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Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25


The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint.  They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody.  You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation.  It’s important for Read more

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25


We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done.  But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

When Patience Begets Patience - 9/2/25


Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant.  The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table.  Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week. Since the Read more

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

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Handle Interruptions Heroically – 6/18/24

Posted on June 18, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

In the middle of a project, Jimbo, the customer service team member, had to stop what he was doing because he received an e-mail from a customer complaining about their experience at a recent event.

Later that day, Jimbo was asked by his boss to put everything on hold for a “rush request” from the boss’s boss for some customer satisfaction data from the past month.

Just as Jimbo was getting ready to go home, he decided to check e-mail one more time before shutting off his computer.  A long-time client had requested a status update on an annual renewal gift that she should have received last week; since she hadn’t received it, she wanted to change the gift she selected.

These were just 3 interruptions that Jimbo had to deal with – none at opportune times (if there even is such a thing), and yet – this staff person gathered himself each time, took a deep breath, got focused on the person he was engaged with, and handled the situation professionally.

The interruptions were not what he wanted, but they were typical of what he – and likely you – deal with EVERY workday.

When you’re providing customer service, rarely does the day flow as planned and without interruptions.  About the only thing you can consistently count on is that at some point during the day, you’ll be interrupted.

But you keep your composure.  You smile.  You find a way to make that interruption a temporary priority, and you still get most of your priorities done and done well.

Don’t let the frustrations of interruptions keep you from being your best.  Continue to do a good job because that’s who you are, that’s what you do, and that’s what the job requires.  Handle Interruptions Heroically.

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From Employees to Teammates: The Shift – 6/11/24

Posted on June 11, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Be a great teammate. Be a good team player. We’re all part of the team. We’re no longer employees, we’re team members!

The phrase “Team” is used in describing co-workers so much more than it was used years ago.  Then, we would be talking about employees, talking about staff, talking about divisions or departments or agencies.

But today, we’re all asked to be part of a team.  But what does that really mean, particularly in customer service?

Attitude and Empathy:  Much of what goes into being a good teammate relates to the attitude that you bring. You’re part of a group dynamic with the others on your team.  Try to convey an attitude of positivity rather than negativity or apathy.  Talk about what you get to do as opposed to what you have to do.  Consider the impact of your role or responsibilities on teammates by understanding their roles and responsibilities, their priorities.  Bring empathy to your team.

Communication and Collaboration:  Convey what you know, not hiding information to garner power.  Work with others, not purely working in silos.  Most issues in work – and to some extent in life – boil down to communication.  And it’s easier to work toward a common goal if you communicate well and collaborate.

Actions and Accountability:  With 11 players on a football field, a pro football coach often talks about how his players need to “do their 1/11th.”  He means two things by this; first, don’t expect others to do your work for you.  Make sure you’re pulling your weight.  Second, try to get your job done before you wade too much into the waters of others’ responsibilities.  If we try to do others’ jobs without trusting them to do theirs, there’s always a chance we don’t do ours well, and we could also alienate those teammates.  Accountability?  When you mess up, acknowledge, apologize, learn from it, and move on.  We’re better teammates if we complement our responsibilities with our accountability.

Intentionally shift from employee to teammate.

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Nurture New Relationships – 6/4/24

Posted on June 4, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Freddie was a new business owner in town.  He was launching a franchise, had acquired some funding from a local bank, and was in search of staff who cared about customer service.

All the while, he was in the process of renovating a storefront for his business, so he was dealing with the local municipality a lot on plans and inspections.  But to Freddie, the process was shockingly easy.  Well, maybe the process wasn’t easy, but going through the process was easy.

For the most part, submitting plans through the web portal, getting comments on plans and getting inspections scheduled and conducted was typical. Getting results of the inspections and correcting issues – these were all fairly standard processes – sometimes cumbersome, sometimes clunky or not self-evident.

The Secret Weapon

But Freddie had a secret weapon; the municipality in this community had a navigator position.  This was essentially a governmental point person to help business owners and developers work through all the different processes that they had to deal with for remodels, renovations, new development, etc.  No matter what area of the city or county that Freddie was dealing with, the navigator helped him through the process.

The navigator not only met with Freddie upfront when he first submitted his plans, but the navigator conducted what was akin to an onboarding session like you would do for a new employee.  The navigator set up bi-weekly calls with Freddie to ensure he was on track, and would have as-needed communications to help through issues.

See Him as an Individual

The navigator learned about Freddie as well as learning about his project.  The navigator would send Freddie information in advance of when he needed it to help him to prep for the next step and make sure he kept things on time and on budget.

The navigator’s name was Helen.  And while this seemingly fairy tale experience did not end with the main characters getting married, it did end with Helen having started and nurtured a relationship on behalf of the municipality with the new business owner.

Think about the new customers you have and how they and their needs are so different than those of your existing customers.  Intentionally map out a process and approach to help them navigate any pitfalls.  Dedicate resources to onboard these clients, nurture relationships, and grow your business by helping them to grow their success with a great customer experience.

Nurture New Relationships.

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