Have you ever had to repeat a problem several times to a company? Imagine calling your insurance company, you punch in your claim number, and then you go through an endless series of punch-in options for departments and different needs. When you finally get to a person, they ask, “Can you give me your claim … Continue reading Repetition, not so good for business.
Slaying the Customer Discomfort Beast
Have you ever had a medical test and afterward had to wait days or a week for the results? How did it feel during that period? If the test was to determine the seriousness of some pain or niggle, I know most of us experience some amount of anxiety, worry, or discomfort at minimum. This … Continue reading Slaying the Customer Discomfort Beast
Coaching Success Requires Regular Follow Up
In a recent post, we looked at a simple approach to coaching employees. We talked about a coaching conversation model based on three themes – reflection, ideation, and commitment. In this model, the coach and coacheee focus on an area of opportunity for improvement and reflect on the current state of that focus area. They … Continue reading Coaching Success Requires Regular Follow Up
An Experiment in Culture Change
I’m always surprised at the number of people behind counters at stores, banks, limited-service restaurants, and airports that seem miserable. They make no eye contact, mumble, and go through the paces of their job just checking off the boxes on a list of company-required actions. What can be done? I tried an experiment. I thought, … Continue reading An Experiment in Culture Change
Demystifying Workplace Coaching
Recently, a manager asked me how to start a coaching conversation that provides clarity and doesn’t sound preachy. Here is how I replied. First, it is important to understand what coaching is and isn’t. Workplace coaching is not, as some of our sporting examples might lead us to believe, about barking out the game plan. … Continue reading Demystifying Workplace Coaching
Customer Experience Isn’t About Thrill Rides
“People don’t want experiences, that’s the stuff of Disney or cruise ships. People just want what they want and they want it to work.” I read that in a comment to a post on LinkedIn the other day and while I wasn’t overly surprised by the comment, I was surprised that it came from the … Continue reading Customer Experience Isn’t About Thrill Rides
Three A’s for Making Your Customers Feel Safe
Did you take psychology in college? Do you remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs? If you do, kudos, if not, here’s a refresher. Abraham Maslow was a psychologist who reached fame in 1943 when he published a paper called A Theory of Human Motivation where he set out the foundation of what would become known as … Continue reading Three A’s for Making Your Customers Feel Safe
What Is Service Excellence?
I recently was doing some work where I was asked the question, “What is service excellence?” It was a good question, and although it may seem easy to define, it is often misunderstood. Answering the question brought to mind some interesting thoughts from Ron Kaufman, the author of Uplifting Service, about what service excellence really … Continue reading What Is Service Excellence?
Art or Ordinary? You Decide.
My job title is Director of Service Excellence. I often get asked about excellence and what I think it means, and the answer informs how I approach my job and it just might change the way you think about yours. The dictionary says excellence is the quality of being outstanding or extremely good. When I … Continue reading Art or Ordinary? You Decide.
Being the Calm in the Storm
Have you ever been in a situation where you felt like a service provider had no empathy at all? I’m sure you have, it happens all the time. Think about the number of times you’ve been on one of those dreaded Help Desk calls and the dull, monotone voice on the other end gives the … Continue reading Being the Calm in the Storm
Neal Woodson 