safe.

When addressing a corporate technology fail, Reassure, Rectify, Respect, and Reiterate.

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The Misunderstood Physician – 8/12/25

Posted on August 12, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 low ratings were often because his schedule was booked, and people cannot see him immediately.  Sometimes it was a complaint that the scheduling person was not pleasant or the patient was on hold a long time trying to get the appointment set up.  None of these low ratings was directly because of the doctor.

But there was one low rating where somebody commented that the physician was rude.  When his staff followed up for clarification on the comment, the patient noted that the physician didn’t spend enough time with them and didn’t ask enough questions.

Now, I had been cared for by this physician long enough to never dream of calling him rude.  He’s very personable, very efficient, and very knowledgeable.  But there was something about that encounter with that other patient that gave the perception of the physician being rude.

Defining Rudeness

Different people perceive rudeness in different ways.  In this case, rudeness was – in the mind of the customer – defined as the lack of time spent by the physician.  For others, if you interrupt them, they feel you’re rude.  For some, if you’re looking at your phone or iPad or computer while they’re in front of you, they think you’re rude.  If the employee states only what can’t be done in response to a request, some view that as rude, even if it’s the truth.  For some customers, 1-word answers from employees seem rude.  And for others, a harsh tone – where the employee only seems to emphasize the negative words – seems rude.

Overcoming the Perception

For all we know, the employees in these situations are all very kind.  Unfortunately, that particular customer engaged with them at that particular moment is perceiving them as rude.  So how do we overcome that perception?

From a time perspective, yes, be quick, efficient, and productive, but also be patient with the customer and their questions.  Don’t interrupt the other person, but instead let them share.  Ensure you’re focusing more on the customer than on the device in front of you, and if you have to be looking at that device, let them know what you’re doing on their behalf while tapping the keys.

Complement the true statement of what CAN’T be done with the helpful statement of what CAN be done.  Go beyond the 1-word answer (particularly if it’s a negative word) with a couple additional words to add some softness, kindness, empathy.  And with the tone, have a pleasant tone, have some variability in your voice, and place more emphasis on the positive words.

Intentionally overcome any perception of rudeness.

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