Tweak Your Customer or Tweak Your System?

The purpose of your staff and system is to serve your customers better. When customers make requests outside normal procedures, your job is to tweak the system, not the customer.

Overcoming the Nasty Pirate

Put positive emotion and a personal touch in your service recovery efforts. Customers will remember and cherish you forever.

Top Customer Service Speaker Says: You Revoke Customer Entitlements at Your Peril

If a customer is used to VIP treatment, receiving a perk, year after year, such as attending a nice event, it becomes part of his routine, like a family outing, and it’s something he counts on. In this article, Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, best-selling author, top speaker and consultant writes from personal experience to show just how damaging and costly it is to delete customer entitlements.

Personal Diamond Awards

What would the Olympics be like if we officially included the Personal Diamond Awards? Imagine an athlete who wins the bronze medal as well as a Personal Diamond. How would that athlete react? How might the audience respond? Would the bronze medalist begrudge the...

Say the Magic Words

There are moments in life when someone says just a few magic words that become powerful beyond the speaker’s imagination. Perhaps this has happened to you. It has to me – twice.

You May Never Know What’s Really Going On

You win loyalty when people see you are on their side, not against them. The next time you experience a negative reaction to another person’s words, actions or behavior, do some mental sit-ups before you reply. Then practice generosity and exercise compassion...

The Motivating Power of Purpose

Providing great service to others can be hard work. Your customers may be upset, demanding, problematic - even mean. You need an uplifting purpose to keep you going, bring you up when times are hard and inspire you to keep on serving...

Keep Your Suppliers Eager With a 70/30 Split

To keep your suppliers on their toes, try this smart tip I learned from the Group Purchasing Manager of Asia Pacific Breweries. Whenever he contracts to purchase items from more than one supplier, he gives one vendor 70% of the total purchase, while a second vendor gets 30%. And he tells them both...

How to Pay a Powerful Compliment

Sincere compliments motivate, encourage and inspire. The next time you praise a deserving person or organization, create a compliment with positive power...

Getting (Dis)Connected

Convenience is a great value to offer your customers, especially in today's busy world. But convenience is measured by your customer's experience, not by your explanations, justifications or packing lists. The smallest missing item...

Disneyland Makes Real Magic

Business is not a cold process of swapping services, money and goods. It’s a living, thriving appreciation of the dynamic connection between us...

Customer Discrimination - We Do It All the Time

A Financial Times editor in London asked my opinion about systems that automatically route customers to higher or lower levels of service based on the loyalty and profitability of the customer.

Unsuccessful Applicants Deserve Good Service Too

When you hire new staff, or put projects out to bid, do your advertisements state: 'We regret only selected applicants will be informed?'

Moment of Truth or Moment of Impact

Moments of truth are all those times when customers experience and evaluate your service. Work hard, do a good job, and customers will come back for more.