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It Helps to Downshift - 3/11/25


One of the first tips I heard when I was learning how to drive related to what to do when the brakes fail - downshift.  Shifting into a lower gear can slow down a moving vehicle.  I would explain this in technical terms to you, but considering I’m not Read more

Patience is… - 3/4/25


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 Read more

Everybody Doesn’t - 2/25/25


Joey received the compliment, but he was confused.  Paula, his boss, and Joey had their monthly one-on-one meeting, and Paula noted that, although he was new, Joey was already doing a great job!  While there were learning curves on some of the organizational policies and the technology that he Read more

A Simple Phrase to Transform Your Customer Feedback Approach - 2/18/25


I went to a restaurant called Big Ed’s (no relation) in Raleigh, NC recently.  It’s basically country cooking with fantastic breakfast options!  On the menu there was a quote that said: If you enjoyed your meal, tell a friend.  If not, please tell us. That was an excellent statement that embodies Read more

What Phones and Football Have in Common - 2/11/25


Congratulations!  You made it through weeks/months of hype for football’s Super Bowl!  You made it through hundreds of pregame shows and podcasts, endless debates on things endlessly inconsequential, 10 hours of pre-game shows on Sunday, what seems like 100 commercials designed specifically for the “Big Game,” and the longest Read more

Create Awareness of Alternatives - 2/4/25


Sandy was hungry, and she was on the move.  Driving between meetings, she saw the restaurant sign and pulled in.  The fast-food restaurant had two drive-thru lanes.  One was for any customer who wanted to place an order on the spot. The other was for mobile orders only.  The Read more

Listen with Your Eyes - 1/28/25


Out of the corner of his eye, Patrick saw the customer enter the lobby.  The customer was carrying a large shoulder bag with several papers in her hand.  The customer was shuffling the papers and looking down; then she stopped, looked up, and saw the staff navigator sitting at Read more

When You’re the Educator, What Should You Teach? - 1/21/25


The best customer service professionals are also excellent educators.  Not only within the organization, but I’m talking specifically about the role they play as educator with their customers.  With all the self-service options that technology provides, customers often have the opportunity to do things on their own, to investigate Read more

Wrap It Up Right: Why Follow-Up Communications WOW Customers - 1/14/25


Dena had some questions about her water bill, so she looked for answers on the utility’s website.  She didn’t find specific answers, and she really didn’t want to get on the phone with somebody at the time and risk staying on hold.  She had lots going on, but she Read more

From Conversation to Connection: Defining Customer Engagement - 1/7/25


Maggie was sitting in the Service Excellence Training class, and the instructor kept talking about staying engaged with the customer.  Proactively engaging the customer.  Being fully engaged in the conversation. After hearing this same phrase (“engage”) used in various ways, Maggie raised her hand and asked a question probably several Read more

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9 Quick Ideas for Customer Service Week – There’s Still Time!

Posted on October 9, 2013 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

The World loves a landmark, an event, a holiday season, a moment in time. Greeting card companies especially love these milestones, because they’re usually a good reason to buy a card for someone.

Well this week is no different. In the business world, this is known as Customer Service Week. It’s a time to celebrate and recognize all stakeholders as well as refocus on the importance of customer service. So with the week halfway gone, these are 9 Quick Ideas you can still take and run with for this week and beyond:

  1. Have every employee write one handwritten Thank You letter or card for a key customer – appreciating their business.
  2. Have every supervisor/manager commit to writing one Thank You e-mail, letter, or card to an employee every other week – that’s 26 per year – noting appreciation for something specific the employee has done well.
  3. Identify 1 improvement your organization can implement over the next 30 days in how you reward staff for high levels of customer service – align rewards with desired behaviors.
  4. Convene a team of employees to identify the key issues or customer-related complaints they deal with on an ongoing basis. Commit to permanently eliminating the root cause of one of those over the next 30-60 days – benefits customers and staff as well.
  5. Identify 3 core customer service metrics to gauge monthly that everyone in the organization can understand and focus on as measures of performance.
  6. Create a Customer Service Book Club, and meet 1-2 times a month to discuss. We have an “unbiased” recommendation here to get started – Ask Yourself…Am I GREAT at Customer Service?
  7. Do a short survey via e-mail, using a web-based tool, or even via the phone with customers asking 2-3 key questions. For example:
    • What do we do best?
    • What are the main reasons you’re our customer?
    • How can we improve our service to you?
  8. Do a short survey with staff asking 2-3 key questions. For example:
    • What do you like best about the culture and work environment at our business?
    • What are the main reasons you work here?
    • How can we make this a better place to work?
  9. Have the CEO or some other executive host an informal party for staff, conveying his/her appreciation for what they do.

