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Have a Game Plan to Address Their Anxiety - 10/8/24


It seems like we all get deliveries - whether it is UPS, USPS, FedEx, Amazon, the local courier, or all the above.  We order.  They deliver.  Or do they? It’s times like these, when we’re expecting that package, that item that we’re looking forward to or need urgently or are Read more

How Persistence Saved the Day - 10/1/24


Sherrie saw the customer walk into her store holding his cell phone, and Sherrie immediately knew that was William.  She had spoken to William on the phone about an hour ago, he said he would be at Sherrie’s cell phone store in less than an hour, and there he Read more

Notice the Little Changes - 9/24/24


“My, how times have changed.” Yes, times have changed.  As a matter of fact, one of the biggest reasons why an organization’s customer service deteriorates is that times have changed…customers have changed…and the company has not… If we think about customer service delivery today v. decades ago, changes in technology alone Read more

Don’t Hurry…Be Quick - 9/17/24


No, this is not a take off on the Bobby McFerrin song:  Don’t Worry Be Happy. It’s actually a take off on the John Wooden quote:  Be quick, but don’t hurry. When I read Wooden’s book with this title, I liked the concept, and not just because John Wooden was a Read more

4 Actions for the Customer - 9/10/24


One way to look at the difference between proactive and reactive is that proactive is something that’s often done before it absolutely has to be done.  Maybe it’s something done that really doesn’t have to occur, but your professionalism takes over, and some action or communication that you know Read more

Don’t Kick the Problem Down the Road - 9/3/24


The error was obvious.  Shania is a clerk at a local government office, and she could tell that something was wrong with the permit request.  She was about to reject the request because the address was invalid. If this would have been handled like the normal process, Shania would have Read more

Reflect the Best of Your Customers - 8/27/24


When Alice walks into a business, whether it’s a restaurant or government building, whether it’s a Goodwill or a grocery store, she has a certain way about her.  She’s the customer, and it’s not unusual to hear her say to the employee:  Thanks for being here today! It’s not unusual Read more

Create Your Personal Motto - 8/20/24


Take a look at these mottos: It’s the real thing. Just Do It. Have it your way. Betcha can’t eat just one. Breakfast of champions. Do you know the companies?  The answers are at the bottom of this tip. So why am I asking you about mottos?  And why do almost all of them make me Read more

Create MAGIC with Your Customers - 8/13/24


Years ago, we worked with the Orlando Magic in the NBA, and they needed more consistency in their customer service – they needed a standard of engagement with the fans and their account holders.  They were trying to identify the “Orlando Magic Way” – their desired customer experience with Read more

Build Strong Customer Connections - 8/6/24


We’ve worked in health care, education, local government, finance, pro sports, and many other industries.  And while our clients’ customers are often different, their specific scenarios for engaging those customers are different, and policies and procedures are different - there’s one thing that is pretty similar.  And that is Read more

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Riding the Train to Better Customer Service

Posted on June 13, 2012 in Business Advice, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

For those of you from “my era,” you may remember the song “Metro” by the rock group Berlin. The singer was on a train from Paris to London, met her boyfriend in a pouring rain, and he was “Swimming through apologies.”

Well the group Berlin must have been ahead of its time, because there is a modern day Metro that apparently got tired of giving apologies, and they decided to do something about it.

In the article Metro To Revamp Customer Service, the author discusses how the Fairfax Metro system is creating a new customer service program. After dealing with numerous complaints, the Metro has created a “Customer Service Action Plan” to improve the customer experience. Let’s quickly review the key plan points:

  • Provide customer service training
  • Put new electronic displays in the train stations
  • Improve their payment card system
  • Upgrade the stations themselves with better lighting and other improvements
  • Address and communicate better about security and youth behavior.

If we take a broad assessment of these key points, they deal with the impact of staff on the experience, process improvement, facility layout/signage, external communications, and safety. From that broad perspective, that’s very good. That deals with people, processes, and products. It deals with communications to the public. So we like the comprehensive nature of what they’re trying to do. So what are they missing?

How will they reinforce the importance of customer service and skills with staff after the training? What will they do to ensure the trains run on time? How can they ensure that processes (other than payment processes) are quick and self-evident?

When you think of revamping your organization’s customer experience, be comprehensive enough to address your people, processes, and products. But don’t just do something that will make an impact today. Incorporate plans to continually communicate and improve the experience in the future.

Ride the train to GREAT customer service!

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

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