Customer Service

With roots steeped rich in Celtic, Roman Catholic, and Protestant tradition, the annual Trick‑or‑Treat ritual that takes place this week can be traced back centuries. Originally, children would adorn hand‑made ceremonial costumes and go door‑to‑door singing out “a trick a treat!" Then they’d entertain their neighbors with carefully rehearsed songs, skits, and dances. If they performed well, the neighbor might reward them with some bread, fruit, or nuts. This encouraged the

Imagine walking into a room where you are invited to play a game where you could win $1000 or more. In front of you is a large bulletin board that has pinned to it the logos of twenty large well-known companies; brands most everyone is familiar with. Next to this is another large board pinned with twenty white index cards, each imprinted with the mission statement and core values of one of those companies. The object of the game is to correctly match each logo to the index

Guest post by Shep Hyken Building the ideal corporate culture doesn’t happen by chance. If you are a leader of a company or organization and you want to instill a customer service culture, how do you make it happen? To become a customer-centric company requires first building an employee-centric workplace. If you want your customers to be amazed – and loyal, and refer their family and friends to you, etc. – what you need to do first is . If you want a real-life example tha

There is an epic war being fought along the front lines of every business in the world. Business owners and managers across all industries are engaged in heavy conflict with employees who aren't able to get through a shift without checking the screen on their smart phones, many of whom check it every couple of minutes. To the manager, the almost ubiquitous smart phone has become a distraction that limits performance and interferes with customer service. To a young employee

Kyle (age 21) handles the scheduling, appointments, estimates, and all payment transactions for the auto service center near my office. On a weekday morning at 8:16, I call to inquire about getting my vehicle in for shocks and an alignment. Kyle politely tells me that if I can bring it in within the next 30 minutes, he’ll have it out by 11:45, in time for me to make my lunch appointment. I agree and head out immediately. I arrive at 8:37 and notice that there are already

The phrase "Coffee is for Closers" resonates with anyone who's seen the classic film, Glengarry Glen Ross. This 1992 movie stars six Hollywood A-list leading men as salesman who work for an unethical real estate outfit. The actors portray fast-talking hucksters who lie, exaggerate, and use a series of con games to goad unwitting prospects into signing on the dotted line for overpriced real estate. (If you haven't seen the movie, and you have a high tolerance for foul languag

In this new economy, time is the commodity that is the most prized. Seldom do you run into a colleague or associate who has a wide-open schedule or is looking for a way to fill some empty or idle time in their day. Forced to do more with less, time-crunched leaders push their people to find the fast-n-easy solution when they encounter a problem such as an equipment breakdown or a customer service complaint. But the quick fix is seldom the right fix, and the Band-Aid approa

It’s 7:14 a.m. The breakfast is scheduled for 7:30 and, so far, I don’t see any of the meeting attendees milling around. Before heading into the ballroom to meet with the AV technician who’s there to help me set up for my 8:30 keynote, I decide to grab a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. As I approach the breakfast buffet area that’s been prepared for the 120 meeting attendees I’ll soon be presenting for, I take notice of the artwork in my presence. The sweetener at the

Since my new book launched in January, I've sent out 273 complimentary copies. I know for a fact that at least four of those books were delivered. These books were not sent out unsolicited to a random list of people I was hoping to engage, but rather to clients, prospective clients, major media contacts, and close colleagues who requested them. Each received a personalized, autographed hard cover book accompanied by a hand-written postcard. Reviving Work Ethic retails for

Last Thursday while vacationing with my family in a small Colorado mountain town, I suffered a personal crisis when one of my highly visible dental crowns split in two and fell out. I had Crystal, the receptionist at my dentist for the past 15 years, on the phone in minutes and explained to her the severity of the situation. After six minutes on hold, Crystal returned to tell me that Dr. B wasn’t going to be in on Friday, but that he could fit me in on Monday morning. “How

When you think back on your days as a high school student, you'll recall that the majority of the faculty and staff who interacted with you did so in an authoritative and controlling manner. If there was a disagreement or a point of contention, you were quickly reminded that they were the adult and you were the kid, erasing any doubt as to who was going to emerge from the conflict victorious. I experienced this as a student, and again when I became a young teacher. I wanted

I'm shopping for a refrigerator to replace a custom built-in model that is in my home. Always looking for a bargain, I went online and found a great deal on one through a major retailer. This particular fridge had been marked down because of a scratch on one side, and the way my kitchen is configured, the sides won't show. This scratch-and-dent refrigerator is at a store in Tennessee and I am in Colorado, but even including the cost of shipping and delivery, I will still com

You post an entry-level sales position and sort through an avalanche of resumes to find a few that seem worthy of face time. After hours of boring interviews with candidates you know don’t have what it takes to make it in your organization, you suddenly encounter your next rock star. He makes a dazzling first impression, is quick on his feet to give all the right answers, looks you in the eyes and convinces you that he’ll work tirelessly to drum up all kinds of new business

Pull any manager aside and ask them to describe the emerging front line workforce and terms like ‘entitled’ and ‘poor work ethic’ will enter into the conversation. I interact with thousands of managers in the hospitality industry each year, and this I can say with certainty. At last year’s CHART conference in New Orleans, a regional training manager for a large restaurant chain lamented to me, “the work ethic has gotten so bad that our people are in the perpetual mode of tryi