Forever ban this word from your customer service vocabulary! During my previous life as an attorney, I recall Judge Emanuel LoGalbo, now retired, relentlessly reminding attorneys and witnesses that “words matter.” In other words (pun intended), the outcome of a case could hinge on a particular word uttered by an attorney or a witness. And…
Seeking to provide exceptional customer service? Consider the benefits of OMNI’s Power of One ® customer service model. A few years ago, I had the opportunity – and privilege – to stay at the OMNI Austin Hotel at Southpark in Austin, Texas. And it proved to be an exceptionally memorable customer service experience, similar to my experience at the OMNI…
What gap questions exist in your business or organization? If you were working as a Disney cast member, how would you answer one of the most popular questions guests ask: “What time is the 3:00pm parade?” This particular question, together with “Where is the nearest restroom?,” is a frequent question guests repeatedly pose to Disney…
A well articulated and “over-communicated” simple purpose statement will propel your business or organization to deliver exceptional customer service. A previous employer of mine invested a substantial amount of time reviewing and modifying job descriptions, especially in preparation for advertising vacant or new positions. At times, we even debated whether particular tasks should be classified…
Writing simple thank you notes to your customers will make your business stand out in a crowded field of competitors. If you’re like most businesses, you’re continuously seeking strategies to differentiate yourself from competitors. For example, last year we at LearnAcre narrowed and refined our mission statement to something more memorable: We provide customer service…
Neglecting to follow through with a customer negates otherwise excellent customer service. So you thoroughly impressed the customer with your professionalism and charm, you quickly solved the customer’s complaint, and you skillfully upsold an additional product. But there’s one problem, and it’s a glaring one. Remember how you promised to call the customer to confirm…
“Amping up” your customer service attitude will make miserable Monday mornings a thing of the past! Let us share a secret that nobody wants to acknowledge, at least publicly, and especially in the presence of one’s boss: Not everyone arrives to work in a happy-go-lucky mood. I know. You’re shocked. Because you always arrive to work,…
The key to handling an irate customer is listening! I remember working an evening shift at a cable company in Florida. After 6:00pm, I was the only representative answering the customer service line. Around 7:00pm, the phone began ringing endlessly, which meant one thing: a cable outage. Between answering the rapid fire of calls, I…
Genuinely listening to customers should be a strategic priority of your business or organization. Think about this question for a moment: On average, how many seconds pass before physicians interrupt patients during the initial phase of office visits? Believe it or not, researchers studied this precise issue, and, based on their research, they actually determined…
But what does a “customer service problem” really mean? Remember when you most recently experienced a customer service problem, either in your workplace or as a consumer? I do, and it was just today at a restaurant. The food arrived late and lukewarm. Indeed, my wife received her plate at least five minutes before I did,…