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2024 Holiday Poem - 12/24/24


I sometimes hear it said That things have never been like this before. That challenges are unique, That stresses seem like more.   I sometimes hear it said That we're asked to do much more with less. That workloads are increasing, And we're resource-constrained at best.   And others often say That things are really very good. That they enjoy those Read more

Is Their Poor Planning Your Emergency? - 12/17/24


Have you ever heard the saying:  Your poor planning is not my emergency. I’ve heard it said often – not necessarily directly from one person to another.  More typical is that I hear it from the person having to drop everything and do something immediately because someone else didn’t think Read more

Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations - 12/10/24


I’ve often said that empathy is the single most important characteristic of people who are great at customer service.  If empathy is essentially “to understand the other person,” it helps so much to have that ability in order to specifically help someone.  To talk to what’s unique about them.  Read more

Tell Them Why You’re Giving Thanks - 12/3/24


Thank you! Merci! Danke! Doumo! Gracias! It seems like every language has a translation of Thank You.  Even though I only fluently speak English and speak Spanish, un poco, I – and probably most of you – have heard some or all of the translations of "Thank You” noted above.  Read more

Refine Your Decision-making Process - 11/26/24


Every day, you make decisions of what to do and what not to do.  And in the world of customer service, often the affected parties are our customers, our co-workers, and our company.  Here are a few quotes to consider when you’re thinking about evaluating and refining your decision-making Read more

Acting on the Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/19/24


In last week’s tip, we shared 5 Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service.  This week, let’s address what “taking action” looks like on those key principles.  If last week was about what to do and WHY, this week is about the HOW. Engage with Interest: To engage with interest, proactively Read more

Guiding Principles for Great Customer Service - 11/12/24


It’s hard to know every procedure, every policy, every technique possible to handle every situation correctly.  After all, maybe our procedures are standard, but our customers are not.  Maybe our policies stay pretty consistent, but our customers’ needs and issues, their attitudes and actions can change from customer to Read more

From a Simple Question to an Exceptional Experience - 11/5/24


Phyllis loves her job.  It’s not just because she loves being a customer service representative, not just because she really likes her co-workers, and not just because she enjoys her company.  It’s because she really appreciates her customers, as well. A customer had ordered a register book off the company Read more

Fix One Problem without Creating Another - 10/29/24


If you’ve ever had an issue with your dishwasher, this will sound familiar.  I’ve dealt with so many dishwashers over the years, and they always seem to have some kind of an issue.  Maybe it’s because of the mix of water and technology, but for whatever reason, these never Read more

Delight Your Customers - 10/22/24


Buddy the Bug Man was different.  His company was new, and the only reason why Janet tried him out was that the service she had used for years just wasn’t working.  Whether it was mosquitoes in the yard, ants in the kitchen, or cockroaches flying through on their way Read more

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Addressing the Horror Story that Wasn’t – 9/5/23

Posted on September 5, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

You may have seen the commercials for one of those garden hoses that fits in your pocket.  When you put it on the valve outside your home and turn on the water, it expands to 50 feet.  When you’re done and turn off the water, it contracts and fits right back in your pocket.

Jamie had only been at his new job for 2 weeks at the hardware store, and he witnessed just how important some of these expandable/retractable hoses are to the homeowners.  A frantic homeowner came in – somebody who had bought one of these hoses from one of Jamie’s co-workers a week ago, and the customer was upset.  She had been so excited about the new hose, but when she turned on the water, it did not expand fully; when she turned off the water, it didn’t contract.

It was a garden hose emergency!  Oh, the horror!

Now, for 99% of us, a garden hose that doesn’t fully expand or contract is not the end of the world.  And maybe to this customer, it was not the end of the world either; however, she was initially so excited about a product that was, now, not performing as designed.

Jamie’s first thought was: This customer is WAY overreacting.  But his second thought was: I better not convey that I think she’s overreacting.

Luckily, Jamie had some training on Key Principles of Situational Service.  So, he provided some Empathy, explaining his understanding of what went wrong to the customer, what she expected to happen versus how the hose actually performed.  He was Patient with her, listening and not rushing her along.  He tried to be Helpful, facilitating a resolution, whether it was initially with the use of the hose and then finally finding an alternative.  He Explained the product exchange process and Why the process was needed, and he did everything with Respect and Courtesy.

Sometimes the issues you are presented with seem like they should be no big deal, but for whatever reason, they are a big deal to the customer.

Apply Jamie’s Key Principles of Situational Service to make sure all of these situations turn out well from the customer’s perspective.

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Show Progress to the Customer – 2/21/23

Posted on February 21, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When I enter the Chick-fil-A drive-thru lines, there are typically 10-15 cars ahead of me.  The cars move slowly but surely.  Employees take your order.  Others confirm your order.  Others provide the food.  In a study conducted a couple years ago, Chick-fil-A was noted as having the longest drive-thru times.  But I don’t mind the wait.  It just does not seem that long.

Recently I went to a different fast food restaurant.  When I arrived at the drive-thru, there were only 4 cars ahead of me.  After 5 minutes, one car had moved.  I did not see hardly any progress.  I exited the line and left.

There are times when I’ll call a company, and they’ll estimate my hold time – let’s say it’s 4 minutes expected until someone will answer my call.  A minute later the message says that the estimated hold time is 3 minutes or 2 minutes.  I stay on the line.  But with most organizations, when we are put on hold, there’s either no noise, or there’s music, or there’s a repetitive message.  There is no clear sign of progress or an estimate of when the phone will be answered.

Yes, with so much business being done on phones or via computers, people expect the instant answer.  They expect the instant gratification.  But for a lot of us, we have the expectation, not of immediacy, but at least of progress.  At least seeing the next step.  At least being provided an estimate of when that next step will occur.  Not only progressing to the next step but being told of or shown that progress.

Sometimes it’s not the wait or the perceived inactivity that is bothersome.  The problem is the perceived lack of progress.

Maybe companies are working like crazy to help you, to keep the process moving.  But for customers to appreciate it, they need to see it.  They need to be told it.  They need to understand it.

We can’t assume that – because we’re running 100 miles an hour – that the customer feels like we’re working on their behalf; we can’t assume they feel like there is progress.

When the process isn’t done, show progress to the customer.

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Provide the Promise of Patience and Kindness – 2/14/23

Posted on February 14, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Patience and kindness go a long way in life, and they go a really long way in customer service, as well.  These are two of the harder qualities to exemplify in customer service, particularly when you are spinning multiple plates, have a backlog of work or calls or contacts or customers, and are dealing with people that are not the most patient with you, or not the most kind with you.

Patience is waiting calmly as the senior citizen writes out a check instead of tapping their phone to make a credit card payment.  Patience is letting the other person finish instead of interrupting to get on to the next point.  Patience is slowing your movements and focusing on the person standing in front of you.  Patience is asking what else you can do to help the other person before you hang up the call.  Patience is not expecting an immediate response, but rather giving the person a reasonable requested due date.

Kindness has a definite component of simply being nice to the other individual.  Being respectful with your terminology, opening doors for others to walk through, and using a tone that’s more conciliatory than confrontational.

But kindness is also conveying you truly care about the other person.  That comes across with patience, but it also comes across with being inquisitive, providing empathy, offering to help, and doing something unexpected beyond the specific product or service – just to be helpful to the other person.  It could be doing something on their behalf (making the call, completing the form) when they are having difficulties doing it themselves.

If you want to do something distinct, somewhat unique, and beyond what your customer experiences in a typical interaction with other businesses, simply be patient and kind to the other person.  You’ll likely exceed 90%-95% of their experiences elsewhere.

Provide the promise of patience and kindness.

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