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It’s Not “You,” It’s “I” - 9/8/26


During a business writing course that I took years ago, the instructor had us write an e-mail.  I can’t recall if it was written to a co-worker or customer, but after writing this e-mail, she had us count every “I” and “You.”  We talked about how we need to Read more

It Shouldn’t Make a Difference, But… - 9/1/26


We have this conversation with lots of our sports clients, but the principles apply across all different industries.  Too many service representatives view a conversation with a customer as a transaction.  Just get him off the phone as quickly as possible.  The customer is Joe Public, not Joseph Pendergrass.  Read more

Use What the Customer Gives You - 8/25/26


Scenario #1: The customer sent an e-mail to the general inbox at the company.  The message noted that the customer needed to get a family member added to their account, but they couldn’t tell from the website how to do so. The next morning an employee opened up the e-mail, Read more

How Better Customer Service is Better for You - 8/18/26


Oftentimes, we have employees in training or workshops who really want to understand what’s in it for them to deliver better customer service.  How does the employee benefit from a better customer experience? Noted below are 5 different aspects of a great experience desired by the customer.  What if... The customer Read more

Manage New Customer Expectations - 8/11/26


The fan had never been to a motorsports event before, but they had been to concerts.  They had been to big conferences.  At those other events, they could park right next to the venue, many of the activities were indoors, and weather was a non-issue.  So, they were not Read more

Complement Empathy with Action - 8/4/26


A man falls into a hole, and he can’t get out.  He starts yelling for help, and a doctor walks by and looks down the hole.  The man in the hole yells to the doctor “Please help me.  I’ve fallen into this hole!”  And the doctor takes out a Read more

My 8-Minute Visit at the DMV- 7/28/26


I needed to get a Real ID, which in North Carolina facilitates airline travel and other identity verifications.  My wife suggested I go to one particular DMV that was a LONG way away from home, but where she had experienced great customer service.  I was lucky to find an Read more

When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26


Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving. When we Read more

Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26


We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency. Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side Read more

See the Customer’s Journey from Their Perspective- 7/7/26


That customer is face-to-face with you right now, and you are fielding their questions or delivering your service to them.  And oftentimes and understandably, we are so immersed in the moment that we don’t think about what came before or think enough about what comes next. But in the life Read more

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When They Might Walk Out the Door…Permanently- 7/21/26

Posted on July 21, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

Have you ever had one of those conversations with the customer where they literally tell you they’re about to stop doing business with your company?  This is it.  They may bring up a competitor or found another way to get their need met, or they are just leaving.

When we say “Moments of Truth” in customer service, this is about the ultimate Moment of Truth.  They are at a tipping point, and how you handle this conversation can determine whether they stay or truly go.

There are so many factors that are at play that it’s difficult to concisely address them all in a brief tip.  But let’s at least talk about one of the most important aspects to this conversation – finding out the Why.

Consider the Potential Whys

Is it because of a bad or a stale relationship, or maybe issues with a product or service?  It could have been the pricing or technology or perceived lack of value.  Maybe it’s about the customer experience, or a competitor just reached out with some enticing pitch or offer.

Whatever their priorities are – speed, responsiveness, quality, benefits and perks, access, consistency and predictability – they are not being met.

Gather Yourself and Respond

When you’re in this situation, in this Moment of Truth, don’t panic.  Take a deep breath, and professionally and respectfully start searching for the why.  Use phrases like “I’m sorry to hear that this is something you’re considering…” OR “Help me understand…” OR “We definitely would love to keep you as our customer, so please share more about but you’re thinking and some of the reasons for it.”

In other words, convey empathy.  Don’t get defensive.  Seek to understand before making some grand sales pitch.  Convey your desire to keep them as a customer, and gain a deeper understanding of their decision-making process.

When faced with a customer who is stating that they’re getting ready to leave, downshift your emotions, convey your interest in them, and seek to understand.

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Transparency in Customer Service- 7/14/26

Posted on July 14, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

We’ve worked with a lot of clients in the local government sector, and many of these clients have Customer Service Standards and/or corporate values that include Transparency.

Think about an old-fashioned transparency sheet, that malleable see-through page you put on an overhead projector.  You can see everything on one side of the document from the other side.  And that physical example has a lot of similarities to what transparency means in customer service.

Think about Openness, Honesty, Clarity.

Openness includes a willingness to say something that may be uncomfortable to share with the customer.  It’s the fact that a price increase is coming.  It’s a willingness to answer their question, even if it puts you and your organization in a negative light.  Therefore it’s 2-way: an openness of sharing, and an openness of listening to the customer and being willing to respond.  It’s letting them know you have a fee increase – not hiding it by saying you simply have a new pricing structure.

Honesty is obviously saying the truth, but again, it may not mean that you’re conveying the most positive side of your business.  You’re stating that you’re asking them to resubmit a document because there was an error on your end.  It’s letting them know that the delay was due to a keying mistake which caused the customer’s submittal to be put on hold.

Clarity is about effectively setting and managing customer expectations with some specificity.  Don’t say it’s only going to be “a minute” if it’s going to be literally 1 hour.  Avoid describing something as a “brief” review process when it’s going to be 10 business days.  It’s letting them know the specifics of time and place and people involved more precisely.

Just to be extra clear on one point, we can be open about good things, honest about happy news, clear about positive next steps.  Transparency is not inherently about communicating the negative, but a willingness to have those less-than-positive conversations is where many of us fall short.

If transparency is something important to you and your organization, focus on being more open, honest, and clear with the customer.

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Let’s be Clear on Clarity – 6/9/26

Posted on June 9, 2026 in Customer Service Tip of the Week Please leave a comment

When trying to manage expectations, it’s vital to be clear with the customer.  But what specifically does it mean to be “clear?”

Clarity is in the eyes and ears of the beholder, so what may be clear to one customer may be unclear to another.  However, there are some basic tenets to keep in mind when you’re trying to ensure the customer is clear.

When Customer Education is Needed

Let’s use the example of giving instructions.  These could be discharge instructions given to a patient when they’re getting ready to leave the facility.  It could be instructions to a homeowner trying to understand how to appeal the tax value of their home.  The new season ticket holder account for a sports team could require instructions for how to use the team’s app.

Instruct with Clarity

First, use a multi-mode approach – a mix of verbal and written.  Different people learn different ways, and there aren’t many of us that “get” instructions given in one way one time.  Make sure people have a takeaway to complement and reinforce what you’ve said to them.

Second, add specificity – dates, times, specific URLs, specific guidance on the sequence of tasks.

Third, avoid the confusing terminology.  Eliminate or define acronyms.  Use layman’s terms that a first-time customer would know and understand.

Fourth, limit the verbiage, being as brief as possible.  More information results in more mud that could cloud the waters, making the clear unclear.

Fifth, convey what WILL happen v. what MAY happen, so the expectation isn’t for everything to occur.  That way, they’re not confused if certain steps don’t take place.

Finally, allow time for the Q&A.  One-way communication is not the recipe for consistent clarity.  Allow the person to ask questions or restate their understanding of the instructions back to you.  This is the best way to understand how clear things are in the mind of the customer before you wrap up the conversation.

Be clear on what creates clarity with the customer.

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