In an earlier blog post titled What is customer service?, I offered an 18-word definition of customer service containing seven unique elements that we’ll be exploring one-by-one in greater detail over the coming weeks. Too often, customer service is viewed as a department, a designated employee’s job role, or someone
In 2011, I worked with a hotel general manager, Victor, in Boston. One observation he made was that, although his staff was friendly, there were numerous occasions when hotel employees would huddle in small groups and banter, some with their backs to hotel guests and others with hands in their
While reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, I came across the following quote: “(T)he key to (achieving desired results) is to put your desired actions as close to the path of least resistance as humanly possible. Identify the activation energy—the time, the choices, the mental and physical effort they
I often encounter managers who rightly cite the importance of selection in building a staff of exceptional customer service providers. But many of these same managers bemoan the difficulty of motivating those tenured employees whom they inherited to provide the same quality of customer service. These managers often describe certain
Yesterday morning, I had a 10:00am appointment and left a few minutes early in order to mail a package at the post office. Since time was an issue, I was glad to see only one person ahead of me at the counter. As I waited, I overheard the customer talking
There are as many definitions of “customer service” as there are customer service books and gurus. And, while there is no single correct definition, I would like to submit mine for consideration: Customer service is a voluntary act that demonstrates a genuine desire to satisfy, if not delight, a customer.
Last week, I presented during a conference that was held at a full-service hotel in Denver. My contact at the event mentioned that, earlier that morning, he discovered the iron in his room was not working properly. He called downstairs to request a replacement iron and was told one would
Having presented hundreds of customer service seminars to thousands of people over the years, I have identified three common questions that I tend to receive from audience members. These questions, and others, have been answered in my new book, Delight Your Customers: 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service
I recently called a local fence company to inquire about replacing the fence on the western side of my yard. Although I called during business hours, I received a recording. Rather than leave a message, I chose to send an email to schedule an estimate. Later that same day, I
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