2020 is finally in our rearview mirror. One year ago, in February, no one anticipated the way that life would change for all of us just a few short weeks later. If there is one thing that we have learned from the past year, says Patrick S. Malone, Ph.D. it is "e;the importance of compassion…Continue reading
Have you ever been provoked into letting your emotions loose on a customer? Getting defensive may be an automatic, human reaction to a caller who pushes your buttons, but it’s not a professional one. "As soon as you start taking it personally, you’ll mishandle the situation," says customer service trainer Joan Fox. "You can say…Continue reading
Over the past 12 months, Service Starters has brought you dozens of tips for service professionals. They have covered everything from at your desk exercises, to managing empathy fatigue, to techniques for service recovery. If you’ve missed any of them during this hectic year, they are online now. You’ll even find our five favorite posts:…Continue reading
The holiday season, for many organizations, means peak call volume, hectic schedules, and high stress levels — and prolonged sitting makes it difficult to release tension. Following are four easy-to-do "desk-ersizes" to try when stress levels rise. Sitting upright, raise the top of your shoulders to your ears. Hold for a few seconds, then relax…Continue reading
Spending eight hours a day listening to frustrated, confused, and sometimes angry customers is a tough task for service professionals, even in the best of times. Today, those same customers may be struggling with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, regional wildfires, and hurricanes. They may be juggling work, virtual schooling, caring for aging parents,…Continue reading
The best agents know how to extend genuine, sincere concern to callers whether they have a major problem or a minor issue. To be sure customers know that you respect them as individuals with legitimate issues and feelings, keep these dos and don’ts in mind. Do: Stay in control of your own emotionsUse empathy to…Continue reading
Occasionally, a customer will point out an error that someone in your organization has made. In these situations, try replying by blending an empathy statement with an apology. But be sure that you don’t blame the customer or your company. Following are three ways to offer a blameless apology: Blaming: "I’m sorry, but you didn’t send…Continue reading
To better understand the impact of the pandemic on customer service operations, Tethr (an AI and machine learning company) recently completed a study of roughly 1 million customer-service calls involving more than 20 companies representing a broad cross-section of industries. The results, show the harsh reality of customer service during the pandemic. “In just two…Continue reading
The first full week in October is Customer Service Week. It’s a time to celebrate the contributions made by frontline reps throughout the year. And what a year it’s been. For many, this year meant moving from working in an office to working remotely. It meant learning to navigate a workspace shared with children, parents,…Continue reading
Transitioning from work to home, when you work at home, can be a challenge. Many remote workers, especially newly remote workers, experience difficulty creating physical and emotional distance from their jobs at the end of the day. Rituals can help you close the work portion of your day and move into the personal time. When…Continue reading