Find some way to appreciate your staff and customers.

Like these ideas? Then check out our Customer Service Tips of the Week.


Gauge Customer Satisfaction at Every Encounter – 10/8/13 TOW

Posted on October 8, 2013 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

You may already feel you’re on “Metric Overload” (measuring customer satisfaction on surveys, getting mystery shopped, knowing your NPS, getting your CX ratings, and ensuring the ECS is A-OK).

Now – based on the title of this Tip – I’m going to tell you that you have to measure MORE?! Not exactly. What I’m suggesting is more do-able than daunting.

I want you to GAUGE customer satisfaction at every encounter. Measurement is done for many reasons, but the initial reason is always to gauge satisfaction. It’s easier to gauge (or get a feel for, an understanding of) satisfaction if you measure satisfaction.

But measurement for the sake of measurement is a waste of time and money. However, having every employee GAUGE customer satisfaction – literally at every customer encounter – is almost always beneficial.

So what do we mean by “gauge.” Hold the magnifying glass up to the customer’s body language; tune in more clearly to their tone-of-voice. What do those non-verbal communication methods tell you about what’s going on inside them, about what they’re feeling?

Literally ask “How was your experience today?’’ or “Did you get your needs met?” or “Is there anything more we can do?” or “Was there anything we could do differently/better next time?”

After many consulting engagements, I ask the client “Was this what you were hoping to receive when we started this process?” or “Do you feel like we achieved the goals you had envisioned when we began this project?”

By gauging the customer’s satisfaction during that encounter, you create – for yourself – an opportunity to learn what you’re doing well and to get positive feedback. You create – for the customer – an environment where they’re more comfortable sharing feedback, particularly constructive (negative) feedback.

At every customer encounter, you’re gauging customer satisfaction by literally looking, listening, and asking questions. You want to KNOW whether they’re satisfied before the conversation ends (and obviously address it if they’re not).

Gauge the customer’s satisfaction to better yourself and your organization.

 


Fan Equity – The Latest Study…Clear as Mud

Posted on August 29, 2013 in Business Advice, Sports Please leave a comment

Emory University recently published results of their “NFL Fan Equity” study. In the study, they evaluate and rank the 32 teams’ fan bases. You may wonder how your team ranks, but prior to getting too involved and passionate about the results (the study has been hammered by fans since its publication), let’s first define what the study addresses.

It ranks teams by their fan’s “equity”…okay…what does that mean? It means loyalty…but teams that are ranked in the middle of the pack continually sell-out. It means revenue in relation to wins…so that means that teams that win a lot can’t have the highest rank.

The problem here is definition – in any research, you’re going to get push back if the reader doesn’t like the results, particularly if you can’t clearly define the basis for the conclusions. If we were to do a study based on loyalty, we could look at season ticket holder renewal rates, or we could look at waiting list for season tickets, or we could simply ask fans (which this study doesn’t do) about their relative fan affinity.

So what in the world is “equity” – usually that either deals with equality/fairness or financial equity such as the amount of stock an individual owns. I assume they’re speaking of the latter, but it’s not clear when they toss in words like “loyalty” and “fan support.”

When you embark on any research project, keep two things in mind. First, know your goal. What are you trying to learn? What are you trying to accomplish with the results? How are you going to clearly communicate findings, conclusions, and recommendations?

Second, ask the customer. Don’t make evaluations of the customer (especially about their affinity, loyalty, renewal likelihood, growth opportunities, etc.) without asking them.

When you look to research your fan base, begin with the end in mind…and ask the customer directly.

Interested in improving your organization’s fan retention and revenue? See our other blog posts at: http://serviceadvice.cssamerica.com/category/sports/

Learn about our CSS Sports services at: http://cssamerica.com/csssport.htm


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