A couple of weeks ago, my furnace kicked off sometime in the middle of the night. In the morning, it was cold. Really cold. And I have a baby. We solicited the advice of friends and family, tried those little tricks you should try, and then began the calls to see how soon someone could […]
Read MoreSo, I’m in Chicago last weekend with my family and decided to take Baby Marlow, our 3 ½ -year-old daughter, to American Girl on Michigan Avenue. I knew I was in for an expensive trip, but I wasn’t prepared for the single most ridiculous thing that has ever happened to me at the register in […]
Read MoreYou don’t have to be a salesperson to make a sale. You’re an artist – who paints the picture of what life will be like for the customer after you fix their car. You’re a helper – who helps make a good decision about whether to repair the car, which part is best, which warranty is appropriate, and the […]
Read MoreI’ve come to think that the old adage, “The customer is always right!” is only useful for someone just learning service. It’s a safe way for a new or entry-level employee to operate. In my role handling escalations, responding to complaints and maintaining a company’s reputation, I have come to a deeper understanding, and you […]
Read MoreI know that’s a strong title, and an unfair one without qualification. I promise I’ll explain in detail just after I tell you about my last trip to Chicago. My wife and I took our two older daughters to Chicago for two nights of fun in the city. We interacted with the trendiest brands – […]
Read MoreIf you are selling paperclips or pizza, this article may not be very relevant, but an increasing majority of US workers sell a service or a product plus the service to support it. When service is a significant part of the customer or company relationship, not all customers are created equally. Not all customers are […]
Read More“Slow to hire, quick to fire” is one of the countless philosophies on how to staff a business. As much as we have an official hiring policy here, it’s at the very least to hire slowly. Every candidate goes through a series of interviews with a variety of staff members, tours the office space, and […]
Read MoreMost of us have jobs that involve customers and customer service, even if that is not in your actual job title. My question to you today is when is it appropriate to do something extra-ordinary? Chances are, “Do something special for customer,” is not on any forms at your organization, unless you work at Zappos […]
Read MoreOur name is on a lot of stuff: stickers, hats, shirts, lanyards, and of course, pens. It’s also on some pretty niche stuff: Klement’s beef snack sticks (“Nice to Meat You”), VIN decoding mousepads, beer mugs, bobbleheads… and we come up with new, interesting stuff to brand all the time, partly because our favorite customers, […]
Read MoreThe dual Christmas and New Years holidays serendipitously fell on two consecutive Monday and Tuesdays. This meant: 4 day weekends, slow work weeks, and lots of time to celebrate and relax with my family. For the first time since my maternity leave, I had a lot of quality time on my hands with my son. Email notifications […]
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