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Tell Customers What’s Next - 5/20/25


In most businesses that have been around for a while, how a process was originally designed is not how it currently operates.  Sometimes this change is referred to as “practical drift,” where the actual process moves further and further away from the documented steps over time.  Maybe the changes Read more

Questions to Guide You to Empathy - 5/13/25


“If I was him, I would do ABC…” If you’ve ever heard somebody say this - whether it’s a friend or acquaintance, whether it’s some TV reporter or podcaster - you may get as frustrated or as annoyed as I do. I get annoyed because we are not that other person. Read more

Negate the Nervousness - 5/6/25


The customer needed a loan, so he walked into the bank, but he was a little nervous.  He knew that launching his business would be easier if he had some working capital, but that’s about all he knew.  He was anxious because he didn’t know what to expect in Read more

Don’t Rush to Resolve Quickly - 4/29/25


The customer is angry, so you use the CSS LEAD technique as designed.  You, listen, empathize, accept responsibility, and deliver on a remedy.  But it doesn’t work.  The customer is still upset, and maybe even a little more frustrated than when you started…why?! If the use of this technique fails, Read more

Energy v. Apathy - 4/22/25


I asked a couple friends who are much more scientifically-oriented the question: What is energy?  I didn’t mean E=MC2.  I meant physiologically, what is energy? They described a lot of things that sounded really good, yet far too advanced for my non-medical mind. Part of the reason why energy is of Read more

Prep Enough to Personalize - 4/15/25


Everybody loves Howie.  He is an account rep for the local air conditioning and heating company.  When I say Everybody loves Howie, I’m definitely talking about the customers.  His co-workers love him too, but customers are especially fond of him.  They seem to really enjoy their conversations with him, Read more

Get Your Customers to Brag, Not Bolt - 4/8/25


Here are two customer retention concepts that we discuss with some sports clients: BIRG and CORF.  BIRG is Basking In Reflected Glory.  CORF is Cutting Off Reflected Failure. You want BIRG.  You want the customers feeling so good about your organization that they want to be a part of your Read more

Narrow Your Focus to Seek Excellence - 4/1/25


You’ve probably heard companies use phrases such as: “We want to go from being good to great.”  Maybe they’ve said: “We strive for perfection, and although we’ll never reach perfection, maybe we can achieve excellence along the way.” These organizations find some kind of a catch phrase or slogan, but Read more

Avoid the Unfriendly Ghost - 3/25/25


Last week we talked about the qualities of “PERKI Customer Service,” essentially what attitudes and actions are characteristics of those who provide great customer service.  This week, let’s take the opposite approach.  What are some of the mistakes that people make?  Maybe these are mistakes of omission or commission; Read more

PERKI Customer Service - 3/18/25


After having worked on hundreds of projects over the years with thousands of thousands of individuals, some things become pretty clear. There are certain traits held by people who are great in customer service.  Look at this list, and do a self-assessment.  Which apply to you? Positive and Patient Do you Read more

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Create Awareness of Alternatives – 2/4/25

Posted on February 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The line for people placing the order was so long that it almost stretched to the street; there was no line in the mobile order lane.  Luckily, Sandy had downloaded the mobile app once before, so she pulled it up on her phone, placed the order, and then moved into the mobile app lane.  She had her food in less than two minutes.

The next day, Sandy had to make a deposit into one of her accounts at the bank, and withdraw cash from another account.  She had a habit of going into the branch, but when she walked in, there were 15 customers in line with two tellers waiting on them.  While waiting for a couple minutes, she noticed the drive-thru teller in a separate room in the back.  She noticed that teller was looking at her phone and occasionally peering at her computer screen – she wasn’t busy.  So Sandy left the branch, hopped in her car, and was first in line at the drive-thru.  She was out of there in about 3 minutes.

When Sandy got home, the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.  She used her phone app to access the internet provider’s site and logged into her account; she noted the customer care phone number, so she dialed.  The system said that she was sixth in line, and the estimated hold time was 12 minutes.  She noticed a chat function on the app, so while she remained on hold, she launched a chat.  Sandy got a hold of a representative immediately, they put a ticket in, and within two minutes, they had begun remotely testing her Wi-Fi.  She hung up the call.

These are three organizations that could have had clear stories of poor customer service experiences, but luckily for them (and for Sandy!), there was an alternative option in each case.  Sandy was able to order via the mobile app.  She was able to get into her car and go through the drive-thru teller line.  She was able to initiate a chat even while she was on hold on the phone.

