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Let’s be Clear on Clarity - 6/9/26


When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?” Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic Read more

Allow Yourself to Solve a Couple Puzzles Every Day - 6/2/26


Frank had never been a dog owner before, and when he first got Bosco at the shelter, Frank didn't really know what he was doing.  He would try to be a good parent - feed the dog, play with it, take it on walks - but he was doing Read more

Improve with a Purpose - 5/26/26


If you’re reading these customer service tips, you likely want to get better.  You want an idea, a technique, a reinforcement, or a question that helps you improve. But why improve? At some point you may waver on the commitment to improve, because it can take effort, introspection, time, and change.  Read more

Reciprocate the Thanks - 5/19/26


Jasmine had a great experience with the company, and the company sent her a link to provide an online evaluation following the visit.  So, she clicked the link, gave a rating, and made a comment about her experience. The company monitored their online reviews, saw the positive response, and replied Read more

Don’t Skip the Recap - 5/12/26


The playoff hockey game goes on for almost 3 hours.  There’s non-stop action, with plenty of penalties and takeaways and hits against the boards…and a few goals, as well. You didn’t get to watch the whole game because you had other plans, but you wanted to know what happened.  So, Read more

Finalize the Solution with the 6 Step Checklist - 5/5/26


In last week’s Tip, we showed why and how to Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue.  We noted the importance of taking 15 seconds to mentally walk through the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to feel confident that you know what’s needed to fix Read more

Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue - 4/28/26


We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward. But what are you trying to clarify?  What are you trying to Read more

Use the Customer’s Words - 4/21/26


The customer is describing a problem on what they call their “computer.” They mentioned that the “screen” doesn’t “move from one page to the other.” They say that the “website’s name is typed at the top,” and it says sample.com with a “line, and then it says ‘home’ after Read more

Affirming the Customer with Empathy - 4/14/26


We’ve spoken and written about empathy for the 20+ years of these customer service tips, noting empathy as the most important quality any individual can have if they want to be great at customer service.  We’ve shared that - in order to serve our customers most effectively – it’s Read more

The Power of Teaching While Helping - 4/7/26


If you’re trying to develop a relationship with the customer rather than just simply handling their transaction and moving on, you are taking a long-term view.  You realize that that individual is someone you want to keep with your business for months or years to come, so it’s a Read more

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Let’s be Clear on Clarity – 6/9/26

Posted on June 9, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?”

Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic tenets to keep in mind when you’re trying to ensure the customer is clear.

When Customer Education is Needed

Let’s use the example of giving instructions.  These could be discharge instructions given to a patient when they’re getting ready to leave the facility.  It could be instructions to a homeowner trying to understand how to appeal the tax value of their home.  The new season ticket holder account for a sports team could require instructions for how to use the team’s app.

Instruct with Clarity

First, use a multi-mode approach – a mix of verbal and written.  Different people learn different ways, and there aren’t many of us that “get” instructions given in one way one time.  Make sure people have a takeaway to complement and reinforce what you’ve said to them.

Second, add specificity – dates, times, specific URLs, specific guidance on the sequence of tasks.

Third, avoid the confusing terminology.  Eliminate or define acronyms.  Use layman’s terms that a first-time customer would know and understand.

Fourth, limit the verbiage, being as brief as possible.  More information results in more mud that could cloud the waters, making the clear unclear.

Fifth, convey what WILL happen v. what MAY happen, so the expectation isn’t for everything to occur.  That way, they’re not confused if certain steps don’t take place.

Finally, allow time for the Q&A.  One-way communication is not the recipe for consistent clarity.  Allow the person to ask questions or restate their understanding of the instructions back to you.  This is the best way to understand how clear things are in the mind of the customer before you wrap up the conversation.

Be clear on what creates clarity with the customer.

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Finalize the Solution with the 6 Step Checklist – 5/5/26

Posted on May 5, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

In last week’s Tip, we showed why and how to Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue.  We noted the importance of taking 15 seconds to mentally walk through the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How to feel confident that you know what’s needed to fix the problem.

Similarly, you can use these same steps to confirm that the solution you’ve identified is fully thought through and has the best chance of working:

Who needs to be involved in the solution? Is it something the customer has a part in, are there co-workers involved, and what do you need to do to shepherd this forward? Is there anyone else to bring in the loop?

What are the specific steps that need to be undertaken? What does that mental flow chart of activities look like, and is anything missing?

When do those steps need to occur, and is there any sequence where one activity has to happen before another? We want dependent tasks to be done on a timely basis, but we also want activities to run concurrently whenever possible so we can complete the work as quickly as possible.

Where do the activities need to occur? Is it in a particular location, on a certain web page, via a mobile app?

Why are we doing this? Will this resolve the root cause of the problem so we’re not going to be dealing with this again anytime soon?

How do we ensure that the solution worked? What’s the follow-up process? Are we going to call the customer in a week or two? Are they going to fill out a form to confirm the problem was fixed?

Think through all the potential moving pieces and timelines associated with the solution to ensure there are not any gaps that could cause the ticket to stay open, cause the issue to stay unresolved, or cause the problem to rear its ugly head again.

Use the 6 Step Checklist when you’re finalizing a solution.

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Use the 6 Step Checklist before Resolving the Issue – 4/28/26

Posted on April 28, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We talk about trying to resolve the issue right the first time, sharing the technique on how to manage the conversation to get clarity on the real issue, need, or goal, and confirming your understanding before moving forward.

But what are you trying to clarify?  What are you trying to confirm?

Sometimes we might miss information without even realizing it, so we’re going to go to an old standby which only takes you 15 seconds to mentally walk through; use this as a 6 Step Checklist before moving on to resolve the issue.  Ensure you’ve identified the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Who was involved in this situation?  Along with the customer, was anybody associated with the customer, or were any of your co-workers or other stakeholders involved?  Your path to resolution can easily be impacted if a certain co-worker had their hand in the process, or if there were more people involved than you were originally thinking.

What happened?  Be clear on the details of the specific issue or situation that occurred.

When did it happen?  Sometimes you can tell a lot if they called after hours, they walked in first thing in the morning, they tried to access a website on the weekend, or they referenced their account early in the morning.

Where did it happen?  Your business may have 5 offices in the region, and they all do things a little bit differently – some better than others.  Sometimes the location even within a given facility sheds light on what the concern was or what could have been some potential causes.

Why is this person standing in front of you?  Why did this issue raise itself to the level of an in-person visit, or a phone call, or an e-mail being sent to your inbox?  Is this a 1-time occurrence, or is this just the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back?

How did this happen?  Try to understand the steps in the process that led to the issue.  Maybe the customer didn’t take a step that was expected, or a return call never happened, or a wait time was long, or it was an issue with paperwork not the mobile app.

Get the full picture of what happened when you try to find the solution.  Take 15 seconds, and make sure you understand Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.

Use the 6 Step Checklist before resolving the issue.

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