In Your Best Interest

Customers may become confused or frustrated by your policies and procedures. This is especially common in large organizations. But it’s not productive to blame your customers or your colleagues – that only makes things worse. What is effective is to resolve the situation permanently by improving the clarity and consistency of your communications.

Are You Referable?

Being technically competent is not enough to build a growing business. You may be a terrific lawyer, doctor, accountant, broker, supplier, programmer, manufacturer or car mechanic, but if you don't keep your promises in every way, you just won't be referred.

Give a Gift That Gives Again

Giving a 'free gift' to your existing customers may be appreciated, but may also become expected. Giving them a free gift to share with someone else can be a unique surprise for both.

Service Encounters of the Third Kind

What makes a company successful over the long, long term? What characterizes the service relationship between companies and customers who do business together for decades, even generations? How can your company stay close to your ...

A is For Outstanding

Within an organization, departments may have very different opinions about how well they are doing, and how well, or poorly, other departments around them are performing. These disagreements stem from a lack of clear standards for evaluating internal service. This can lead to...

Customer Satisfaction is a Rearview Mirror

What is the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty? One package delivery company uses a regular survey to measure customer satisfaction...

Why Quality Assurance is Not Enough

How can a company produce zero-defect products, boast dramatic cycle-time reductions, be certified for consistent, reliable performance...and still lose valuable customers?

I Want to Speak to a Supervisor, Part 2

Empowerment is intelligent fuel for creating self-motivated staff who will love the customers, love their jobs – and love working with you!

How to be a Better Customer

When you give better service, your customers will appreciate you more. But when you give lousy service, your customers can be a pain in the neck. The flip side is also true. If you are an...

Responsibility + Sensitivity = Cooperative Authority

Sometimes business owners and department heads can be very restrictive. Sometimes it is due to insecurity, sometimes to past bad experiences, sometimes they are simply unsure how to loosen the reins. One course of action you can take is to give your company owner a ...

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...

Helping Others Succeed is Good Service

All of us are partners with each other. If you help one person, maybe I will get the benefit down the line. If I help another, one day you may reap the same reward...

Service is a Two-Way Street

Delivering superior service isn’t rocket science. The fundamentals of world-class service are easy to learn – but not always easy to apply. What makes one service provider better than another is not more theory or information. It’s more action!

Cross-Town Collaboration

Old boundaries can become open borders for creative cooperation. If working together produces more convenience or value for the customer, then pursue the new partnership with vigor...