Customer Support Best Practices

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Making Sure Your Service is Easy

Over the years, we've talked a lot about ensuring that it is easy for your customers to reach you and to interact with you.  From prominently displaying multiple channels through which to contact you on your website, to logical phone trees (or live operators), to clearly developed FAQ's that are easy to find on your Keep Reading...

Why Customers Expect Communication

"I just made a big purchase: a car.  The caveat was that they had to find one with my selected options, so it was a drawn out experience.  And while I was very excited about the final product, the process was really stressful because I never knew what was going on or when things should Keep Reading...

Setting the Standard: A Lowe’s Employee Sits Down

A woman in Wilkesboro, North Carolina is the proud owner of Baxter, a special needs rescue dog.  Baxter requires the assistance of a doggy wheelchair and, when his owner, Amy Jo Martin, decided to upgrade his chair with an anti-tip wheel, she headed to Lowe's for ideas as well as parts. Ms. Martin asked at Keep Reading...

Businesses’ New Battle Ground

As customers' buying behavior rapidly changes, businesses are constantly encountering new competitors.  It used to be that brick and mortar stores predominately competed with other brick and mortar retailers, but online retailers are increasingly competing for customers' attention and dollars (and vice versa) as the lines between the two categories blur.  So what can companies Keep Reading...

How Heidi Does Service

In customer service stories, we often hear about exceptional circumstances that compel a representative to provide service far out of the norm.  But, like we've frequently discussed, quality service has to be consistently pursued day in and day out.  Heidi, who works for the grocer Trader Joe's, shared her approach to ensuring a constant delivery Keep Reading...

Service Stories That Will Make You Smile

A lot of stories about great customer service focus on grand gestures, but it is the sustained, day to day delivery of good deeds that make a company's service reputation excellent.  We asked people this week to share an excellent experience they have had or heard about and these are the simple but lovely responses Keep Reading...

When Working For a Company Means Working For the Customer

There are very few positions in business that are as counter intuitively aligned as customer service.  We may be employed by the company, but our primary focus must be on taking care of the customer.  We are akin to serving as ombudsmen and our duty is to protect the interests of our customers so that Keep Reading...

Scripted Service Can Backfire

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Photo credit: Say_No_To_Turtles "It's a great day at Wendy's Widgets!  How may we serve you?"  If this is what you first hear upon calling a customer service department, you're likely Keep Reading...

How to Surprise Your Customers

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Photo by Daderot Where do you expect to find great customer service?  A high end hotel?  Definitely.  A fancy restaurant?  Of course.  A big department store?  Absolutely.  What about the Keep Reading...

A Culture of Caring

In all of our businesses, we are committed to cultivating a culture of caring for our customers.  But where does that culture come from?  How do we get to the point where actively caring is so natural that it seems the obvious answer to throw in a pair of cozy socks when a customer orders Keep Reading...