Any single person in your company can make a positive or negative impression on a customer. And today, thanks to social media, that one impression can be multiplied, exponentially, within hours. “Think of Yelp or TripAdvisor,” says Kathy Cuff, coauthor of Legendary Service: The Key Is to Care. “You can go online and read hundreds…
I’ve got a pet peeve when it comes to customer service policies. It annoys me to no end when front-line employees have to get a manager’s approval for even the simplest, low-dollar merchandise return. I recently had to return an item to an office supply store (a national chain) where I encountered this very situation.…
Each year the American Customer Satisfaction Index compiles the results of 70,000 random customer interviews to identify customer satisfaction in 43 industries and 10 economic sectors. The top industries for service: Televisions & Video Players (score 86), Credit Unions (score 85), Internet Retail, Internet Brokerage, Full-Service Restaurants, Automobiles & Light Vehicles, Personal Care & Cleaning Products, and Soft…
Customer service is something we all come across in our daily lives. It can be used as a key differentiator for you and your company. 9 out of 10 US consumers said they would pay more for a superior service. I want to share with you a customer service experience I had a few weeks ago…
Employee engagement is a hot topic these days. According to a Gallup poll estimate, disengaged employees cost the US between $450 – $550 billion each year in terms of lost productivity. Could you be contributing to that figured by not finding out what’s truly meaningful to your employees? According to The Ken Blanchard Companies own…
Yesterday, I went to my favorite retail store to pick up a pair of silver hoop earrings for my friend’s birthday. While there, I saw a lot of little things that felt new and fresh. I asked my usual salesperson (who has been there forever), “What is different around here? It feels spacious and inviting!”…
Are expectations from the younger generations driving changes to customer service and product support? Earlier this week, I came across an article on Forbes.com titled What Kind Of Customer Experience Are Millennials (Gen-Y) Looking For?. In the article, Micah Solomon, the article’s author, attempts to summarize the expectations of the Millennial generation when it comes to…
Who are you as an organization? What are you known for? What will people remember about you? It always brings me back to what I was taught when I was young—the importance of making a good first impression. That old adage rang true for me today as I was on a phone call with an…
Being promoted into your first management role can be both an exciting and scary experience. It shows that your employer trusts you to make decisions and lead others. However, it can also be a major shift in responsibility. People are going to look to you for direction, and it’s up to you to have the…
As a Situational Leadership II (SLII) instructor, I teach hundreds of leaders each year how to adapt their leadership style to the needs of their direct reports. Beginners on a new task get a Directing Style; moderately skilled employees get a Coaching or Supporting Style; and highly skilled employees get a Delegating Style. The SLII…