It’s the little things that make a difference in customer service. Customers want you to know:
1) We want to understand what you are saying so please speak up, slow down and enunciate your words.
2) The way you sound when you answer tells us how good or how bad the conversation will be.
3) We do not want you to call us sugar, dude or an abbreviation of our name.
4) Putting us on hold for long periods of time, putting us on hold more than once and transferring us back and forth will bring out the worst in us.
5) Do not begin your questions
Cash Is Calling
Roll-off sales are the icing on the cake when it comes to your hauling company’s revenue. Whether you are in a franchised market or one where the competition is fierce, these roll-off dollars are somewhat of a surprise. You really can’t know how many people are talking right this very moment about remodeling their kitchen, tearing down an old building or helping mom and dad clean out their home. When those calls come in and begin with, “I need one of those big things”, smile. Cash is calling!
Think like a customer
This may be the first time your customer has ever called about
A Professional Shouldn’t Be Child-Like With Apologies
I must confess that I watch Super Nanny from time to time. I am sure my fascination with ineffective parenting is because my kids are now grown. Aside from some of the absurd family dynamics, I am really fascinated with the process of teaching a child to apologize. There is a pattern. First, there is a refusal to acknowledge what went wrong or apologize. That is followed by a less than sincere “sorry”. After painstaking practice, which seems to take weeks, the child finally learns that listening to what was wrong and a prompt apology leads to a happy family.
I have heard many adults say that
Multi-Cultural Service
Last year, my husband and I decided to take in a foreign exchange student for the school year. Soon Ju Noh is a 17 year old from South Korea. We were sure there would be a long list of adjustments we would all need to make to not only get along, but to live together. A favorite past time for us is asking Judy, Soon Ju’s American name, how to say certain words in Korean. It became evident rather quickly that we couldn’t master even the basics of hello and good-bye. However, the important part of our interaction is that we are trying to find common ground so that we can enjoy a relationship
There are no problems, only solutions
I was interviewing a candidate the other day for a position at a non-profit organization I am involved with. As with many non-profits, this was a volunteer position. I could tell he was a man of good character. I knew he was willing to help in any way he could, but I was also looking for a leader. I asked him if he was more comfortable in following direction or taking charge and he informed me that he was “an army guy”. He had been trained to lead. I wanted to know more about what that meant to him and he said, “There are no problems, only solutions.” I had heard that before, but this
Recalculating Direction- A Guide For Success In 2011
I love using GPS! I have named the voice that guides me to and fro, “my lady”. She is able to find me in the most remote of locations or amongst skyscrapers and get me to my destination. I have learned what it means to veer and I have come to appreciate the times she must recalculate my route. My lady has a certain way about her that makes an “I told you so” seem like words of encouragement. She has trained me to accept her recalculations.
The start of a new year is the perfect time to figure out where we are, where we are headed and if we need to do some recalculating of our own. You
What Kind of Frame Do You Have?
The way we begin and end our conversations can be likened to the frame on a painting. If you have a Picasso with a ten-dollar frame, it will cheapen the master piece. The same holds true of the way we answer the phone and end our conversations. Your frame can give the picture of a world class company or run of the mill operation.
You are using a ten-dollar frame if you:
Answer with ‘yeah’, ‘waz up’ or ‘why are you bothering me’
Sound like you are half-asleep as you answer
Begin your first question with ‘gimme’
Yawn, burp or breathe heavy
Paid To Smile
A friend of mine was asked how it was possible for her to be happy at work every day. She responded by saying, “I am paid to smile!” What a refreshingly simple concept!
Do you remember when you were interviewed for the job?
I bet you were all smiles then! Employers don’t intentionally hire people with sour dispositions to interact with their customers or to build morale within the office. But, somewhere along the way you gave yourself permission to be grumpy. Maybe it was just for one day, at first.
Did you know that if you smile
People will perceive you to be more confident and
Leave Your Trash At Home
Leave Your Trash At Home
I read recently that if we could just acknowledge and accept that life will have trouble, we could actually handle life’s trials better. I wish I was able to be that logical about my daily trials and tribulations. There are plenty of books on how to overcome adversity or how to deal with difficult people. But, ongoing family drama, money issues and health problems are the “trash” we carry with us to work each day. Some of us do better than others when it comes to putting our personal trash in the can and closing the lid before we get to the office.
I have daily trash
Are You Open To Correction?
Manager- “I would like you to use the script.”
Negative Nora- “I don’t have time.”
Manager- “It will help all of us eliminate some of the mistakes we have been making.”
Negative Nora- “I don’t want to sound like a robot.”
Manager-“It will help you to remember to ask for the customer’s e-mail address.”
Negative Nora- “I haven’t asked that for the past 10 years. It wasn’t a problem before.”
Are you open to correction and can you be changed?
It is sad to say, but I run into people like “Negative Nora” all the time. I would bet that you can think of someone
