Recently a front line customer service employee presented me with a challenging mindset. She said ‘Why should I care about customers. They don’t care about me.’ Turns out this young lady was just having a really bad day. After digging a little deeper, I discovered she cares deeply about her customers and wants to do.. read more →
Companies love to boast about how customer service oriented they are, but exactly who are they talking about – Everyone in the company? Really…? What I find about these types of blanket statements is they are often wishful thinking and simply don’t hold true. Being service oriented is a personality type not a mission statement… read more →
We as human beings are being influenced all of the time. We’re influenced by people, places, events, situations, advertising to name a few things. Sometimes we are impacted more than other times, but we are constantly being influenced by what is happening around us. Working in customer service, your job requires you to influence people.. read more →
Working with customers who are upset or angry can be difficult for most of us. Creating the right mindset around these situations will help you handle the situation effectively with dignity and grace rather than feeling distressed and frazzled yourself. Remember that the customer is always…the customer. We all know that the customer is not.. read more →
If you work in customer service, you’re going to use people skills. This hard to define skill set is one that will take you far not only on the job but in your personal life as well. The ability to identify and understand different personality types, as well as to be able to communicate with.. read more →
Whether you’re a newcomer to the customer service field or a seasoned veteran, everyone can benefit from improving their listening skills. Cultivating your listening skills will ramp up your productivity, not to mention your ability to influence, persuade and negotiate with others; you’ll avoid misunderstandings and have fewer run-ins with people too. All these skills.. read more →
When was the last time you got really great customer service? When I ask this question at one of our seminars, people recall all kinds of great customer service stories. They’ll say things like, the woman at the front desk really helped me out, the guy at the store made me feel important, everyone that.. read more →
When people think of working in customer service they often think of working face to face with customers, when in fact most business transactions today are done either online or over the phone. From Wal-Mart to GE and Bank of America to Ford Motor Company Call Centers today are the way business gets done. They.. read more →
When I ask customers what they appreciate about doing business in person, I’m amazed at how often they answer, ‘They smile at me right away. A sincere smile can brighten any customer’s day. Studies and surveys consistently tell us that customer satisfaction is significantly higher when they receive a genuine smile. Looking at your customer.. read more →
There was a time (when Ms. Chatterback was but a young girl) that the border between work and personal life was pretty clear cut. Stores closed at 5pm and weren’t open on Sundays at all so that employees could spend the day with their families. Not so in today’s 24-7 world. Today businesses are connected.. read more →