Tagged News
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Employee Appreciation = Great Service!
February 26, 2013 2:56 PM
This Friday, March 1st is Employee Appreciation Day . It's not too late to think of ways to show your appreciation to staff. This is particularly important for your customer service staff. Why? Study after study show that engaged and appreciated employees provide better service to customers. This of course... more » -
Standing Out From the Pack Like a Ram
February 4, 2013 7:27 PM
If you watched the Super Bowl last night, you might have received one of the best lessons ever on how to market and how to make a connection with customers. While we were witnessing one stupid, pointless, and brand-less 3 million dollar commercial after another, Chrysler revealed their 'So... more » -
How NOT to handle a Customer Complaint
August 18, 2011 4:59 PM
I had a customer service encounter today that had so many lessons I hardly know where to begin. Since the service provider ultimately 'made it right', I won't embarrass the company by mentioning their name but will tell you that they deliver something to my house every month. My... more » -
Maybe EASY is a Customer Service Training Must
August 12, 2011 8:51 AM
My last blog post focused on a study by the Customer Contact Council (CCC) showing that customers today are more interested in EASY than Delight. I have been pondering on this and trying to think of how EASY has impacted my customer service encounters. After not too much thought,... more » -
Consumer Reports Releases America's Top Gripes
June 14, 2011 12:10 PM
Consumer Reports just released the Top 10 gripes of Americans having customer service issues and complaints. They surveyed almost 1,000 consumers nationwide to find the customer-service problems that infuriate people most. Respondents rated 12 practices on a scale of 0 (not annoying at all) to 10 (tremendously annoying). Differences... more » -
Are You Giving Your Customers 'A Little Something Extra'?
February 9, 2011 1:38 PM
LAGNIAPPE... Although the word has French roots, it can be found in good old Webster's Dictionary and is defined as 'a small present given to a customer with a purchase'. I have built on this basic definition to bring the concept of lagniappe into the customer service and sales realm.... more » -
Under Promising and Over Delivering
February 9, 2011 1:37 PM
With a birthday the week of Halloween, you can believe that I have lots of memories of Tricks and Treats over the years! So what are YOU giving customers these days? Tricks or Treats?!? What in the world do I mean? Well, it would seem that a very simple... more » -
Filling the Order and Filling the King Cake
February 9, 2011 1:37 PM
I was recently ordering a Mardi Gras King Cake from a great local bakery, The Dough Basket. http://www.doughbasket.com/ Tanya Clark, the owner, knew that I was ordering the cake as a gift for a family with a small child. When I told her that I wanted to order my favorite... more » -
Exceeding Expectations - The Loyalty Link
February 9, 2011 1:36 PM
It can be said that few companies meet customer's expectations. Even fewer consistently exceed customer expectations. And yet, exceeding a customer's expecations is the straightest path to loyalty - the level of relationship where competitors simply do not exist in the customer's mind. ... more » -
A Tale of Two Companies
February 9, 2011 1:35 PM
Like most businesses in a tough economy, I have been looking for ways to cut costs. One of my greatest costs is telephone... cell phones, land lines, and 800 numbers are a huge percentage of my fixed monthly overhead. After investigating several options, I discovered that I could cut my... more » -
Cutting Back or Rolling Forward?
February 9, 2011 1:35 PM
This week I had to go to our local cable provider, Comcast to upgrade service for a rental property. Now imagine that you have to go to your cable company to do the same. What would you expect? Terrible to say, but when dealing with most utilities whether they be... more » -
Vegas - A Service Story that Can't Stay in Vegas!
February 9, 2011 1:34 PM
I just returned from a trip to Las Vegas and once again was amazed with the high level of service offered in the top properties. My last service encounter was was something that happened in Vegas that CAN'T stay in Vegas! My husband and I were eating our last... more » -
The Prescription Rx for Service
February 9, 2011 1:34 PM
I have a program that I present in the healthcare industry titled The Presciption Rx for Service . In this program, as in all of my customer service training programs, "Saying It Better" is a big focus. Today I was reminded yet again of how important the words we... more » -
In Love with the Voice
February 9, 2011 1:33 PM
In my book, Common Sense Service , there is a chapter titled: In Love With the Voice! This chapter chronicles the skills of a real life service rep with an exceptional voice and how this voice built amazing relationships with customers. This week I was reminded of this when... more » -
Saying It Better
February 9, 2011 1:33 PM
If you follow me on twitter, you probably noticed two posts this week where I was wowed by the words used by a customer service provider. The first customer service close encounter was in a restaurant. The server came by the table and said, " Is it as good... more » -
Who is the BOSS of Your Customer Service?
February 9, 2011 1:31 PM
As a customer service speaker, it drives me NUTS when I see front line staff talking on cell phones. So when I recently saw this handmade sign hanging on the wall of a gas station food store, I had to take a picture! As they say, a picture is... more » -
Build Your Business By Catering Your Service to 5 Customer Types
February 9, 2011 12:16 PM
PERSONALITY 1: The Sweet and Talkative Type This customer is why many sales representatives and customer service providers love their job! This customer allows you into their world on a regular basis, giving you updates on family, friends, vacations and more. More than likely, they are also interested in... more » -
3 Steps to Evaluating Your Customer Service
February 9, 2011 12:12 PM
Your ability to build customer service success in the new year must begin with an honest self exam of how you did last year. These three steps will give you a snapshot of where you are and where you need to improve in the year to come! Step 1:... more »