Category Archives: Customer Service

You Can’t Suck and Blow In The Same Breath

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

You can’t suck and blow in the same breath. You can do one thing or the other, but it’s impossible to do both at the same time. I have a soft spot for service providers, having spent a 30-year career as general manager for a major retailer and an award-winning entrepreneur. Profit and being profitable is not a dirty word. When a small business goes out of business, the whole community suffers. You have a choice to make. You can pay lower prices for the goods and services you purchase or have exceptional customer service. But you can’t have both.

Change is inevitable, and it will happen with or without you.

I remember, yes, I’m that old when my local bank installed an ATM – Automatic Teller Machine along the side of the building. You had to stand outside – sometimes in inclement weather to use it. Customers had a choice to make. You could go inside the bank, stand in the lineup, wait your turn to get served by the teller or learn to use the machine. Initially, there was a great deal of pushback from customers who refused to use the device. If you want the bank to hold the line on what they charge you for the services, something has to give. Either they must increase the price of those services to afford to hire more tellers or install ATMs because they can’t afford to do both.

Change is constant, and you can do nothing to stop it.

I know many customers are upset with retailers who have installed banks of self-serve checkouts. Some are going so far as to boycott those stores. As a former retailer, I understand the challenges they face. Their margins continue to be squeezed. The cost of doing business continues to go up. Small business owners pay more for the goods they sell, utilities they use, and the equipment they lease or buy. You have a choice to make. If you want exceptional customer service, you’ll have to be willing to pay more for the merchandise you purchase. Most small businesses can’t afford to offer you low prices and exceptional customer service.

Change or get left behind – it’s your choice.

I love the touch-screen machines at fast food outlets. You have a choice to make: You can either embrace the newest way of ordering food and paying for your purchase or stand in line and do it the old-fashioned way. Contactless service is here to stay. Handling cash is almost becoming a thing of the past. Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are experimenting with various ways to try and keep costs down by not providing bags and having you bag your purchases, having multi drive-through lanes, ordering and paying for your purchases from your smartphone or laptop and having them delivered to your door or pick it up at curbside or a dedicated location in the store. I’ll go out on a limb here and bet if you have to choose between paying lower prices or having exceptional customer service – like me, most would pick low prices. You can’t suck and blow in the same breath.

Copyright 2024. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. This article was written by Brian without AI Assistance and must not be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a training provider for yourself or your management team. Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. To learn about Brian and what he can do for you, your team and your organization, visit his website – https;//briansmithpld.com.

The Seven Principles of Delivering Exceptional Customer Service

brian smith-pld, Competitive Advantage, Customer Service, Dealing with Difficult People, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Your advertising and traditional marketing campaigns based on the Four P’s (Product, Price, Promotion and Place) are no longer considered a strategic advantage. Some businesses refer to their customers as guests or clients and try to reinvent themselves by adding non-traditional product lines to maintain or grow market share. However, adopting the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service is the only advantage you have left to set yourself apart from your competition.

‘A business absolutely devoted to delivering customer service will have only one worry about profits. They will be embarrassingly high.’ – Henry Ford.

If you want an advantage over your competition, then you need to adopt the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service.

F – Friendly – Smile, say hello and make eye contact. Build those all-important relationships. People like to do business with people they like and with companies that make them feel wanted.

O – Observant – Learn to recognize customers who want help and those who don’t. Ask open-ended questions. Customers know what they want, but if they have never done the task or that repair before, they don’t know what they need.

C – Competent – Don’t make stuff up. Trust me, your customer has already done the research; they want to know what you know about the products and services you provide. If you don’t know the answers to their questions, then find out or get someone who does.

U – Understanding – Be empathetic.. See things from your customer’s point of view – especially when dealing with an angry and upset customer. Don’t waste your customer’s time reciting company policy. Find out what the customer wants to resolve the situation. If you don’t have the authority to grant it, get someone who does.

S – Sincere – If you genuinely want to help your customers, it will show in the way you communicate and interact with them. You communicate 93% of the time non-verbally. You are speaking volumes, and you haven’t said a word. Your actions and words must be congruent, or your customer will believe the non-verbal as being more accurate.

E – Energized – Be enthusiastic; act like you want to be there. Approach your customers instead of leaning on the counter, talking to your co-workers or spending too much time on your phone. Give customers your undivided attention.

D – Dependable – Whatever you said you would do, do it. Your word must be your bond. Customers need to trust what you say. If they can’t trust your word – they won’t trust you at all.

“To give real service, you must add something which cannot be bought or measured with money, and that is sincerity and integrity.” – Douglas Adams.

