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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

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

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Now That You’re On Time, Please Wait – 7/9/13 TOW

Posted on July 9, 2013 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Ellie went to her eye doctor to get her cataracts checked. Are they bad enough to get the procedure? That was her question – she wanted the cataract surgery so she could see better, but every year her physician said they were not quite bad enough.

After checking in, Ellie went to the waiting room and noticed a new automated board that tracked physician delays. Apparently, the office had added these “scheduling status monitors” within the past month in order to set appropriate expectations with patients about wait times. The theory was to best manage expectations and communicate via monitors with the patients. This ensures patients won’t be upset at delays, and they won’t constantly interrupt receptionists asking for updates.

When Ellie found her physician on the monitor, she noticed that her doctor was running about 90 minutes behind by that point in the day. And while it was good that the monitor gave her a realistic expectation of the delay, Ellie was frustrated. Why? Isn’t this one of the core concepts behind great customer service – that you constantly have to reset customer expectations to match reality?

To Ellie, this definitely wasn’t an example of great customer service – or even good customer service. From her perspective, if the office knew that they were 90 minutes behind, why didn’t they call her to tell her so that she could arrive later? Why couldn’t they use their information so the customer could rest a little longer, run an errand or two on the way, get more work done, or avoid having to leave home in the middle of a thunderstorm?

In other words, why couldn’t they use the information to reduce the patient’s wait time and make it more convenient for the patient?

Maybe the office’s response would be “if we tell them they can come in later, they won’t be here if we get back on schedule.” That may be true periodically, but it’s not the right answer in most situations.

If we can’t serve clients earlier, there are still opportunities to reduce their waits.

If we expect clients to be on time, do whatever is necessary to deliver with minimal wait time.

 


“A Man is Known by the Company He Organizes” – Ambrose Bierce

Posted on May 25, 2011 in Business Advice, Carolinas, World of Customer Service Please leave a comment

Here’s a customer service horror story from many years ago. It’s worth recalling for you…

I went to get the newspaper on a Sunday morning and noticed water flowing from the garage. Yikes! The water heater was leaking, so I called a plumber. After one ring, the company answered and promised a prompt response from a serviceman, and the response came 30 minutes later. I explained that our water heater also heats the house, and after a very cold Saturday night, my wife and child needed a warm house as soon as possible. "Someone will call you back at 8:00 a.m. Monday to schedule a diagnostic check and probably order a replacement," he said. Another cold night ahead…

Nobody called Monday morning, so I had to call them twice. The first time because they didn’t call as promised at 8:00 a.m., and the second time because they hadn’t called back after the first call. The customer service rep couldn’t find a record of my Sunday conversation, so again they logged my information. We scheduled a diagnostic check for that day between 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. At 10:50 a.m., I finally received a call regarding my Sunday conversation, but they couldn’t find a record of the appointment I had set up only one hour earlier.

At 11:05 a.m., I was told that my address was entered incorrectly, and my appointment would have to be rescheduled. What?! For the first time in my life, I asked to talk with the Service Manager. He listened to my situation and sense of urgency, and he called a plumber from another company to come out and install a new water heater. Let’s tally the score:

· 6 people from the first company spoke with me.

· 3 times they logged or updated my personal information.

· 2 times they scheduled me.

· 1 time they got the address wrong.

· 1 time they lost my appointment.

· 2 times they said they’d call back and did not.

For all the nice people, the one ring pickup on Sunday, and all the best intentions, this company was so disorganized that they lost my business to another company.

If you’re going to be judged based on your customer service, you’re going to be judged based on your organization.

Read our New Book – “Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?” http://www.amigreatat.com/

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