Do you have habits? Of course you do. We all do. Maybe it’s brushing your teeth every morning when you get up and every night before bed. Maybe it’s the route you take to work each day or how you grab a cup of coffee at the same spot before going into your office. Habits … Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Vital Behavior Blueprint by Julie Smith and Lori Ludwig

So many businesses are stepping up their service now. It’s the holiday season. No matter what holiday you celebrate, there are gifts to buy, and buying at this scale requires more help. So… businesses get focused on being as helpful as possible.  This could mean hiring more part-time help. It could mean making service a … Continue reading Why not step up all year?

Thanksgiving is this week. It’s such a great holiday.  It’s a celebration of service. It’s a time to thank all those who help and have helped you be who and what you are.  It’s a time to celebrate generosity by thanking those who have given their time, money, and love to make your life better. … Continue reading A great holiday.

Three companies “We’ve got a great product. You need it.” “We see your problem, our product can help.” “We understand your problem. Our product isn’t quite right but we know who has one that is.” Three messages We want to be successful. We want us both to be successful. We want you to succeed no matter what. Three customer views  … Continue reading Three stories. One is yours, but which one?

For those who work to learn about and improve customer experiences, there are a lot of interesting pieces of data available: NPS, CSAT, CES, OSAT, churn rate, FCR, call abandonment rates, new accounts opened, share of wallet, CLV, regression analytics, predictive analytics, correlation studies, the enormous list goes on and on.  But these data are … Continue reading What’s missing in the data is what we need to improve.

***What customers want you to do.*** CUSTOMER WANT #1: Get the job done … whatever it is. Customers simply want to get what they came for. CUSTOMER WANT #2: Make it hassle-free … which means as few tasks they have to perform as possible and no frustrating irritations. ***What employees need to achieve those two … Continue reading The Customer Service Experience: Two things customers want and four things employees need to make it happen.

If you want to create better customer life, it starts inside your organization. Since it is largely about behavior, it must be practiced and led. Here are five things leaders can do to kick start and maintain a service-focused culture. This week (and every week), thank an employee for a small act of helpfulness. This … Continue reading Five Leadership Habits for Inspiring a Service-Focused Culture

Everyone these days seems to be “too busy” or “crazy busy.” My typical thought? “Doing what?” When I do ask that question, the answers are usually things that could be controlled with better choices and/or better planning.  What I’ve found is that people either feel they cannot say no or they worry that they will … Continue reading A great time management tactic.

I have a friend who got ensnarled in a toxic work environment. The poison was created by a narcissistic colleague who mistreated teammates, lied, made up stories that damaged people, and pretty much manipulated anything that would further his own cause.  After a long ordeal, upper management had finally had enough and made a power … Continue reading Changing your name will not change who you are. 

Came across the term “good-handedness” in a newsletter by Austin Kleon. It describes “the immediate feeling on reading the first lines of a book, or starting a movie, etc., that you are in good hands.” It got me thinking. Shouldn’t good-handedness apply to businesses? Shouldn’t our impressions of a business be such that we feel … Continue reading Good hands.