The Positive Power of Competition

Vigorous competition may be the best thing that ever happened to customer service. It wakes people up and makes them serve you better.

To Be Distinctive, Be Different

Make a list of all the 'usual ways' your organization offers good customer service. Now think of totally different ways you could surprise, intrigue or delight. What bothers your customers? How can you fix it? What do they do before or after your service? How can you integrate it? What do they bring, carry or take away? How can you replace it?

No News is Bad News!

If you have a customer who is happy and you do not give them a chance to tell you, you lose one of the strongest opportunities to increase customer loyalty. The need to be internally consistent is a driving force in shaping future behavior. In other words, if customers...

Turtles Deliver the Internal Mail

I haven’t received it yet, she wrote back. We have Turtle Mail inside this company. I should get your package by the end of the week...

Is Your Survey Worth My Time?

A manufacturer complains that his customers rarely return the satisfaction surveys he sends out. A leading resort gets back just 30% of the comment cards left for guests inside their fancy rooms. One government agency had a response rate of only 6% when they sent out an 11-page survey. What’s going on here? Why is the...

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...

To Inspire Perfect Service – Tip!

When a service provider receives acknowledgment and encouragement from the very beginning, they may do much more to serve you well. Everyone appreciates being appreciated, occasionally in advance...

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...

1,500 Puzzle Pieces... Minus One!

When things go wrong, your best recovery effort is required. But don't just provide the missing piece (that's the recovery), also provide unique personal assistance (that is the memorable effort).

Are Your Frequent Customers Freeloaders, Scoundrels or Cheats

Many companies reward their customers with a system for accumulating points with each purchase. These points are redeemable for free products or services in the future.

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.

Keeping High Tech - High Touch

The site includes a library of articles about service quality, partnerships and customer-focused culture. You can view these online, or have them sent to you by e-mail autoresponder.