Category: Customer Service

High Customer and Employee Engagement Boosts Profits

Lisa Ford, customer service skills

Do happy employees create happy customers?  Could it be so simple? I define a happy customer as one who is loyal and willing to refer you to others. Happy customers mean their problems were solved and their needs met. Statistics

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The Five Essentials to a Customer Experience

Lisa Ford, customer service skills

There is much conversation around creating a memorable customer experience in order to gain customer loyalty. Whether a fad or not, customer experience is a differentiator and should be a part of your brand. Too often companies jump on the

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Customer Service and the Simple Stuff

Lisa Ford, customer service skills

Every organization has a chance to deliver a positive customer experience. That experience has many starting points and touchpoints along the customer interaction. Each touchpoint will affect the customer’s perception of your business and even their loyalty. To remain competitive,

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Customers Deserve Better

Lisa Ford, customer service skills

When customers call a company, they deserve the best treatment. However many organizations continue to abuse their customers with poorly thought out phone handling. The guilty companies range from the largest to the smallest. The reality is many of those companies

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Do a Reality Check on Your Customer Experience

Lisa Ford, customer service skills

It is easy to think your service efforts are exceptional. Often the reality does not match your opinion. An often quoted piece of research from Bain and Co. tells us how executives tend to misread their performance. When surveying 362

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Consistency: The Key to a Customer-Focused Culture

Customers want a consistent service experience. It seems like that would be easy to deliver yet it is not the norm. Since it is not the norm, consistency becomes a customer differentiator. Check how well you deliver consistency with these

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4 Things to Stop Doing to Improve the Customer Experience

  The customer experience is all about doing things that will be memorable and of value to the customer. Start with the basics and fundamentals. Once you have gotten them right, you will have earned the customer’s trust and repeat

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When the Only Thing Left is Loving Your Customer

I have started to see articles that state a common theme. It is that all products and services will eventually commoditize to the point where it is virtually impossible to distinguish them by price or performance. This result is driven

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Stellar Customer Service Equals The Five Cs

  The Five C’s of Effective Execution Pay a Key Role in Superior Customer Service. To have mastered these five measures means that you have mastered the way to superior Customer Service which will produce results for your company!  

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Five Daily Tactics to Keep Your Customers

Customers are fickle, demanding and opinionated. Keeping your customers loyal, satisfied and saying positive things about you is crucial. There are plenty of things that must be done via your technology, people and processes to make your culture customer focused.

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A Magical Example of Fascinating Customer Service

My daughter Azalea recently had minor surgery. Everything turned out just fine, but ahead of time she was a little nervous. Specifically, she was concerned about being wheeled away from me, into the operating room. Enter… The Bubble Parade! To

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Time to Renovate Your Customer Focused Culture

Creating a customer-focused culture requires strategy and constant review. January is a time for resolutions, goal setting and organizing. Take the time to apply these same disciplines to your customer focus. I suggest going as far as renovation and retrofitting.

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Empower your Employees for Real Results

Organizations serious about creating a customer focused culture have spent time studying Zappos. Zappos has developed an unusual approach to serving customers and building loyalty. They have redefined empowerment. Team members have the ability to spend time on customer calls

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3 Strategies to Enhance your Customer Experience

Customer experience is a tough concept to define. It is designed and delivered by the company yet defined by the customer. According to research and customer conversations, the experience can be the reason for defection or loyalty. You must make

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5 Questions to Ensure Happy Customers

Having a flock of happy customers is like having your own advertising agency. A major study by a commission of business experts found that the typical happy client will tell three friends or business associates about you. Word-of-mouth advertising through

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Build Customer Loyalty with Transparency

I am still amazed at how a customer has to complain before they qualify for the “better deal”. For example, I have been a customer with the natural gas utility company for over 25 years. Our payment history shows timely

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Lisa Ford’s Tips for Stellar Customer Service on the Phone

When customers call a company, they deserve the best treatment. However, many organizations continue to abuse their customers with poorly thought out phone handling. The guilty companies range for the largest to the smallest. The reality is, most companies do

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Use the 5 Bs In 2012 – Be What Your Customers Want

Customers are impatient, picky, demanding and savvy. They are also THE reason a business exists – to serve and sell the customer. To make 2012 a profitable year, here are the 5 Bs of what customers want: 1. Be Fast.

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5 Ways to Make Your Customer Service a Game Changer

All companies would love to be able to say they are a game changer. Whether it iswith their service, brand or innovation, few companies really can claim such a grand statement. Some of the few can, include Ritz Carlton, Southwest

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Four Strategies for Customer Service Leadership

The best customer service organizations have many things in common. I believe the most important is that leadership focuses on customer service and the customer experience. Check yourself and your leadership against these 4 strategies. 1. Leaders dedicate dollars, time

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