At the present, most customers are a bit overwhelmed with choices. Think for a minute. When we want to buy something, go on a trip, stay at a hotel, get a new dog, new barbecue—what do we do? Most of us go online to check out reviews of what others have done and recommend. It…
If you want to drive great external customer service start by providing great internal customer service. Last week, I was invited to Orlando to deliver a speech at one of the Disney resorts. I had been working and traveling all week and showed up at 11:00 p.m. I was greeted at the car by Loren,…
Are you working to create lasting memories this holiday season? Stop and think for a minute, how are YOU feeling right now? Stressed? Anxious? Happy? Sad? How are other people around you feeling? What does the average customer feel like now? Typically this time of year people are feeling more emotional than usual. This is…
Trying to keep your internal (employees) and external customers coming back? Maybe it’s time to engage diversity, embrace new and innovative ideas from all of your customers, and be a learner with everyone you meet. Last week I was with a client teaching a session on the topic of Legendary Service. There were people in…
Last weekend, my mom and I went shopping for her upcoming cruise. We went to lots of stores and encountered many levels of service providers. From the very cranky at being alive to the “I live to serve” type—we got ‘em all. But a young woman in the shoe department at Macy’s stood out from…
Are you familiar with “secret shoppers?” Organizations ask people to secretly “shop” their establishment, pretending to be customers, and report back the good, the bad, and the ugly. Wouldn’t that be fun to do? What would happen if your direct reports “secretly shopped” you as a leader? What would they report back? Here’s an exercise…
In a recent Legendary Service course, one of my participants—we’ll call him Chad—wondered aloud if leaders ever adhered to the same standards they continually ask of their service providers. When asked for an example of what he meant by this, he said, “Well … we are asked to acknowledge the customer, get details about the…
Have you ever found it hard to change your behavior—even when you knew it was exactly what people wanted you to do? See if this sounds familiar. Our family is going out to dinner. My husband is driving. We pull into the parking lot and I see a fabulous parking place right in front. (I…
Last week I had the privilege of staying at the Hyatt in Denver for the ASTD International Convention. I was a bit tired upon arrival as I had just flown in from a speech in Edmonton, Canada. My first realization that this was not a “business as usual” situation was encountering Troy at the front…
Ok. Picture this. Someone runs into your office and says, “I need help on ….” What are you probably thinking while they are talking? A. What you were doing before the person ran in, even though it means only half-listening to their story? B. Internal brainstorming on how you would handle X? C. Preparing to…