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2025 Holiday Poem - 12/23/25


We hear the word change And that change can be good, But we like things to stay same, And sometimes they should.   The weather can be wet And then dry as a bone. We know things will change, Even if all left alone.   Our customers change. Our co-workers do, too. It seems like our resources Are often too few.   The technology Read more

Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter - 12/16/25


When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, Read more

When Kindness Means More in Customer Service - 12/9/25


Since a large part of the work we do at CSS includes customer research, we have seen tens of thousands of comments over the years about staff, and it is great to hear the positives that customers, fans, and account holders say about our clients’ team members. One word that Read more

Don’t Create the Second Complaint - 12/2/25


Maria was upset.  Rightfully so.  The product delivery was delayed, she couldn’t get anybody on the phone, and nobody would reply to her e-mails.  So, she went down to the store, and she found a customer service representative. After the initial greeting, the employee listened to Maria’s complaint.  While Maria Read more

Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer - 11/25/25


This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close - it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past. The idea of reflecting on reasons Read more

Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff - 11/18/25


An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to Read more

Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

Familying with Customers - 10/28/25


In our transactional society, it’s hard to think about customers in the long-term.  But if we want to be as successful as we can as an individual or as a business, we need to view customers through a relationship lens. What do we need to know about them to Read more

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

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Build Relationships with First-timers – 11/11/25

Posted on November 11, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need for them to have a first-time fan or first-time customer strategy for relationship development that is different from their approach with other accounts.

They have an extremely high churn rate with first-time customers, like most businesses do, so there needs to be a clear intent to strategically develop relationships with those customers, learn more about them, and personalize communications and engagement whenever possible.

We had a debrief call recently after one of our major research projects, and one of our client’s staff talked about the fact that they were starting to assign a personal service rep to the new accounts.  This is something we have encouraged for years, and we were happy that they’re doing it, but we wondered why this hadn’t been done after our many prior conversations.

The Reason for the Personal Representative

Why do customers – especially first-time customers – often prefer to have a personal representative?  It’s about ease and simplicity – having one person you know by name and who knows you by name – one point of contact, one to call, to text, to e-mail to address all their needs.  They don’t have to learn your business; they just have to know how to get in touch with Jack, their personal rep.  It could be a question about online account access, optional services, policies, fees, program functions/features, etc.  Regardless of the topic, all they have to do is call Jack.

This approach provides them a feeling of being taken care of – they know someone they can trust to help them.  It’s about their feeling valued – being able to talk to an employee they know, someone who cares about them.

If you want to build true value with your first-time customers, make it easy on them.  Build trust with the customer, convey you care about them.  Give yourself the ability to be responsive by giving them the ability to get to you easily.

Eliminate barriers to the communications that help you build relationships with new customers.

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