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
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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
Changing CSR Performance The Tooty Way
Commitment to perfect performance motivates the Green Team
Customer Service Representative Monique Figueroa states that prior to Tooty it was taught to deliver the dry message “I’m sorry but those are the rules”. But this two-year member of the Green Team of San Jose has learned through Tooty the tools for better delivery of the same message. Monique has learned to really listen to a customer and help solve a problem.
It’s one of the skills that makes Figueroa and her fellow team members — Erin Avila, Denay Dominguez and Lindsey Gutierrez — near perfect performers in Waste
Thoughtful, Value Added Customer Service
Thoughtful, Value Added Customer Service
In today’s economy price may be king, but value for the money someone is willing to spend is like the crown on the king’s head! Your company may provide a service or product that is priced right and fills a need or want for that customer, but what can you do to make sure that you are more than a better price? That you become so valuable to your customers that you are like the air they breathe or the water they drink? You can provide thoughtful, value added customer service. You can provide your service or product, and then some.
Adding extra
Customer Service- It Isn’t About Feelings
I recently had a conversation with two customer service professionals regarding their behavior and thoughts towards customers. I happened to catch one of them placing a customer on hold and blurting out an obscenity. I could hear rage in his voice and thought something terrible was happening in his personal life that would warrant such an outburst. I was alarmed as I asked what the problem was and dumbfounded as he gave his explanation. As he explained it, the customer was purposely being stupid and lying to him. As we talked through the situation, it was obvious that he had made many assumptions
Memorable Customer Service- Words Matter
As someone who travels often, I have come to expect some bumps along the way when it comes to customer service. To get from point A to point B, I need to interact with at least a dozen customer service agents from different companies. By the time I get to my room at the hotel I am exhausted not only from the travel itself, but from trying to uplift all the lifeless customer service representatives. I greet them with a smile- they greet me with a blank expression. I thank them for their help and they say nothing in return. This has become such a pattern that I almost missed a very special
