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Slowing Down the Fast Talker - 3/24/26


Jeffrey had always been told by his manager to figure out the issue quickly and wrap up the conversation as fast as possible.  So, Jeffrey was hyper-focused at finding that one key word that could identify the issue and help him to transition quickly to what might be some possible Read more

Don’t Bury the Lede - 3/17/26


Mary was working at the office, and she received an e-mail alert from the water company.  There was a water outage in her neighborhood.  It looked like it was going to be a couple hours to fix the issue. Sure enough, a few hours later around mid-afternoon, Mary received another Read more

Confirm the Real Issue Before You Start Solving - 3/10/26


Have you ever gone “down the rabbit hole?”  It involves going deep into some topic, some discussion – with analysis that creates complexity as much as it resolves it.  And that dive into the rabbit hole often starts with a simple question. Going down that rabbit hole takes time and Read more

One Question to Prevent a Follow-up Call - 3/3/26


The way some performance metrics work, you would think companies would prefer for their staff to talk to the same customer 4 times on the same topic for 8 minutes each rather than talking to them once for 10 minutes.  Many management metrics are too focused on average length Read more

Stay Calm When the Customer Isn’t - 2/24/26


There are all sorts of others’ emotions that you have to deal with as a customer service professional.  The other person could be anxious or upset, they could be angry or agitated.  It can run the gamut of emotions, but for you to deal with them in the best Read more

Don’t Begin with the Dead End in Mind - 2/17/26


Habit #2 of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Successful People” is “Begin with the End in Mind.”  It speaks to the need to have a clear vision or goal for what you’re trying to ultimately achieve, so you understand the purpose of what you’re doing.  It helps you Read more

Explain without Over Explaining - 2/10/26


The customer has a question, and we have an answer.  They need to learn something, and we’re in the position to be the educator.  There’s a process they have to go through, and we need them to understand. We know so much, and we could impart so much, but sometimes Read more

Look for a Stop Sign - 2/3/26


As a customer service professional, what you say matters.  The information you’re providing is useful.  The direction you’re giving the other person is helpful.  But... As you’re speaking, you also need to be reading.  Reading the other person.  Watching the customer, determining whether and how they’re receiving what you’re sharing.  Read more

When They Want the Supervisor - 1/27/26


Maybe you did your best with the customer, or maybe the customer didn’t even give you a chance.  They want to talk to your supervisor.  They see you, notice your title does not have “supervisor” or “manager” or “director” or “President and CEO” in it, so they want to Read more

Identify Your Point of Empathy - 1/20/26


I was watching a webinar recently on empathy.  The speaker mentioned that empathy - to a large extent - is something that you are born with.  It’s something that’s very difficult to learn.  And while I agree that some people are predisposed to being empathetic and understanding of others Read more

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Patience is… – 3/4/25

Posted on March 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Patience is a…pain in the neck.  Why is it so hard to be patient?  Those of us who work in customer service know that we constantly have to show patience with our customers.  We’re ready to move to the next step or the solution because we’ve heard this issue 100 times, but the customer is still telling their story, and they waited 15 minutes on the phone to get to us, so they don’t exactly want to get rushed through their opening statement.

We’re ready to end the meeting, but our boss decides to wax eloquent about something she did in college that deals with fishing or football or physics, and we’re supposed to somehow relate this to our day-to-day job.  So, we have to be patient.

Our new co-worker asks 1,000 questions, and we have 1,000 answers, but we don’t have 1,000 hours.  We have to be patient.

Patience Quotes

Cato said that “Patience is the greatest of all virtues.”

Kierkegaard said “Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown.”

There’s an old saying that “Patience doesn’t always help, but impatience never does.”

And here’s my favorite – from Lec.  I have no idea who he/she is, but it’s a good quote: “You have to have a lot of patience to learn patience.”

Patience Tests

For many of us, the skills that we need to learn most are the skills that are most tested.  And when it comes to personal interactions with people less knowledgeable on a topic than we are in customer service, people who are a little bit more anxious or upset, people who don’t quite appreciate all the different plates we have spinning at any given point in time – those types of conversations require extra patience.

Patience Positives

So when you show patience, realize you are doing something virtuous.  Realize that it might not reap you any immediate benefits, but it will help down the road.  Realize that showing impatience and interrupting others rarely leads to the right tone and a positive outcome.  And realize that you’re likely showing a lot of patience when you’re put in positions where you’re having to learn patience.

 Patience is…a virtue in customer service.

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How Persistence Saved the Day – 10/1/24

Posted on October 1, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 stood.

William looked as flustered in person as he sounded over the phone.

“Hi there, my name is Sherrie; can I help you?”

“Oh, thank goodness it’s you, Sherrie. I’m William. We spoke on the phone a little while ago.”

“Thanks for coming by,” said Sherrie.  “You said you’d be here in an hour, and you’re right on the dot.  Thanks!  So, I know you had mentioned that the phone could make calls, but none of the apps seem to be working; is that correct?”

As William and Sherrie worked together to try to address the issues, she could sense his frustration, and she could see why.  She was having trouble getting any apps to work, as well.  She tried to reboot, she tried different types of technical changes on the phone, and nothing was doing the job.  The phone could make calls, but it could do little else with the apps.

Sherrie spent about 45 minutes with William, and as she troubleshooted and tried various solutions, she explained what she was doing – noting each step she was taking, and why.

Even though she was getting a little frustrated herself internally that the phone wouldn’t work as it should, she presented some hope to William.

Eventually, Sherrie found the solution, the phone was fixed!  William could make calls, he could text his family, he could take pictures, and he could play his favorite games again.

Sherrie dealt with the customer’s emotions, her own emotions, and an uncooperative cell phone.  She fixed the problem with the device, and she made sure she was managing the person and his concerns along the way.  Sherrie not only showed great customer service, but she was very persistent with the task at hand.

Nowadays, many people seem to lack patience.  Convey some patience to your customer by showing persistence to address their need.

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

Posted on May 28, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 took a little while longer than normal, but all the paperwork was completed right the first time, and the customer walked away feeling comfortable with what they did and confident in the company.

The nurse dispenses meds to many patients every day, and she always puts the pills in a little cup for the patients to take; but one patient is much more receptive to taking the meds if they’re put in a spoon.  So, the nurse makes sure that, for that one patient, there’s a spoon available.  It takes a few extra seconds to get the spoon, but the patient is less hesitant to take the medication, and the encounter is much more pleasant.

The high school central office staff person is answering call after call. The questions are usually pretty simple, or she quickly identifies where to route the call.  Despite the many calls she gets, with each one, she slowly and pleasantly introduces herself, notes the area she’s located, and makes a warm greeting to the caller.

Each employee is being patient.  Each has a task to do, and they could spend less time doing it in the moment, but the experience would not be as good from the customer’s perspective.  The perception of the employee would not be as positive.  And the total time required to handle those encounters, could easily be longer if the employee was not so patient.

For example, maybe the financial services person would need a second meeting because the customer didn’t feel comfortable with how the Q&A was going.  Maybe the nurse would have a longer and more challenging conversation with the patient, trying to get her to take the meds out of a cup.  Maybe that caller into the central office gets transferred incorrectly, and it wastes a co-worker’s time because the central office staff person was trying to move the call along too quickly.

Rarely does patience hurt the customer experience in the short-term, and it will infrequently take up excessive company resources in the long-term.

Convey a little extra patience to create a little more positivity.

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