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Mastering Confidence in Customer Service - 4/30/24


It’s not what you said…it’s how you said it. If you’ve ever had someone say this to you, raise your hand.  (I just raised my hand) Usually this is being said when someone is upset with you, but regardless of the reason, that phrase illustrates that HOW we say something often Read more

Be Amazing - 4/23/24


Watching Michael Jordan steal a pass and then dunk a basketball is amazing.  Taking a rocket to the moon is amazing.  The taste of my mom’s homemade beef soup is amazing. We all have our personal examples of what is amazing.  Usually, it’s something that we cannot comprehend, that we Read more

Talk About Yourself to Build Customer Confidence - 4/16/24


When you’re dealing with somebody who is anxious or nervous about a situation, a customer who feels like they don’t have much control, an individual who is unsure and uncertain, it’s important to put the customer at ease.  It’s important to build their comfort level.  It’s important to help Read more

The Proven Value in What You Do - 4/9/24


Forbes wrote an article last year based on a compilation of the results of research on customer service and the customer experience; it was titled:  100 Customer Experience Stats For 2023. In reading the article, you’ll note that many of these key research findings are about you – the value Read more

A Tale of Two Texts - 4/2/24


Having to get allergy shots once a week is never fun, and for Janet, it became an even bigger frustration. She had the shots typically scheduled on Tuesday around 10:30 in the morning, figuring she would avoid the morning rush as well as the lunch rush by going mid-morning.  However, Read more

The Secret Sauce for Great Customer Service - 3/26/24


I was working with the League Office for a major American sport several years back, and one of the executives asked me to describe our Secret Sauce that helped our clients improve the fan experience and customer retention.  I gave him a sense of what makes us unique and Read more

The Miracle of an Apology - 3/19/24


Unfortunate but true story… The manager basically lost his mind.  He terminated his employee on the spot.  She had told the customer that there was going to be a delay in the shipment.  The employee called up the customer ahead of time to let the customer know what was about Read more

It’s Not About the 5-Minute Wait - 3/12/24


Robert went into his supervisor’s office to update her on a situation at the payment desk.  Robert said that a customer was about fourth or fifth in line, waiting to be served, and the customer was complaining loudly about the wait.  He was there to make a property tax Read more

Lessons from the Greats - 3/5/24


I was recently facilitating a workshop on the customer experience, and I made the point that it’s usually beneficial to look at your personal life for great experiences; identify what really resonates with you in a positive way in order to uncover ideas to improve your own customer service. So, Read more

The Empathy Roadmap - 2/27/24


For some people, empathy comes naturally.  There’s an innate desire to learn about the other person and to sincerely convey that sense of interest and caring.  But for many of us, sometimes it helps to have a communication plan.  It helps to know what to do in order to Read more

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Poll the Kids?

Posted on October 5, 2010 in Business Advice, Education Please leave a comment

In a recent article on azcentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/09/23/20100923glendale-deer-valley-district-poll.html), the Arizona Republic notes how a local school district polled students on such aspects of the school experience as safety, friendship, and the likelihood to graduate.

Our firm conducts these studies for many of our clients as well as providing mystery shopping services at the primary education, community college, and university levels. And while you can argue with some of the methodologies used for delivering the survey, what makes the information in the article particularly interesting is the fact that the survey asked about the student as a person – it asked about their personal feelings.

Think about your customers; when you conduct surveys, you’re often asking about demographics, preferences in products, certain aspects of the customer service you provide or your facilities and processes. But many customers create an affinity for the businesses they patronize based on how that company makes them feel, about how the experience makes them feel.

So why not ask them about their feelings?

One of the last things you want from a customer is apathy; so the best way to identify those that are apathetic is to ask about their feelings. Remember that 2/3rd of lost business is because the customer feels like you don’t care. So if their feelings contribute to their loss, you need to get in the habit of asking about their feelings.

Look at your surveys, and ensure they address how your customers feel about their relationship with your company, how they feel about the experience they have in interacting with your business – the people, processes, facility, and website.

To get a feel for your customer’s true satisfaction, ask how they feel.

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


Don’t Let the Customer’s Bad Attitude Dictate Yours

Posted on September 29, 2010 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service 1 Comment

The customer called the service center, and the telephone answering system picked up.

“Thank you for calling ACME Wireless Systems Inc. If you’re in a really good mood, please press 1. If you’re upset but rational, please press 2. If you’re really irate, please press 3.”

Do you ever get the impression that companies want to deal with happy customers but don’t want to deal with unhappy customers? It’s as if the employees smile if the customer smiles, but if the customer’s unhappy, the employee gets a bad attitude himself.

Let’s look at this from the customer’s perspective. I’m angry, so would I rather talk with somebody who’s angry or somebody who’s in a good mood? I have a better chance of getting my emotional level down if I’m dealing with someone empathetic with my situation, someone on more of an even-keel emotionally, someone who listens and lets me talk about my frustration.

What I don’t like is someone who cuts me off mid-sentence. What I don’t appreciate is someone who doesn’t take responsibility. What drives me crazy is someone who is defensive. What is non-productive is someone who lets their emotions drive their attitude in a service recovery situation like this.

We always say that delivering high-quality customer service can be tough, especially when presented with a complaining customer. But these are the times that separate the best from the rest. These are the situations where employees truly committed to the customer shine, because in the face of a complaint or an irate customer, they still know how to take the customer’s perspective, to try to keep the customer, to try balance the needs and wants of the customer with the needs and wants of the business.

Check your attitude when faced with the complaining customer. Use these situations as times to shine!

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


Campaign for Customers

Posted on September 22, 2010 in Business Advice, Government Please leave a comment

A Toronto mayoral candidate is campaigning in such a manner as to try to appeal to small businesses and economic growth. One area of focus in his campaign is customer service.

It’s interesting to note how politicians are talking customer service. Why would they do that? Well, there are two key reasons. First is that government in general has (deservedly or not) a reputation for delivering poor customer service, not being responsive, not having the same attitudes that one should find in organizations competing for the customer.

Second, great customer service is something that their customers – the voters – find important. We can debate whether or not it’s the number one issue, but it IS important.

Think about this in terms of how it relates to your business. What is important to your customers? What is their hot button issue? In what aspects of your organization do customers perceive you negatively?

To ANSWER these questions, you have to ASK these questions of your customers.

Ask, listen, learn, prioritize, improve, and then campaign for your customers.

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


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