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Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter - 12/16/25


When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, Read more

When Kindness Means More in Customer Service - 12/9/25


Since a large part of the work we do at CSS includes customer research, we have seen tens of thousands of comments over the years about staff, and it is great to hear the positives that customers, fans, and account holders say about our clients’ team members. One word that Read more

Don’t Create the Second Complaint - 12/2/25


Maria was upset.  Rightfully so.  The product delivery was delayed, she couldn’t get anybody on the phone, and nobody would reply to her e-mails.  So, she went down to the store, and she found a customer service representative. After the initial greeting, the employee listened to Maria’s complaint.  While Maria Read more

Refresh on the Reasons to Appreciate the Customer - 11/25/25


This is a great time of year to give thanks, not just because it’s Thanksgiving week in the United States, but also because – with 2025 coming to a close - it gives us the opportunity to do some reflecting on the recent past. The idea of reflecting on reasons Read more

Confirm the Customer is Cleared for Takeoff - 11/18/25


An airplane pilot is told when they’re “cleared for takeoff” before they begin to accelerate down the runway.  The air traffic controller (ATC) has looked at everything in front of the pilot, on the runway and in the air space, and checked to ensure the pilot is good to Read more

Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

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

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Make the Long Wait Feel Shorter – 12/16/25

Posted on December 16, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When Greg entered the Tax Office, he was thinking only about two things: (1) How he was going to get the tax value on his home reduced, and (2) Whether the wait would be 1 hour or 2.  He checked in with the navigator who asked a few questions, gave him a number, and asked him to take a seat.

After filling out some paperwork on his appeal, Greg had a seat in the waiting room.  He watched some TV, read a magazine with some information for men in their 50s (after all, 50 is the new 40…apparently), and then was greeted by an employee.  The employee updated Greg on his current place in line, what the appeal process would be once Greg met with an appeals coordinator, and asked if Greg had any questions about the paperwork or the process.

After chit-chatting for another minute, the employee said that he’d be back within 10 minutes if Greg had not been brought back, and would give him another update.

About 7-8 minutes later, the employee came by while Greg was looking at some paintings on the walls from local artists, and reading the plaques that noted the history of the areas.  They chatted some more, Greg was told that there was only 1 more person in front of him, and he continued the wait.

When the appeals coordinator came out to greet Greg, she apologized for the wait and appreciated Greg’s patience.  Greg replied: The wait wasn’t too bad – staff were nice, and the waiting area is really interesting.  [then looking at his watch] Oh!  I didn’t realize I’d been here about an hour; seemed like 20-30 minutes!

Wait time is not always perceived to be what it is; if you do a good job of keeping the customer occupied and informed, of showing empathy and respect, even the long waits can feel shorter.

If you can’t shorten the wait, help it to FEEL shorter to the customer.

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Create Awareness of Alternatives – 2/4/25

Posted on February 4, 2025 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 line for people placing the order was so long that it almost stretched to the street; there was no line in the mobile order lane.  Luckily, Sandy had downloaded the mobile app once before, so she pulled it up on her phone, placed the order, and then moved into the mobile app lane.  She had her food in less than two minutes.

The next day, Sandy had to make a deposit into one of her accounts at the bank, and withdraw cash from another account.  She had a habit of going into the branch, but when she walked in, there were 15 customers in line with two tellers waiting on them.  While waiting for a couple minutes, she noticed the drive-thru teller in a separate room in the back.  She noticed that teller was looking at her phone and occasionally peering at her computer screen – she wasn’t busy.  So Sandy left the branch, hopped in her car, and was first in line at the drive-thru.  She was out of there in about 3 minutes.

When Sandy got home, the Wi-Fi wasn’t working.  She used her phone app to access the internet provider’s site and logged into her account; she noted the customer care phone number, so she dialed.  The system said that she was sixth in line, and the estimated hold time was 12 minutes.  She noticed a chat function on the app, so while she remained on hold, she launched a chat.  Sandy got a hold of a representative immediately, they put a ticket in, and within two minutes, they had begun remotely testing her Wi-Fi.  She hung up the call.

These are three organizations that could have had clear stories of poor customer service experiences, but luckily for them (and for Sandy!), there was an alternative option in each case.  Sandy was able to order via the mobile app.  She was able to get into her car and go through the drive-thru teller line.  She was able to initiate a chat even while she was on hold on the phone.

It was a better experience because there was an alternative option, and most of all because she was aware of the alternative.

As you strive to deliver great customer service, know the options available to your customers.  Maybe the line is long, but the line might be shorter if some member of the team informed the customer of the other options.  Maybe the wait seemed excessive, but the wait would be shorter if one of the employees could convey an alternative to the customers that might give them service quicker.

Sometimes the best thing we can do to serve our customers is to build their awareness of other ways they can get their needs met.

Create awareness of alternatives.

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Self-empower for the New Year – 12/31/24

Posted on December 31, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Jeff joined the company, in part, because he loved their approach to culture.  Leadership tried to create an empowerment culture.  They tried to develop an environment where, within certain parameters, individual team members could make a decision and feel confident that they would be supported by leadership.

The reality was like the portrait they had portrayed for him when he was interviewing.  He really liked his job, liked the leadership, and enjoyed working at the company.  He felt like a part of a culture that aligned to his values.

As time went on over his first two years, the culture was still good, but the organizational performance started to drop.  Sales began to decline as operating expenses increased.  Profit was pinched.  And all of a sudden, leadership started to turn over.

Who knew how long Jeff would stay at the job?  It was obvious that the culture was changing with or without him.

But Jeff loved being empowered.  So eventually he asked himself the question: How can I empower myself?

He did the following for himself:

Set Goals: He identified what he wanted to achieve, what performance levels he wanted to reach, and he identified actions needed to get from here to there.

Learned New Skills: He taught himself some new skills, learning some of the technology better, becoming proficient at the use of AI and PowerBI, becoming the resident expert in the customer information system.

Understood His Strengths and Weaknesses: He reflected on what he did well and what aptitudes or characteristics of attitudes were somewhat lacking. He asked others to give him a quick 50/50 evaluation: Where do I excel, and where don’t I?  He used this understanding to figure out how to get better.

Found His Work Joy: He identified what he liked most, still, about the company.  He loved going to the common area to socialize briefly with others.  There were certain staff whom he enjoyed chatting with about fishing and football.  He enjoyed leading project teams, and he sought out opportunities to do so.

The culture was changing, and not for the better.  But that didn’t mean that he needed to change not for the better.  He could stay stagnant, or he could grow.  Jeff decided to self-empower.

Map out your own plan to Self-empower for the New Year.

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