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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

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

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What “One in a Million” Means – 10/3/23

Posted on October 3, 2023 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

You are One in a Million!

That can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people.  Depending on the tone in which it’s said, the phrase can be a compliment or a criticism.  If there are 8 billion people in the world, that means there might be 8,000 of you on this earth.

But regardless of how it’s intended, there is one core meaning:  You are unique.

We often talk about customers needing to be viewed as individuals, not as a number.  They need to be considered for what makes them and their situation unique.  But what makes an individual or the situation unique?

If Service Excellence requires that we treat each person as an important and valued individual, let’s talk about what makes that individual in front of you or on the phone with you, that person you’re e-mailing or texting…unique:

  • How long have they worked with your business?
  • How urgent is their need?
  • What is their emotional state?
  • What is their knowledge or experience level in working with your organization or in dealing with situations like this?
  • What is their demographic makeup?
  • Where are they from, and where are they going next?

 
If they’re coming to you about a prior experience:

  • When did their prior experience or issue occur?
  • Who was involved in that prior experience or issue?
  • What caused that prior experience or issue?
  • What is their ultimate goal moving forward?

 
Maybe the individual responses to these questions are not unique, but the sum of all these responses are usually quite unique.  Think of it this way – if you flip a coin, there are only two options, heads and tails.  What’s so unique about that?  But if you flip that coin 20 times, how many different combinations of heads and tails could you have? What do you know, it’s about a million!

To treat someone like one in a million, work to uncover what’s unique.

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