Providing exceptional customer service is not that difficult. All you have to be is better than your competitors. Based on what customers say about the current level of service or lack thereof, that won’t be difficult if you apply the seven principles of delivering exceptional customer service.

Copyright (c) 2023. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. To learn more about Brian and our Let’s Get FOCUSED (c) on Customers – The Seven Principles of Delivering Exceptional Customer Service workshop, contact Brian at – brian@briansmithpld.com or visit our website – https://briansmithpld.com

We Need Leaders Who We Can Trust & Believe In

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Enduring Principles, Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personal Values, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Teacher, Uncategorized

What does it say about the world we live in when we question the honesty and integrity of the people in leadership positions both in government and the private sector? What does it say about the world we live in when governments need to pass laws requiring Chief Executive Officers and Chief Financial Officers of Corporations to sign off on their company’s financial results? And if found to be false, they can face criminal prosecution. Now – more than ever, we need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Worth Remembering … “Leaders walk their talk; in true leaders, there is no gap between the theories they espouse, and their practice.” – Warren Bennis

What does it say about a leader if they behave one way in public and behave a different way behind closed doors? Does that mean there are two kinds of ethics: business and personal? If there are two kinds of ethics, does that mean it’s ok to lie, cheat and con your customers and employees, but not your family and friends? At times, it must get confusing for leaders to remember what hat they’re supposed to be wearing.

Worth Remembering … “In organizations where people trust and believe in each other, they don’t get into regulating and coercing behaviours. They don’t need a policy for every mistake. People in these trusting environments respond with enormous commitment and creativity.” – Walter Wriston.

What are ethical or unethical behaviours? How should a true leader behave? True leaders keep their word and honour their commitments. True leaders don’t just promise to stick up for people and have their back – they do it. True leaders don’t just preach fairness; they practice it. And they don’t just counsel others about honesty and integrity; they live it every day, both in public and behind closed doors. What they say and their actions are congruent. They are the same. You can’t be ethical some of the time – you must be ethical all the time. You can’t be ethical at home and not at work or vice versa. You’re either ethical, or you’re not. We need leaders who we can trust and believe in.

Copyright (c) 2022. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Brian has been recognized as one of the Top 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership to Follow in 2022. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you visit, https://briansmithpld.com

You Can’t Suck and Blow in The Same Breath

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Teacher, Uncategorized

You can’t suck and blow in the same breath. You can do one or the other, but you can’t do both at the same time. I have a soft spot for service providers, and those working with the general public., having spent over 30 years as a general manager for a major retailer. Profit and being profitable is not a dirty word. When small businesses go out of business, the whole community suffers. You have a choice. You can pay lower prices for the goods and services you buy , or you can have exceptional customer service, but you can’t have both.

Self-Serve Checkouts

I know a lot of customers are upset with retailers who are installing banks of self-serve checkouts. Some are going so far as to suggest you boycott those stores. I spent over 30 years in retail as a general manager for a major retailer. I understand the challenges they face. Margins continue to be squeezed. Costs continue to go up. Business owners are paying more for the goods they sell, the utilities they use, and the equipment they lease or buy. You have a choice. If you want exceptional customer service, you’ll have to be willing to pay more for the products you buy, but you can’t have low prices and service too. If you put it to a vote, the majority of customers would pick low prices.

ATM Machines

I remember the time, yes I’m that old, when my local bank installed an ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) along the side of the building. You had to stand out side – sometimes in inclement weather to use it. Customers had a choice. You can go inside the bank, stand in the line up and wait your turn to get served by the teller or learn to use the machine. Initially, there was a lot of pushback from customers who refused to use the device. If you wanted the bank to hold the line on what they charged for the services they provided, then something had to give. Either they had to charge you more for the services they offered so they could afford to hire more tellers or install more ATM’s, because they couldn’t afford to do both. At least nowadays, you don’t have to go outside to use one. Even better yet. Some banks now have drive-through lanes so you don’t even have to get out of your vehicle to use the ATM.

Fast-Food Outlets

I love the touch screen machines being installed at fast food outlets. You have a choice. You can either embrace the new way of ordering your food and pay for your purchase online or stand in the line up. However, keep in mind that they can only afford one cashier so it may take longer to place and pay for your order. The new frontier, now being introduced by the Taco Bell’s of the fast-food industry is contactless service. They are experimenting with multiple drive-through lanes, some of them dedicated to mobile orders and curbside pickups. Customers can scan their order via a QR code at the digital check-in screen, pay for their order online and then proceed to the pickup area. Handling cash with become a thing of the past.

You can’t suck and blow in the same breath. You can have low prices or pay for exceptional customer service, but you can’t have both.

Copyright (c) 2021. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit his website: https://briansmithpld.com or contact him directly – brian@briansmithpld.com