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As I’ve gotten older, I better understand why many “old folks” (speaking from the viewpoint of me as a kid) got so grumpy. They’re tired of dealing with years of B.S. from so many people and have had enough of it. MORE
Regardless of your business, and no matter how hard you try to do the best for them, there will be situations where you have an upset customer who is dissatisfied with your product or service. Day in and day out, we must strive to provide the optimal experience for each customer interaction. MORE
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There are two viewpoints to take when answering the question; is your team better with or without you. It all depends on what is more important to you as a manager. Let’s break both sides down. Is Your Team Better With You or Without You? The Better With You Manager. MORE
The best intentions only get you so far and sometimes, your “best” is not good enough for your customer. They are upset, they are disappointed, and they deserve an apology. And here is where your “best” gets even worse. MORE
We all know that the coffee McDonald’s sells is too hot to drink when served. If you put it to your lips, you’ll most likely receive a burn that will be far worse than anything most people have ever encountered. So why do they make their coffee so hot? MORE
Bigfoot. The elusive missing link between humans and apes. But what does he have to do with customer service? Well, plenty. There are many similarities between the creature and the service many of us dish-out to our customers. That’s why I call it, Bigfoot customer service. Let’s get into it. Rumors. MORE
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The Mandalorian. The blockbuster hit on the Disney Channel. A keen and faithful observer can see many takeaways that relate to the way we offer service. I’ve already written about Bigfoot Customer Service and Landscaper Customer Service. MORE
Those of us in the customer service industry focus much on procedures, ease of use, product availability, and the steps of service, to name a few, all in the hopes of providing our customers the best overall experience. MORE
The lowly cornfield scarecrow hangs idly in the field while a flock of birds, having long since gotten over their fear of the fake man, eat their share of the surrounding crops. He has failed in his mission. The scarecrow now serves no purpose and has outlived its usefulness. MORE
Your eyes were bugged-eyed open, and they darted back and forth hoping to see everything (but they never did). Sweat started, a little at first, then it seemed to flow from every pore and made your clothes stick to places you didn’t even know you had. MORE
In my recent post, “ 3 Reasons Why We Let Businesses Take Us For Granted ”, I asked these questions, “Do we not value ourselves enough as a customer to expect the best or at least average service? But what about indifferent service? Why is it acceptable? MORE
Remember when you’d fall asleep on the living room couch and wake up after midnight to a TV that was all static because the stations when off the air ? Remember when the 5-second rule applied for almost any food that fell on the floor? MORE
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Safety, security, and peace of mind. Nice calming words they are. They come with little worries and little stress. Every employee wants this. But what does management want from you? MORE
I saw him, I did. He’s in that little hut with his face buried in his cell phone. He saw me drive up; I know he did – he looked right at me. I’m now waiting at the gas pump – it’s only 3 feet away from him. MORE
Tomorrow is a busy day at work. You’ve planned for it, scheduled properly, made the needed operational adjustments, and kept your fingers crossed so that everything will work out as planned. Then it happened…. The first thing in the morning you get a call from one of your key employees. MORE
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There are many “facts” in business and countless quotes and statistics are tallied-up each year. Two staple examples are “The customer is always right” and “It’s more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep an existing one”. These are certainly true. MORE
Great customer service is comprised of many things. Besides policies and procedures which lead to a satisfied customer, your smile, positive words, and open body language are just as important – and many say even more important. Here are a few ways businesses can put their customers at ease. MORE
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Great employees are the heart and soul of any business, especially a successful one. Their efforts cannot be understated enough. But there are always one or two poor performers or “deadwood employees” – those who contribute little to the company’s success and at times undermine it. MORE
Reevaluation. It’s a tried and true method to improve your customer service. But how many use this often enough to benefit from its findings? Good question. MORE
During the initial business startup phase, providing great customer service may not have been your first thought. Instead, you focused on getting the best location, trendy furnishings, celebrity appearances, and over-the-top promotions that you “knew” would jump-start your business. MORE
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Earlier today I got into a silly conversation with a friend about one of the biggest issues that we face today – Which donuts are better, those from Dunkin Donuts or Krispy Kreme? MORE
We get so bogged down in life’s everyday chores. As songwriter Harry Chapin famously said, “There’s planes to catch and bills to pay” – thank goodness there’s Valentine’s Day to remind us to stop and show how much we care about the special people in our lives. MORE
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Remember that Seinfeld episode when George was charged a fee for not calling to cancel his doctor’s appointment? The reason: the doctor’s time is important and has “value”. If you can’t make your appointment it’s a loss of revenue for the doctor. Ok, that makes sense. MORE
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does your Net Promoter Score tell you enough to make a difference? This original article was written by Steve DiGioia. Net Promoter Score®, or NPS, measures customer experience and predicts business growth. This proven metric transformed the business world and now provides the core measurement for customer experience management programs around the world. But we should do this instead of worrying about a good NPS score. What should we do? I’ll get to that in a moment but first, some background. MORE
You have a “hard to fill” open position at your job. Even after interviewing candidate after candidate, the spot has been vacant for over 6 months and you wonder if they’ll ever find someone. MORE
Many managers love to micromanage. They just can’t help it. They believe that telling an employee exactly how to do something and when to do it will fix all their ills. This makes the employee’s job easier. They don’t have to think. Simply “tell them what to do” for every situation and they’ll do it. MORE
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Many times, we managers think we have all the answers, that we know it all, and our way is the one correct way to do things. After all, we’re management, and our ideas are always better. But that’s not the case. MORE
Too many businesses continue to offer a workplace that leaves little room for the employee’s personality to shine through. They micromanage the heck out of each service step and expect their minions to follow the path without exceptions. Who Writes YOUR Words? MORE
…my thoughts on the Coronavirus and what comes next. Because of the Coronavirus, I think I should stop writing, at least for a while until the world gets back to normal. It seems like the logical thing to do. MORE
Not the kind that gets you the corner office, a big expense account, or stock options; I’m talking about the kind you use to advertise and spread the word about your business. MORE
Always address the point of the argument, NOT, the emotions attached to it. Example: John is upset that his suggestions for improvements to an upcoming project weren’t adopted, so he vents his frustrations about being overlooked or undervalued. MORE
242 Most people have a few go-to strategies that they follow during times of need. They’re comforted knowing they have a tried-and-true method that works for them and have tactics that have never let them down. I’m no different. Experience has shown us the way and we are better off because of it. MORE
Yesterday my wife and I did a little shopping after work and stopped into our local Eddie Bauer clothing store. We were greeted by a mature woman with the biggest smile who showed a sincere interest in helping me find the exact pair of pants I wanted. MORE
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