Customer Experience Tip #1533

When there’s heavy turbulence or strange noises on a flight, we look to the faces of our flight attendants for reassurance.

Attention frontline employees: your customers will give their full attention to a disruption if/when they see you doing so. When a turbulent situation arises (e.g., an irate customer, etc.) and customers are there to witness it, your job is to keep your cool and remain professional; reassure them with your body language that everything is under control.

Customer Experience Tip #1532

Might your website contain typos, grammatical errors, and/or outdated info? All of these things can serve as first-impression killers and undermine your credibility for prospective customers and clients. It may be time to scour and clean up your site.

Customer Experience Tip #1531

Do you consider a ringing telephone an annoyance? So do your competitors. But if you’re the one who welcomes phone calls with a genuine smile and gratitude, your callers will sense it and you’ll have an immediate advantage over your competition.

Customer Experience Tip #1530

“We all experience problems with suppliers. Things go wrong – that’s just life. As a business, you have to learn to accept that. Of course, it’s how you deal with those problems which sets one business apart from another.” –CustomerThermometer.com

Customer Experience Tip #1529

Don’t make your prospects and customers have to dig around to find your phone number. A ringing phone is often cash calling and/or an opportunity to WOW someone. Place your phone number prominently … everywhere (e.g. business cards, stationary, every page of your website, social media pages, handouts, etc.). And be sure to answer — with a smile — when it rings.

Customer Experience Tip #1528

If you are in a service position, you want your headshot photo to “communicate” that you’re professional, open, and friendly. What does your current headshot photo say about you? (Don’t answer that … ask someone who will be honest with you.)

Customer Experience Tip #1527

No matter how you deliver it, saying, “I know what I heard.” to a customer or client can land in a way that feels combative, rigid, and unfriendly. And you certainly want to welcome resolution while demonstrating humility. Jack Quarles, author of Expensive Sentences, recommends one of the following alternatives:

“Gosh I’m sure that’s what I heard, but maybe I was filtering somehow.”

“We experienced that clearly, but someone else may have taken it a different way.”

“This may be one of those situations where I’m sure I’m right, but I’m not. It’s happened before!”

Customer Experience Tip #1526

“One thing I love about customers is that they are divinely discontent. Their expectations are never static — they go up. It’s human nature.” —Jeff Bezos

Customer Experience Tip #1525

When someone is expressing disappointment with the service they’ve received, they are looking at — and sensing — your reactions. Are you concerned, disappointed, annoyed, frustrated, angry, empathetic, etc. And are you demonstrating any of these things for them (the customer) … or for your own team? Choose empathy … for the customer. That’s what is needed most in that moment.

Customer Experience Tip #1524

Your customer should not know more about your product or service than you. Be their expert, so you can be their guide.