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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

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25

The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint. They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody. You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation. It’s important for Read more

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25

We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done. But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

When Patience Begets Patience - 9/2/25

Jennifer, the server, walked toward the couple in the restaurant. The customers had been seated for a minute or two, and they noticed the server was walking briskly toward their table. Jennifer recognized the couple she was about to serve, because they had been in the previous week. Since the Read more

Address the Expectations that Were Set - 8/26/25

Before the caller ever got to Marco – the customer service representative, the customer had been working with the company for months. They had read the marketing brochures, had a conversation with a sales rep, reviewed the new customer information on the website, and read all the information e-mailed Read more

When Technology Fails the Customer - 8/19/25

Technology is a wonderful thing…until it isn’t. The website is down, the mobile app won’t work, the system keeps kicking them out of their account, or they received a spoofing phone call supposedly from your department. If you’ve ever been manning the phones or managing the department inbox, you know Read more

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How to Avoid Refunding Fans

Posted on January 29, 2015 in Business Advice, Sports Please leave a comment

The New York Knicks are terrible – 9-37 as of today. And with the highest ticket average ticket prices in the NBA at almost $130 per seat per game, fans aren’t happy according to a recent New York Times article. Many even want refunds! Yet, the Knicks repeatedly report attendance near capacity. How? To a large extent, it’s about supply and demand. But most sports organizations are not located in a city of over 8 million people, so when the product on the court (or field, pitch, track, or rink) is terrible, what can be done? This is when the season ticket service and sales representatives of the world have to focus on what they can control. Here are some things that reps can control, which have nothing to do with the team’s performance:

Your relationship with your accounts
Your knowledge of their renewal drivers
Your knowledge of which of your organization’s services, information, programs, and solutions can address those drivers
How often you reach out to them personally
How you reach out to them personally (preferably in the way your client prefers)
Your understanding of how they’re leaning toward renewals
Your understanding of their favorites – players, visiting teams, aspects of the game experience
Your knowledge of why fans of similar profiles have left in prior years
Your knowledge of their share partners
Your knowledge of what benefits are most important to them – and which are irrelevant
Your understanding of how they use their tickets
Your knowledge/skills about how to deal with the irate customer

What’s the key takeaway?

You can’t control the play on the court. But your knowledge of your account, your personal skills, how/when you communicate with your clients – those are all things you can control. It’s very easy (and understandable) to look at the play on the court and be frustrated. To get over the frustration, focus on what you can control. Work on your knowledge, skills, and communication with clients.

Build yourself up to build renewal rates.

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