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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

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

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Who is Your Retention Director?

Posted on November 2, 2010 in Business Advice, Education Please leave a comment

Lamar University was just nominated for an award by the State of Texas. In the article titled “Mentoring program selected as finalist for Texas Higher Education Award” (http://www.lamar.edu/newsevents/news/207_8985.htm), Lamar’s African-American Male Professional Connections Mentoring Program is in the running for the prestigious award.

There are two especially interesting points in the article. First, the person interviewed from Lamar references how the sense of community on-campus (while the individual is a student) helps to lead to long-term involvement of alums post-graduation. So that sense of community is a huge driver of retention.

Second – and equally as compelling – is a point only referenced once in the article but which is key to any successful retention program. The individual from Lamar who was interviewed is the “Interim Associate Provost for Student Retention.” That’s right, his title puts him in charge of retention.

Think about all the initiatives that organizations have underway to improve the customer experience, or to retain students, to renew season ticket holders, or to enhance customer service. The ultimate goal of each is client retention and growth. But who is truly accountable in your organization for client retention and growth? Is it a committee, a team, a group…anybody?

By having someone with the title, an accountability structure is put in place, priorities are set, resources are dedicated, time is allotted. In other words, this University must be serious.

Make sure your organization is serious about retention. Make sure you have a designated team or person who is your Mr. or Ms. Retention.

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


Poll the Kids?

Posted on October 5, 2010 in Business Advice, Education Please leave a comment

In a recent article on azcentral.com (http://www.azcentral.com/community/phoenix/articles/2010/09/23/20100923glendale-deer-valley-district-poll.html), the Arizona Republic notes how a local school district polled students on such aspects of the school experience as safety, friendship, and the likelihood to graduate.

Our firm conducts these studies for many of our clients as well as providing mystery shopping services at the primary education, community college, and university levels. And while you can argue with some of the methodologies used for delivering the survey, what makes the information in the article particularly interesting is the fact that the survey asked about the student as a person – it asked about their personal feelings.

Think about your customers; when you conduct surveys, you’re often asking about demographics, preferences in products, certain aspects of the customer service you provide or your facilities and processes. But many customers create an affinity for the businesses they patronize based on how that company makes them feel, about how the experience makes them feel.

So why not ask them about their feelings?

One of the last things you want from a customer is apathy; so the best way to identify those that are apathetic is to ask about their feelings. Remember that 2/3rd of lost business is because the customer feels like you don’t care. So if their feelings contribute to their loss, you need to get in the habit of asking about their feelings.

Look at your surveys, and ensure they address how your customers feel about their relationship with your company, how they feel about the experience they have in interacting with your business – the people, processes, facility, and website.

To get a feel for your customer’s true satisfaction, ask how they feel.

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


Are Your People and Processes Stressed?

Posted on August 5, 2010 in Business Advice, Education Please leave a comment

Growing too fast? That is actually a problem some organizations are having. Even in this tough economy, community colleges, for example, are busting at the seams.

With unemployment high, getting low-cost, high quality targeted education is in more demand than in any time in recent memory. But just like throwing a baseball as fast as possible can highlight flaws in a pitcher’s delivery or swinging a golf club as fast as you can highlights flaws in the swing, so does having tremendous student demand highlight operational flaws for community colleges.

We were recently contacted by a community college which is engaging us to mystery shop their registration and financial aid processes. Their concern is that their processes and people are being pushed by the new volumes, and they’re also concerned about the customer experience that results. What are employee attitudes like? Are staff patient or rushed? How long are the waits, and how does the organization manage waits? Are there unnecessary delays and paperwork in the process? How many steps are in the processes, and how long do they take?

There are many questions to answer – questions that become more and more important as organizations’ people and processes are stretched to the limit.

Where are your people and processes stretched too far? Maybe it’s not because you’re growing too fast; in this economy, maybe it’s because you’re trying to do more and more with less and less.

Find out if this new normal in today’s economy has created a new experience for your customers.

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

Check out our new customer service book at http://www.amigreatat.com/


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