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Use AI to Improve Your Performance - 7/23/24


Many companies are integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into some aspect of their business.  This could greatly change how they operate, how they communicate with customers. This AI wave reminds me of a story from 20+ years ago when a stock brokerage firm launched a new website that greatly enhanced the Read more

The New Burger Experience - 7/16/24


Floyd loves a good hamburger. Any chance he gets to try a new spin on an old standby, he takes it. Recently, a burger joint opened near his house, and Floyd was very excited! It was owned by and named for a world-renowned chef, so it had to be Read more

Boost Customer Happiness - 7/9/24


There’s a cooking show that a friend of mine watches, and the premise is all about reverse engineering food.  They may take a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, analyze it, and determine the ingredients just by tasting it.  Then they figure out a recipe.  The cook will try to make Read more

Brainstorm to Better Yourself - 7/2/24


I’ve led enough sessions with clients on continuous improvement topics to have solid experience on how to lead ideation exercises, brainstorming to develop new ideas.  Oftentimes these sessions start with the right question; the first answers may not be the ultimate solution, but they can serve as a jumping Read more

The Power of the Pause - 6/25/24


When I’m facilitating a meeting, and it feels like it’s going off-track or the discussion is going a little longer than it should, I may say something like “let me pause the conversation so that…” or “let’s pause just for a minute and consider…” I don’t like the word STOP. Read more

Handle Interruptions Heroically - 6/18/24


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 Read more

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


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 Read more

Nurture New Relationships - 6/4/24


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 Read more

There’s Positivity in Patience - 5/28/24


The employee at the financial services firm was working with a new client on a relatively simple loan.  The documentation was about as clear as it could get to the employee, but the customer had lots of questions.  The employee calmly, clearly, and specifically answered each question.  The meeting Read more

The Goal – A Great Experience - 5/21/24


The following is a narrative of a great experience (people, process, service, facility) at a minor league sporting event – key points that could apply to any business are in bold… Mark and I pulled into the parking lot, excited about the game.  The Slapshots had been on a roll Read more

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Quick Customer Service Technique Tips

Posted on March 21, 2011 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

Here are some quick hits for anyone in customer service…

  • To be great a customer service, you have to WANT to be great at customer service. Few people in history have been great without trying, practicing, improving, without WANTING to be great.
  • Did Michael Jordan just want to shoot hoops, or did he want to be great?
  • Did Dale Earnhardt just want to drive, or did he want to win races?
  • Did Abe Lincoln just want to manage, or did he want to lead this country to be better than it was?
  • Did Walt Disney just want to draw, or did he want to entertain in bigger, better, more personalized ways?

So to be great at customer service, make sure you’ve at least mastered these basics as a starting point:

  • Always answer the phone stating your department/organization, your name, and asking a question to start the conversation. A professional greeting should take less than 2 seconds.
  • When a customer is complaining, let them vent, empathize, and apologize or at least say “I’m sorry that happened to you…”
  • When closing a typical conversation, thank them for their business, their question, their inquiry, sharing their concern. Be memorable – in a positive way.
  • Be aware of your tone of voice on the phone – 86% of people judge you on the phone by your voice, not what you say.
  • Be aware of your body language and gestures when you’re face-to-face – 55% of people judge your body language, not your tone or what you say when you’re face-to-face.
  • Read the other person; are they anxious, angry, impatient, happy, upset? Tailor your interaction to address their emotion.
  • View your co-workers as customers. Even if you don’t interact with the consumer, the information or service you provide to your co-worker, the timeliness and attitude with which you provide the information or service – they impact your co-worker’s ability to serve that consumer.

These are a few quick tips to start your week.

Have a great one!

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

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