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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

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


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 Read more

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

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

Posted on December 17, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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 ahead or plan well enough.  Their poor (or lack of) planning led to an urgent need – which you now have to address.

Unfortunately, we in customer service are presented with this issue often.  Sometimes it’s from co-workers, but other times – usually – it’s from customers.

They got that e-mail reminder 3 times to do something before a deadline passes, the deadline passes, and now they freak out because they can’t return an item.  Because they can’t submit an application.  Because they lost a perk or benefit.  They freak out because they are in a bind – anxious, upset, angry.

So now it’s your emergency.

When it’s our emergency, that doesn’t mean we have to circumvent policy; some companies allow these late customers to do so, others don’t, and others take policy exceptions case-by-case.

You may not have control over how the policy is administered, but you do have some control in these situations.

It’s about your knowing alternatives.  What could the customer do, if not what they want in this timeframe?

It’s about your dealing with their emotions.  Empathize with the frustration; avoid blaming them for their error.

It’s about your educating them for the inevitable “next time.”  In a professional manner, provide tips to make the process more smooth and timely for them in the future.

When you’re in this situation with a customer, ensure you know how your organization handles these issues, these policy decisions about requests made after the deadline passes.  Then know the options you can offer, deal with the emotional component of the conversation, and educate them moving forward.

Don’t let their poor planning become your emergency.

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Empathy Examples for Everyday Situations – 12/10/24

Posted on December 10, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

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.  To convey your knowledge of their situation or your ability to comprehend the emotions they must be feeling.

But how do you phrase your empathy to the customer in particular situations?  Here are three quick examples for you to consider and put into practice:

Acknowledging Inconvenience During a Refund Process:  A customer requests a refund and expresses annoyance about the delay in processing. The employee could say:  “I understand how inconvenient this delay must be for you. Your time is valuable, and I’ll prioritize making this process as smooth as possible moving forward.”

Understanding Frustration with a Delayed Order:  A customer calls upset about a late order.  In addition to providing the tracking information, the employee could respond:  “I can understand how frustrating it must be to wait for something you were expecting on time.  Let me look into this right away and see how we can resolve it for you.”

Calming a Customer Facing Technical Issues:  A customer is struggling to navigate an online portal and expresses irritation. The employee could say:  “I know how stressful it can be when technology doesn’t work the way we expect.  I’m here to guide you through this step-by-step so we can get it sorted out together.”

These examples show how empathy can involve acknowledging, understanding, and calming someone.  And every example has empathy, followed by a transition to the next step.

To be empathetic with the customer and also convey that understanding of them and their situation, add these everyday examples to your empathy toolkit.

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A Tale of Two Texts – 4/2/24

Posted on April 2, 2024 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Having to get allergy shots once a week is never fun, and for Janet, it became an even bigger frustration.

She had the shots typically scheduled on Tuesday around 10:30 in the morning, figuring she would avoid the morning rush as well as the lunch rush by going mid-morning.  However, that meant she had to leave work mid-morning for the appointment.

Long Wait, Short Staffed

The last two times she went to the doctor’s office, she had a long wait, not getting her shot until 30 minutes after the scheduled time.  This day, she noticed there was only one person working the check-in desk and one person giving the shots (last month, there had been 2 of each), and that person giving the shots was also doing all the allergy testing. The employee was going 100 miles an hour, so Janet was not upset at him.

Janet could tell it was a staffing issue of some sort, so she asked the employee how to get in touch with the manager to discuss the wait.  Janet didn’t want to get the employees in trouble for the delay, but she wanted to voice her displeasure, and she also thought she might help the staff by conveying to the manager the negative impact on the patients with these lower staffing levels.

The employee said that the manager wasn’t available then, but Janet was welcome to text the two managers who shared weekday responsibilities.

Two Ways to Text

So, Janet texted the two managers, noting the delay, how it appeared that staffing was lower than it had been a month ago, and noted that the staff that were there were doing a really good job.  About 45 minutes later, the on-call manager replied: OK, I’ll get the schedulers to help find some help.

A few days later, Janet followed up with that co-manager to see if anything would be changing.  There was no reply.

When Janet went back to the office for her shot the following week, she encountered the exact same issues with lower staffing and longer wait times.  Again, she sent a text to the two managers, virtually the same as what she had sent the prior week except noting that this is the fourth straight week where this situation had occurred.

This time, the other co-manager replied within 10 minutes:  Good morning, Ms. Smith.  Thank you so much for your support and understanding. The staff are trying to do everything in their power to be on top of everything.  We are working on the schedule and the staffing.  For today, I’ve reached out to other team members to see if they can come in early to help with the delays.

True Story, Tip Lessons

These are actual texts from actual co-managers about actual situations that occurred in a healthcare setting.  Yet the empathy conveyed was so different.  The timeliness was so different.  A statement on what long-term action would be taken was different.  The conveyance of short-term action that had already been taken was different.

Maybe behind the scenes, the exact same action was taken or planned.  But in terms of what was conveyed to the customer, the first co-manager’s text could be interpreted as curt and impersonal.  The second co-manager’s text could easily be interpreted as personalized, empathetic, action-oriented, and strategic.

In customer service, it’s not only what we do on behalf of the customer that matters.  Often, it’s how we communicate our caring and the initiative we’re taking on behalf of the customer that matters just as much.

To provide better customer service, communicate your caring and your initiative.

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