Monthly Archives: August 2017

Thinking you know the answer, and knowing the answer, are two different things. It is very easy to think that you know the answer, and then act on that information, with good intentions. However, that can make things difficult later, because your action is based on misinformation. It is more difficult right now to noticeContinue reading “Knowing What You Do Not Know”

It is possible that there is no such thing as oversleeping for a meeting. In fact, I have faith that this is the truth. ‘Oversleeping’ is a word. Not the truth. It is a word we made up, and, subsequently have come to accept as truth, to describe the reality that one has either overscheduledContinue reading “The Fallacy Of ‘Oversleeping’”

In the spirit of Lao Tzu and the law of reversed effort, which fascinates me, I can attest for you that it is true: The more you try to rush, the faster you fall behind. This may seem crazy to test when you’re in the Customer Service business. You have Customers who want stuff. Now.Continue reading “Rushing Behind”

It’s funny; at work (mine, not yours) we have this downtime every evening during which the email server and operating system are backing up. It takes anywhere from 90 to 120 minutes. So, during that time, no email, and no invoicing or order processing. Now, in the past, we didn’t have people in the officeContinue reading “Pick Up The Phone”

I get into trouble sometimes for breaking procedures.  It causes headaches. It burns up time. It doesn’t even always get the job done in the best possible way.  However, the day I let a customer down because of a procedure will never, ever come. Not while I am in this business.  I’d rather take myContinue reading “Procedures”

The true source of most anger and frustration in Customer Service is you, not your Customer.  That’s because ‘you’ do not actually exist in Customer Service.  The moment you divide yourself from the Customer, tension begins to build.  It is ‘us’. Only ‘us’. Never ‘you and her’. Not even is she doesn’t realize it, thinkContinue reading “Seeing ‘Us’”

I have one Customer who is relatively young, but, in terms of business acumen, he is wise. He doesn’t have the years of experience under his belt that some others who run successful business do. He hasn’t run three different restaurants before finally nailing what works, for example. He runs his business very well, and,Continue reading “How To Run A Successful Business On Your First Try”

There’s a saying in the foodservice industry that ‘you are only as good as your last delivery’ and, as usual, the saying of our elders carry weight because they are wise. To dive a little deeper into what that means: It’s not as though your Customer Service is a static chart of plotted, fixed points,Continue reading ““Your Last Delivery””

On the train, I take notes with pen and paper while reading physical books. This gathers (mostly) strange looks. The thing that’s missing from e-readers is not something you can see, however. It’s something you can feel. When you provide Customer Service, there is also a feel to it. It’s intangible, but it is real.Continue reading “What Does Your Customer Service Feel Like?”

The next total solar eclipse won’t arrive very soon. Yes, yesterday’s was one (very popular) example of the wonder in the natural world we are a part of. But there are less popular examples of this wonder. The exist in the small, everyday interactions with your clients. Don’t wait for “the big sale” or “the bigContinue reading “Wonder”