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Negate the Nervousness - 5/6/25


The customer needed a loan, so he walked into the bank, but he was a little nervous.  He knew that launching his business would be easier if he had some working capital, but that’s about all he knew.  He was anxious because he didn’t know what to expect in Read more

Don’t Rush to Resolve Quickly - 4/29/25


The customer is angry, so you use the CSS LEAD technique as designed.  You, listen, empathize, accept responsibility, and deliver on a remedy.  But it doesn’t work.  The customer is still upset, and maybe even a little more frustrated than when you started…why?! If the use of this technique fails, Read more

Energy v. Apathy - 4/22/25


I asked a couple friends who are much more scientifically-oriented the question: What is energy?  I didn’t mean E=MC2.  I meant physiologically, what is energy? They described a lot of things that sounded really good, yet far too advanced for my non-medical mind. Part of the reason why energy is of Read more

Prep Enough to Personalize - 4/15/25


Everybody loves Howie.  He is an account rep for the local air conditioning and heating company.  When I say Everybody loves Howie, I’m definitely talking about the customers.  His co-workers love him too, but customers are especially fond of him.  They seem to really enjoy their conversations with him, Read more

Get Your Customers to Brag, Not Bolt - 4/8/25


Here are two customer retention concepts that we discuss with some sports clients: BIRG and CORF.  BIRG is Basking In Reflected Glory.  CORF is Cutting Off Reflected Failure. You want BIRG.  You want the customers feeling so good about your organization that they want to be a part of your Read more

Narrow Your Focus to Seek Excellence - 4/1/25


You’ve probably heard companies use phrases such as: “We want to go from being good to great.”  Maybe they’ve said: “We strive for perfection, and although we’ll never reach perfection, maybe we can achieve excellence along the way.” These organizations find some kind of a catch phrase or slogan, but Read more

Avoid the Unfriendly Ghost - 3/25/25


Last week we talked about the qualities of “PERKI Customer Service,” essentially what attitudes and actions are characteristics of those who provide great customer service.  This week, let’s take the opposite approach.  What are some of the mistakes that people make?  Maybe these are mistakes of omission or commission; Read more

PERKI Customer Service - 3/18/25


After having worked on hundreds of projects over the years with thousands of thousands of individuals, some things become pretty clear. There are certain traits held by people who are great in customer service.  Look at this list, and do a self-assessment.  Which apply to you? Positive and Patient Do you Read more

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

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How Many Customers Did You Lose Today?

Posted on March 24, 2011 in Business Advice 1 Comment

They’re walking out the door, never to return.

According to a recent study conducted of 22,000 consumers, 22% of customers will stop buying from you because of a bad experience. Some of the top reasons for the customer exits included 34% leaving because of interacting with a rude or disinterested employee. When you compare that to the statistic we’ve quoted often during the years (that 68% of lost business was due to the fact that the customer perceives the organization to be indifferent), then you can surmise that approximately half of that perception of indifference comes from employees just being blatantly rude or seeming like they’re disinterested.

We’re talking about customer service basics, which too many organizations don’t understand. They think it’s all about the product or the price or the design of the shop or the website, but so much of what drives customers away is about the employee – how they’re perceived, whether they appear engaged, whether they use the right tone and body language, whether they talk about you and your needs or themselves and their personal issues. So much of customer retention comes down to hiring and training, motivating and rewarding, challenging staff to be great and holding them accountable to your standards.

Look at your organization, asking yourself these basic questions:

· When hiring staff, do we test/gauge an applicant’s ability to communicate effectively (orally and in written word)?

· Do we assess how prospective employees come across with their tone and body language?

· Do we have basic customer service standards, those expectations of the bare minimum of what we expect in terms of how they’ll treat the customer?

· Do we train them (continuously) on customer service standards, skills, principles, and techniques?

· Do we monitor performance, rewarding and recognizing excellence, and holding accountable when standards are not met?

· Do our leaders model what we expect of staff?

Limit the number of customers you lose because you answered “No” to these questions.

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/


Where are all the fans?

Posted on March 8, 2011 in Business Advice, Sports Please leave a comment

There’s a reason why fan retention is so low among many sports teams, and it’s not just bad play on the field or a bad economy.

It’s about a core lack of understanding about what drives fan satisfaction and loyalty. Too many individuals who are charged with keeping up revenues are purely marketing or sales-driven. The key word is “purely.” Executives in these roles don’t often enough have training in client retention, understand a strategic view of retention, or think “long-term” when they map out retention plans.

Maybe it’s because MBA schools rarely teach customer service and customer retention principles. Maybe it’s because serving someone isn’t as sexy as closing a new deal. Maybe it’s because they don’t understand the true financial impact of retention strategies, research, and structures. Maybe it’s all of the above.

But if organizations want to be successful long-term…consistently…they need to understand external retention strategies and the internal structures and culture to drive those strategies.

They need to have dedicated leadership in charge of retention, incented on retention, trained on retention, and motivated by relationship-building and retention.

Rethink retention.

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/


Horton Hears a Stakeholder?

Posted on February 1, 2011 in Business Advice Please leave a comment

Do you remember the Dr. Seuss story about an elephant named Horton who believes he hears the voices of an entire village of people (the "Whos") on a speck of dust? Only Horton could hear the Whos. All the other animals in Horton’s kingdom thought he was crazy. To keep Horton from wasting his time protecting the Whos, a mean kangaroo and some crazy monkeys tried to boil the speck of dust.

Just before the dastardly deed was to be done, a small boy from Whoville added his voice to the other Whos, and his yell enabled the Whos to be heard by all in Horton’s Kingdom. It was a little voice, but when added to the rest, it helped the Whos break through the sound barrier. It worked because every person in the village, and let me emphasize EVERY person, had a common goal.

Think about all the voices in your organization, in your business life. Are you tapping into all the resources available to you for advice, guidance, input, and resources? Are you able to get all your key stakeholders and staff on the same page, or are assignments made with the mere hope that everybody gets their job done?

Unfortunately, most companies that tout customer service in marketing, or preach customer service internally, don’t leverage their key sources of ideas – customers and staff. But you can and should tap these resources.

Survey and/or interview your customers and your employees. Ask them to reveal their minds and hearts. What do they see as the most likely changes to the business environment over the next 3-5 years? What do you need to do now to be successful then? And ask what must be done in the short run to lock-in employees and guarantee customer loyalty now so that change won’t bring lost business and lower revenue.

Use this research to learn and to create a common direction and a common focus. Make sure you’re getting all the input you need, down to the last Who in Whoville.

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/


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