It was a better experience because there was an alternative option, and most of all because she was aware of the alternative.

As you strive to deliver great customer service, know the options available to your customers.  Maybe the line is long, but the line might be shorter if some member of the team informed the customer of the other options.  Maybe the wait seemed excessive, but the wait would be shorter if one of the employees could convey an alternative to the customers that might give them service quicker.

Sometimes the best thing we can do to serve our customers is to build their awareness of other ways they can get their needs met.

Create awareness of alternatives.

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Listen with Your Eyes – 1/28/25

Posted on January 28, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw the customer enter the lobby.  The customer was carrying a large shoulder bag with several papers in her hand.  The customer was shuffling the papers and looking down; then she stopped, looked up, and saw the staff navigator sitting at the desk.

The customer quickly walked to the navigator, said something, got a response from the navigator, and then looked around the lobby.  The eyes of the customer stopped when she saw the sign above Patrick’s area.  She turned and smiled at the navigator and nodded, and then the customer briskly walked toward Patrick.

How the Customer Waited

She saw a little sign-in kiosk right in front of Patrick’s area, signed in, got a number, and sat down.  Patrick received notification that she was #37, and he was working with customer #35.  Occasionally, Patrick glanced at customer #37; she never took out a phone.  She was looking at the papers fervently, and she was using a pencil to write and erase certain things.

When a particular song came on in the lobby, Patrick noticed that she started tapping her feet, and she paused her review of the papers.  After a couple seconds, she went back to her papers and kept the foot tapping.

In the 8 minutes that the customer was in the lobby before Patrick called for customer #37, Patrick had noticed the customer and her mannerisms for about 30 seconds total.  But a lot of things were clear to him. They were clear to him because he was listening to her gestures, expressions and body language, even though he couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

What Patrick Learned

Patrick knew that this was someone who had never been to the office before.  She was somebody who didn’t have her whole game plan together, and she was formulating her questions and how to express them as she waited.  She was not tech savvy, or at least not technology-focused.  Although she seemed a little nervous and in a rush, a little frazzled as well, she seemed like a pleasant person.  She appeared to be somebody who liked music and knew how to relax herself in the moment.

Patrick knew that she had settled herself down and had started to get her thoughts together, but she would likely have questions and follow-up questions to address whatever her issue or need was at that time.  Patrick had an impression of her without ever having spoken to her.

How This Helps Us

When we’re face-to-face with others, we have the same opportunity that Patrick had – to observe and try to understand others even beyond what they say, even if we haven’t even spoken to them.  Sometimes these observations and the resulting conclusions are accurate.  Sometimes…not so much.  But with face-to-face conversations, words only tell part of the story.

By watching the body language, the gestures, the movements, it helps you to read the other person and glean a little bit more about what’s going on inside that individual.

And if you get a chance to make these observations even before you speak to the other person, you can better prepare for the encounter.

Listen with your eyes.

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When You’re the Educator, What Should You Teach? – 1/21/25

Posted on January 21, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

The best customer service professionals are also excellent educators.  Not only within the organization, but I’m talking specifically about the role they play as educator with their customers.  With all the self-service options that technology provides, customers often have the opportunity to do things on their own, to investigate on their own, to address issues on their own.

Unfortunately, technology is not always self-evident.  It doesn’t always think like customers think.  It doesn’t often convey what the customer needs to know when they need to know it in a way that the customer can absorb, understand, and use moving forward.

So, if we want to be the best of customer service professionals, we need to be excellent educators.

Let’s say we have a customer named Christopher.  About what do we need to build Christopher’s awareness?  What does Christopher need to know to get things done?  What knowledge does Christopher need to build in order to have the best experience possible with our organization?

Ask yourself (or your customers) these types of questions, because these questions build your understanding of what content is required in your educational endeavors with customers.

Does Christopher need to be more aware of technology options such as mobile apps, self-service website functions, chat functions, automated phone options?  And does he need to know how to navigate those mechanisms?  Does he need to know how to place in order, how to check status, how to follow-up directly with the right person, how to see if a service is completed or a delivery has been made?  Does Christopher need to know the services available, the features available, the different ways to experience your product or your service, your event or your facility?

To strengthen your role as an educator of customers, first identify what the key content is where they need to be more knowledgeable or better trained.

Identify what THEY need to know in order to have the best experience possible.

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