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Create Awareness of Alternatives - 2/4/25


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 Read more

Listen with Your Eyes - 1/28/25


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 Read more

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


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 Read more

Wrap It Up Right: Why Follow-Up Communications WOW Customers - 1/14/25


Dena had some questions about her water bill, so she looked for answers on the utility’s website.  She didn’t find specific answers, and she really didn’t want to get on the phone with somebody at the time and risk staying on hold.  She had lots going on, but she Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

Self-empower for the New Year - 12/31/24


Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership. The reality was Read more

2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks - 12/3/24


Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias! It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of "Thank You” noted above.  Read more

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Making the Computer the Patient’s Friend

Posted on May 22, 2013 in Business Advice, Healthcare Please leave a comment

I had migraines – bad ones. It got to the point where I was taking aspirin almost daily, temporarily getting rid of the headache but also having painful effects on my stomach.

So my wife “encouraged” me to see a migraine specialist (or – as I put it – my headache doctor). And – over time – it worked; I haven’t taken an aspirin since that first visit 5-6 years ago, and my headaches rarely come back. But the reason I’m sharing this is that I read a study recently that reminded me of my headache doctor.

In 2012, the American Medical Association came out with a report on the use and impact of computers in exam room interactions between physicians and patients. The first time I ever had a physician appointment where a doctor utilized a computer in the room during my appointment was with my headache doctor. She used it to document notes, write prescriptions, review my history, and do many other tasks while I was with her – but it was never an issue. She used it well…

  • She positioned the computer where I could see what she was doing (so I didn’t have concerns about what she was documenting)
  • She didn’t complain about the computer (so there was no negativity added to the conversation)
  • She explained what she was doing (so I knew the reason she was documenting while I was present)
  • She was effective at navigating the application (so that the process didn’t delay treatment)
  • And she balanced her viewing of the computer with her eye contact with me as she typed (so I continued to feel important to her).

These are good lessons for anyone using the technology in front of the customer. The computer (or tablet or smart phone) doesn’t have to be a barrier to great customer service. It just needs to be used correctly.

Make the computer the patient’s friend.

Listen to our latest customer service podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/


Internal Customer Service Defined

Posted on May 8, 2013 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

He laughed at me. I didn’t take it personally since it was just a natural reaction to something I said.

A few years back, I was in a meeting with a group of small business owners who were designing a method of evaluating different companies to win a community customer service award. As we were building the criteria, I talked about the need to include questions about “Internal Customers.”

One of the business owners asked what that meant, and I stated that it addresses co-workers – the idea is that we need to treat co-workers as customers. He laughed and said “that’s the craziest thing I ever heard!”

Maybe the concept was odd to him because he didn’t treat his staff with courtesy, respect, and responsiveness. Or maybe he just didn’t fully grasp my definition of “internal customer.”

The easiest way to think of who is your internal customer is to think of who in your company relies on you. What co-worker, supervisor, direct report, or other personnel rely on you to get their job done? Who relies on you to provide them information, technology, decisions, or answers that allow them to help their customer? Which co-workers do you impact by what you do, how responsive you are, and how you interact with them?

These are the people – the co-workers – that need the same level of respect, quick turnaround, positive attitudes, attentiveness, issue resolution, and general courtesy as your external customer.

Get comfortable with the idea of “Internal Customers.” Who relies on you?

Listen to our latest podcast episode of “Stepping Up Service” on The MESH Network at http://themesh.tv/stepping-up-service/

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


I’d like a burger, fries, and some customer service, please…

Posted on April 17, 2013 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

Is it too much to ask to get some consistently good customer service from a fast food restaurant?

Well, according to the article McDonald’s customer service push irritates some franchisees, yes, it is too much to ask. Apparently McDonald’s corporate has acknowledged a need to improve its customer service, but some franchisees aren’t too happy. It’s not that the franchisees don’t care about customer service (I’m making a BIG assumption here with some franchisees), but they are first and foremost concerned with profits. And profits are driven by product margins, volumes, and efficiencies, right?

Apparently, McDonald’s corporate is also pushing the Dollar Menu (lower margins) and promoting offerings (such as wraps) that are less efficient to produce at the franchise level.

This issue is actually a microcosm of what a high percentage of businesses have experienced in the last 20+ years with the advent of rapid technological advances. The improvements in technology and ease of market entry for competitors have driven down prices in many industries, negatively impacting gross margins. Also, as customer service have expanded from primarily phone and face-to-face to include social media, smart phones, and other communication vehicles, the process of delivering customer service has become more complex.

So I feel the pain of the McDonald’s franchisee…really…I do. But at some point they need to look at customer service more strategically as a source of retention, additional revenues, upsells, cross-sells, profitability, and long-term viability and growth. If they did, they wouldn’t be focused as much on gross margin concerns. Instead they’d be focused on those things which they control which truly drive long-term client retention and growth. They’d make their own decision to focus more on customer service.

What do you think about the franchisees’ concerns and the state of customer service in fast food restaurants?

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


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