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Gaining the Benefits of the Greeter- 6/30/26


Most likely, we’ve all entered some establishment – a retail store, restaurant, or service center - when there is a greeter at the door.  The most famous greeter position is probably the Walmart greeter.  I often thought that my father-in-law would have been a fantastic Walmart greeter, because he Read more

Seamlessness - Why the Customer Thanked You - 6/23/26


This doesn’t happen enough nowadays, but the employee received a long thank you e-mail from the customer.  A financial services account manager had taken care of the client during a period of time that was stressful for the customer. Life was unexpectedly changing quickly, and personal emotions, additional financial responsibilities, Read more

When to Avoid the Escalation - 6/16/26


The customer calls with a complaint, and the easy thing to do is to escalate it to your supervisor. That may also be the right thing to do, but how do you know when to avoid the escalation? Why You Would Escalate The first thing to consider is why you would Read more

Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

Reciprocate the Thanks - 5/19/26


Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience. The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied Read more

Don’t Skip the Recap - 5/12/26


The playoff hockey game goes on for almost 3 hours.  There’s non-stop action, with plenty of penalties and takeaways and hits against the boards…and a few goals, as well. You didn’t get to watch the whole game because you had other plans, but you wanted to know what happened.  So, Read more

Finalize the Solution with the 6 Step Checklist - 5/5/26


In last week’s Tip, we showed why and how to Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue.  We noted the importance of taking 15 seconds to mentally walk through the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to feel confident that you know what’s needed to fix Read more

Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue - 4/28/26


We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward. But what are you trying to clarify?  What are you trying to Read more

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Sharpen Your Service Delivery – 1/9/24

Posted on January 9, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

You work so hard at being responsive and providing high quality information.  You work hard at fixing problems.  But is your delivery…dull?

I’m not saying that it has to be exciting, but let’s think of the word “exciting.”  It means that something’s interesting, has energy, is positive.  Just by its nature, excitement attracts others, usually involves others.

Now let’s define “dull.”  It means that something doesn’t keep interest.  It’s not sharp.  It brings to the mind images of yawns, of boredom, of sleep.  Something that’s dull makes the mind wander.

Are you attracted to something that keeps your interest…or are you attracted to things that don’t?  Do you prefer interactions that engage you…or those that make your mind wander?  Are you more interested in something that has energy…or something that doesn’t?  Do you prefer something with a positive nature…or something that lacks positivity?

For your service to be effective, functionally it needs to fix the problem, respond quickly, and provide accurate and helpful information.  But for your service to be a relationship-builder, it needs to keep the customer’s interest, to engage the customer, to convey energy, and to be put forth in a positive nature.

As a customer service professional, think not only of what you deliver, also consider how your service is received from the customer’s perspective.  Work to keep the customer engaged, to make the interaction interesting, to convey your energy, and to be a positive part of their day.

Identify aspects of your interactions (your way of speaking with or writing to others) and your service processes that are “dull,” and seek to serve in a more engaging manner.

Sharpen your service delivery by keeping customers engaged and interested…in a positive way.

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Make Empathy Your Superpower – 1/2/24

Posted on January 2, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

I was facilitating a Service Excellence Training class for a Higher Ed client in the Northeast several years back.  As I was walking through the portions of our technique for defusing the angry customer, I talked about empathy.  I talked about accepting responsibility.

Immediately, one of the hands in the room went up.  The employee said: I would never make statements like you’re suggesting.  Once you start saying you’re sorry or once you start acknowledging their feelings, they’re going to sense that you’re weak.  They’re gonna walk all over you.

I was a little bit taken aback initially, but not because somebody was challenging the technique.  Primarily, I was surprised somebody would consider it a weakness to be empathetic.  Somebody might consider it a weakness to accept responsibility.

I’ve always viewed empathy as a strength.  It’s a higher level of awareness, a higher level of caring for another person.  Being willing to look outside yourself to understand the unique needs and situations of another.  It’s a strength to have emotional awareness of others.  These are strong, positive attributes.

Now, I understand the employee’s point was that if you ‘put down your guard,’ if you acknowledge the other person, they may feel that they can berate you, or get you to do things on their behalf that are against policy, not ethical, or not the acceptable procedure.  But what he was suggesting was to maintain a defensive posture.  To not acknowledge the issue or any company responsibility.

What empathy does is to help the customer feel that you care, and to more quickly move you to a next step.  What lack of empathy does is to create a stalemate, to bog down the conversation, to S-L-O-W progress toward a resolution, and to ramp up the negative emotions.

Use empathy to make the customer feel better, to feel heard and understood.  But use it also because it saves you time, it keeps down emotions, and it moves the conversation along.

Use empathy as a strength.  Make it your superpower.

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Holiday Poem 2023 – 12/26/23

Posted on December 26, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The days are getting longer,

The skies are getting brighter.

Festivities behind us,

And festivities before us.

 

There’s ups and downs and change coming,

And we can’t predict when or where.

There’s challenges and joys and opportunities around,

Of which you may or may not be aware.

 

But one thing we know as we look at each day,

Is that there’s always a means to find the good way.

There’s a way to push through and a way to overcome.

There’s a way to deal with the trials that come.

There’s a way to celebrate when the good things occur.

There’s a way to see positives as challenges occur.

 

Maybe it’s tough to feel positive as we go into each day.

It’s unreasonable to push all negatives away.

But part of the way that we see in all some good

Is to open our eyes and seek what is true.

 

So on those days when inside when we’re not feeling so good,

There is one thing we can do if we allow ourselves to.

Look for good that is already there,

It’s the flowers and the pets, the smell of something good in the air.

 

Seek out those who laugh and who bring you joy.

Allow yourself to walk toward those whose company you enjoy.

Look around for something funny, something comforting, something sweet.

Reach out to someone whose company you’ll enjoy for a meet.

 

At times when it’s tough to feel good from within,

Be intentional about seeking good from those around you then.

 

I hope you have joy in the upcoming year.

And for the tough days…

Seek those who share love and good cheer.

 

Happy Holidays!

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