Back in 2013 I published my first book, Delight Your Customers. The subtitle of that book is 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary. I specified to my publisher that the subtitle should read “7 Simple Ways…” rather than “The 7 Simple Ways…” It was
I recently received a delivery of a weightlifting system by a local fitness equipment company. I met the delivery truck in my driveway and gave the foreman a quick orientation about the best door to use, location of the weight room containing the old universal weight machine that required dismantling
Businesses that employ techniques to “surprise and delight” customers in an attempt to distract them from noticing systemic flaws in value (for price paid) or product or service quality are misguided. To illustrate, there is a large plumbing and HVAC company in my area that has its technicians carry a
I know a successful Denver web designer whose mantra is: “Keep working for the referral.” In other words, even after he gets the business, he continues to work hard to deliver a breathtaking design to his clients in order to delight them – and inspire their referrals. But what impresses
Earlier this year, I read the book The Effortless Experience by M. Dixon, N. Toman and R. DeLisi. The authors compiled some terrific research – really enlightening stuff – but in their zeal to write a provocative book that challenges conventional thinking, they’ve lumped every conceivable customer service action into
During a recent interview, I was asked, “How long does the effect of ‘delight’ (on a customer) last?” The value of exploring a question like this is that it forces us to examine those variables that contribute to creating lasting positive impressions for our customers. If this knowledge can be
Borrowing inspiration from Stephen Colbert, I’ve titled this post to point out the insufficiency of conclusions that have been drawn by me and others as they pertain to the art and science of customer service. Customers are moving targets in terms of needs and preferences and their sophistication increases exponentially
The title of this post is a quote from the French philosopher, Voltaire. It expresses the notion that we must not accept that “good” performance is equivalent to “the best” performance—in fact, they’re enemies. I’m convinced that most service providers are content to deliver “good” customer service. Their rationale may
Several years ago, after the birth of our first child, I began pouring pancake batter in unique shapes that our son would recognize from his world. When he was very young, I poured shapes ranging from puppies to pacifiers. As he grew older, I adapted the shapes to his interests—whether
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