focus

Improve customer service by paying attention

May 10, 2010

Recently I was at a youth mentoring conference. One of the topics we found ourselves discussing was how challenging it is for many adults to relate to kids. This is a major obstacle to recruiting mentors for kids. After thinking about how I interact with kids (of all ages) I concluded the best way to [...]

Read the full article →

Forget revenue. Focus on serving your customers well.

April 5, 2010

Earlier this year I was talking with a business owner about his company’s business planning. He had spent a fair amount of time looking ahead and thinking about the revenue he wanted his company to produce this year. Planning like this is good when it helps us focus on the things that make our business [...]

Read the full article →

Be in the present

December 1, 2009

Over the recent holiday weekend I played a a few games of checkers with my youngest nephews, the twins.  At six years old they understand the game pretty well, including the idea of winning. But, whenever one of them got too far ahead of their opponent, the game took an unusual turn. A discussion ensued [...]

Read the full article →

Make sure your service HELPS your customers

November 18, 2009

The last time I got an email from my library it was about an overdue book. The email arrived a couple days AFTER the book was overdue. It also explained how I owed a fine for not returning the book by its due date. Every month, about 3 days BEFORE my payment is due, my [...]

Read the full article →

Be the best at what you do

November 9, 2009

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Be the best at what you do And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Last week a reader shared with me a perfect example of a business that does what they do very well. And they focus only on that. They don’t try to be [...]

Read the full article →

Give customers your complete attention

August 21, 2009

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Give customers your complete attention. And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Customers consistently tell us they hate dealing with employees who don’t listen or pay attention. It’s a common and yet preventable complaint. When you begin talking with a customer, stop whatever else you [...]

Read the full article →

Put the Mouse Down! An Easy Way to Improve Customer Service

July 10, 2009

Here is your Daily Dose of Amazing Service: Don’t multitask while helping your customer. And here are some additional thoughts on this topic… Some people are good at multitasking. Some can listen while they are doing other things. But just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD. We all can listen better when [...]

Read the full article →

Here are Three Steps to Handling Stressful Situations

April 6, 2009

Yesterday morning I opened the door to our lower deck and let the dog out and I was shocked. Rather than seeing the signs of early spring in our back yard, I saw white stuff everywhere. Everything outside was covered with new fallen snow. And it was still coming down. It looked beautiful. But it [...]

Read the full article →

Give customers your complete attention

February 26, 2008

Amazing Customer Service Rule #6 Give customers your complete attention. Customers consistently tell us they hate dealing with employees who don’t listen or pay attention. It’s a common and yet preventable complaint. When you begin talking with a customer, stop whatever else you are doing and focus on them. Make appropriate eye contact, listen, nod [...]

Read the full article →