First Impressions Run Deep
Beth Honshell
Aug6th
Topics: Customer Service
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I’m a protector. It’s part of my job description. Especially of my co-worker’s time. Telemarketers and sales people call — I scout them out and evaluate whether our company needs their services before I transfer them on.

Yep, it’s a touchy area. We don’t need them. They need us. I’m in the way. But, they deserve customer service too.

This morning I received another one. This one about paper and copiers. We chitchatted pleasantly about being glad it was Friday. Then, the conversation got pointed. “Well, part of the reason I’m glad it’s Friday,” she said, “is that it’s been a long week to be a telemarketer.”  And, she gave me her opening pitch.

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What’s in a name?
Beth Honshell
Mar15th
Topics: Customer Service
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I did some riding one summer from a stable that owned a horse with no name. The group responsible for naming horses never could agree on a name for him — and he was forever called Nameless. Interestingly, he’s the only horse I can remember!

While it might be memorable for a HORSE to remain nameless, I find that not many people respond positively to this same treatment. Using names can:

  • personalize what you’re saying
  • make a more permanent connection
  • give a sense of belonging

Over the years, I’ve tried to practically apply this concept.

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A Recipe for Service Success
Beth Honshell
Jan20th
Topics: Customer Service
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I am a rebellious cook at my best, and a bomb as a baker. I attribute that to my “expressive social style of preferring not to be limited by rules and procedures!” Truthfully, to me a recipe is tantamount to being told what to do, not at the top of my how to have a good day list. However, while baking without following the directions mostly results in inedible yucky stuff, cooking can be successful when I look at lists of standard ingredients but allow myself to customize to my personal preferences for the end result. Case in point: my family’s favorite recipe…some ingredients, no set amounts.recipecrop

Creating good customer service experiences is a lot like cooking.

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Need inspiration? Take a field trip.
Beth Honshell
Dec16th
Topics: Customer Service
2 Comments »

I’ve been on lots of great field trips. Oldsmobile. Kelloggs. Commodities Exchange. CNN. NY Stock Exchange. I’ve been on a dozen University tours looking at receiving docks, cold storage rooms, student centers and computer labs. Field trips open my eyes to the fact that people everywhere use the knowledge and tools they have to provide not just good, but great customer service.

The most inspiring field trip I ever took was years ago to the Wando Plant, part of the Port Authority of Charleston, SC. You read that right, a shipping port full of containers, cranes and ships — and inspired employees.

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Putting feet to your ears
Beth Honshell
Nov11th
Topics: Customer Service
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We’ve used a lot of concepts from Disney University and Ritz-Carlton Hotels. But, to be honest, the best of what we’ve accomplished comes from our customers. Listening to what they say and asking for feedback leads to most of our best practices for better customer service.

The surprising source of this advice? A Vice President on his university campus as he was giving me a tour of their facilities and student gathering areas.

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