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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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Educate on Profits

Posted on February 4, 2010 in Business Advice, Education 1 Comment

Peter Waller, Chief Executive Officer of Corinthian Colleges, was speaking about the recent performance of the organization in terms of its financials late last year (http://seekingalpha.com/article/186144-corinthian-colleges-inc-f2q10-qtr-end-12-31-09-earnings-call-transcript). And one of the key areas he addressed as a part of that discussion was the improvement in student satisfaction.

Before I go further, what this CEO did was to link (early on in his conversation) financial performance to student/customer satisfaction.

To put meat behind his belief in the cause/effect relationships between these two measures of performance, he noted several major initiatives focused on driving increases in student satisfaction such as: ‘Major increases in faculty development, increased investment in student services personnel, investments in new technology in the classroom, and increased wireless bandwidth at the campuses.’ He stated that "We will continue to focus on creating an outstanding experience to students at every campus and every program. We believe that if our students are satisfied and find value in our services; we will continue to grow and ultimately create value for shareholders."

This is a leader who understands the link between satisfaction and financial performance. He measures that link. He invests in those things which should drive up student satisfaction, knowing how that impacts business success. He gets it.

Many leaders discuss the importance of customer service. But do they measure it? Do they make strategic decisions which may – short-term – cost money or require resources? Do they change operations, processes, and people to improve student or customer satisfaction because they understand the link to profits?

If the answers in your organization are "No, No, and No," then your leaders may need to gain a better understanding of what truly drives long-term success.

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


BOOST Your Retention

Posted on February 2, 2010 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

Project BOOST is a concept being piloted by The Society of Hospital Medicine. They are working with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan as well as the University of Michigan to reduce readmissions to hospitals. Modern Healthcare (http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20100201/NEWS/302019973/1153#) reported on this project as an example of some creative programs that can be put in place to reduce unnecessary readmissions, which is obviously preferable from the patient’s perspective and helps to manage costs from the facility’s perspective.

What’s especially interesting about the program is that it has a strong customer service component. The program includes a recommended follow-up visit to the doctor within two weeks of discharge to ensure that the patient knows whom to contact, what they need to be doing for themselves, and what to be looking for in terms of post-discharge issues.

To think about this in more general customer service terms, there is a built-in communication step after the patient has left the hospital which ensures that the patient is communicating their situation and their issues back to the physician and also to ensure that the patient is well-educated. To ensure that the patient and their family understand the information being conveyed by the physician/nurses/pharmacists, they use what they call the “teach back” method. This essentially involves the clinician asking the patient to restate what information they were just told.

This is a technique which CSS, our company, teaches to our clients as well. Whether you’re setting expectations or just wanting to make sure you’re on the same page with your customer in terms of what needs to happen next, who’s going to do it, and when it needs to be done, ask the customer to summary those key points back to you. If they can, you’re confident that you’re both on the same page. If they cannot, then you have more work to do to before you close out the conversation.

Learn from Project BOOST. Before the client leaves your business, ensure they’re on the same page with you in terms of what’s going to happen next. And after they’ve left, touch base with your clients a short time after the transaction has occurred to ensure they were satisfied and to keep that relationship-building conversation going.

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


You’re Once, Twice, Three Times a Customer

Posted on January 28, 2010 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

With all due respect to the Commodores’ great song (“You’re Once, Twice, Three Times a Lady”), this blog post focuses on gaining repeat business. Many companies work so hard on making the initial sale and celebrating the transaction. But what if we looked at each sale or at each “moment of truth” with the customer not as a single event? What if we saw it as a link to the next sale? The idea is to string together 1, 2, and 3 sales to the same customer. This is creating a customer from a transaction. Several things would be different:

  • You would be more concerned with whether the customer was satisfied with the shopping experience.
  • You’d be more likely to ask for improvement suggestions.
  • You’d be more likely to follow-up after the sale.
  • You’d be more likely to set-up periodic customer “touch points” to make sure you’re top-of-mind the next time a buying decision is made.
  • You’d be more likely to get contact information on the customer and to use it.
  • You’d be more likely to inquire about other customer needs/wants.
  • You’d be more concerned with getting to know the customer personally.
  • You’d spend more time talking with co-workers about strategies to keep that customer and bring them back.

Think about the customer by thinking about how to get to the next encounter. Turn your transactions into Once, Twice, Three Times a Customer.

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


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