This morning I took my seven year old daughter to the oral surgeon for a frenectomy. While it is a relatively easy and painless outpatient procedure, the fact that it involved a needle was enough to get my daughter a little nervous. It didn’t help that her big brother did his brotherly duties of scaring [Read More]
September 28, 2010
Personal Touches Win Business Every Time
Customer service training should always include the personal touch and being on the lookout for the little things that make a difference to your customers. I interviewed a fellow attendee at a recent conference about the things that bring her back to a business and the things that will drive her away. Lain will tell [Read More]
September 22, 2010
Staff Recognition Ultimately Benefits Your Customers
Want your staff to improve their customer service skills and deliver excellent service? Then give them a pat on the back for their efforts. All small business owners dream of having stellar customer service marks, increasing profits and customer retention, and developing sustainable customer loyalty. One way to practically ensure these outcomes is to value [Read More]
September 21, 2010
Train Your Staff to Improve Like Athletes – Continually
When athletes break their own records or win that “big game”, do they stop training for the next event? No. Should your customer skills training stop once the staff member has started working in their position after the initial training? Absolutely not. In order to keep your staff at the top of their “game,” continual [Read More]
September 17, 2010
Got an Attitude About Customer Service?
Are you thinking that good customer service is a lost art these days? Many people do. I’ve found one thing that seems to be the sole driving factor as to whether or not good customer service is delivered to the satisfaction of customers – attitude. The attitude and work ethic of today’s workforce is essential. [Read More]
September 16, 2010
Customer Service Issues? Try Managing the Customer’s Expectations
Not adequately managing the expectations of the customer can have a negative impact on their decision to do business with us again. Are you losing business because the perception of the customer is jaded due to their own expectations? Often, business seems tedious because we deal with many customer service issues. We ask ourselves why [Read More]
September 9, 2010
Is Customer Loyalty Unattainable?
I was asked to review an article post written by a colleague in my field. The premise was that customer loyalty is a thing of the past. His point was that consumer demographics have changed, the economic situation has created a different mindset, and that while customers are looking to form relationships, we, as business [Read More]
September 8, 2010
Win Customers Back by Delivering Excellent Customer Service
“We’ve had customers leave us because of a lower price, then return to us because of the better service we provided.” This is a direct quote from my interview with Todd Wilson, owner of a lawn care service. He knows that customer value the personal touch and follow up, so he is determined to be [Read More]
September 7, 2010
Poor Customer Service – Whose Fault is It?
Who is to Blame for Poor Customer Service – Management or the Staff Themselves? This was the question posed on a Customer Experience Management discussion forum board. While on the surface I can see that this question can be answered both ways, it really comes down to one party’s responsibility – the management. Management sets [Read More]
September 3, 2010
5 Star Customer Service at the Apple Orchard
Small businesses have just as much to gain by superior customer service as large companies do. I was out today with my three children finishing up some last minute school supply shopping (yes, I am that mom). We took a route home that would take us by the Schwallier’s Apple Orchard where our family makes [Read More]