Imagine if you had the opportunity to completely rebuild your organization’s “service culture”, defining how you are going to serve your clients and customers and the values that will be communicated at all levels.  For some new organizations, or new leaders in an existing organization, those opportunities exist. Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions talks with Alan about the five key strategies and principles to undertake if you are in a position to either build a service organization...

A customer of one of the largest internet providers in the nation tried to have their service disconnected… and in the process had a very frustrating “retention call” experience that he then recorded and posted for the whole Internet to hear.  Alan and Ed discuss this infamous call, and point out some of the more interesting phrases used by the retention agent and why they should be avoided.  Along with this discussion, Alan and Ed share their “Customer Service Stories of the Month”… and just...

We’ve all had those experiences where we hear that dreaded word “NO” from a customer service representative, whether we are asking for assistance in a matter or looking for a company to do something a bit outside of their normal operations.  Unfortunately, in many situations, those people we are speaking to are saying “NO” to us because their organization has not made it easy for them to say “YES”.  Alan talks with Ed about how an organization can set up an environment that enables and...

Ed and Alan have always discussed the importance of listening to the “Voice of the Customer” whether through surveys, focus groups, etc.  However, effectively using that customer “voice” information takes more than just conducting the survey or gathering the data.  Ed and Alan discuss how to develop strategic approach for using customer “voice” information to improve the service your organization delivers. Ed Gagnon is the President of Customer Service Solutions, helping organizations...

You may think of yourself as a strong advocate for customer service in your organization … but what about that employee that is obviously not engaged in their work or in providing the best service possible? How can we motivate the “unmotivated employee”? Alan and Ed talk through four ideas to help get those employees on the right track and to help them go the “extra mile” for your customers. Ed Gagnon is the President of Customer Service Solutions, helping organizations develop long-term...

Keep your your clients and customers happy is critical… so the idea of managing “retention” becomes very important for every business or organization.  There are many ways to use research and data to help manage and improve your customer retention, and in this episode Alan and Ed discuss several of them and some best practices for their application.  Plus, they end the episode with their traditional “Customer Service Story of the Month”. Ed Gagnon is the President of Customer Service...

Many organizations are adopting the concept of creating an "Always Culture", especially in the healthcare industry where standardized satisfaction surveys ask patients to tell us how often good customer service takes place.  The goal is to not have customer service be a light switch (turning on and off as needd), but instead for it to be an "all the time" thing.  Alan and Ed discuss how to create and maintain an "Always Culture" in your organization in this month's episode of Stepping Up...

So let's say you're wanting to enhance your organization's Customer Service Experience, and you want to do it quickly.  Sometimes the best way to get something started quickly is to adapt what others have done... even if those other organizations are from other industries.  In this episode, Ed explains to Alan how we can use organizations as "best practices", and adopt some of their practices into our own situations.  Some of the best names in the world of customer service are discussed -...

After a full year of “Stepping Up Service” episodes wrapped up for 2013, it’s time to start looking into the future… what are the trends we see for the Customer Service world in 2014?  Ed shares his predictions with Alan, as they talk about the potential shift to a more holistic, face-to-face customer service world, and how “big data” may be a bit overplayed.  Plus, what is an “octopod”?  Alan and Ed also share their Customer Service Story of the Month at the end of the episode. Ed Gagnon...

For your listening pleasure this holiday season, Ed and Alan become storytellers for this episode of “Stepping Up Service”.  Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions shares five stories (with almost all of them true!) about customer service experiences… and discusses what we can learn from these stories and use in our own businesses or organizations.  Not to be left out, Alan Jackson of The Jackson Group also shares a couple of stories… with one of them being somewhat embarrassing for Mr....

Ed brought up a blog post recently where an avid NFL fan explained that they were not renewing their season tickets because of the "fan experience".  This leads Ed and Alan to define "Customer Experience Management", and address how what brings your customers in often differs from what keeps them.  Ed and Alan go through some various industry scenarios where the customer experience could make the difference as to whether we, as customers, "stay" or "go". Plus, as always, everyone's favorite...

Everyone has their own definition of good customer service... so leaving it to employees of an organization to provide their own defined level of customer service could result in an inconsistent experience for your customers.  Many organizations are setting "Customer Service Standards", which define the core expectations of their staff in terms of how they will treat each other and customers.  Ed and Alan discuss the purpose of customer service standards, the process involved, and sprinkle in...

E-mail has become the primary method of communication for many people and organizations. However, poor use of e-mail can have a huge impact on your company's customer service efforts.  Alan Jackson and Ed Gagnon review their own "e-mail horror stories", offer a series of tips on how to best construct e-mail communications, and address when to use/not to use e-mail.  Ed surprises Alan with another game, this time putting Alan in charge of his own outdoor supply company!  Plus, the hosts give...

Alan and Ed take a bit of a break from their normal discussion format as they decide to sit back and listen to Ed tell us the "Lessons Learned from a Young Hitchhiker."  Ed came into contact with an individual who had hitchhiked over 200 times in the past, and found that many of the things this person did to encourage people to pick him up are similar things we need to be doing when providing service to our customers. After the story and lesson-sharing, Alan and Ed both share their "Customer...

Let's say you took our advice on the last episode and started gathering customer satisfaction and experience data.  Great!  Now what?  How can we take that data and actually use it to make changes within your organization?  Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions and Alan Jackson of The Jackson Group describe several ways to use customer research data and examples of ways it can impact your operations and your bottom line.  And, as always, they end the show with their "Customer Service...

So you've been trying to improve the level of customer service in your organization, and you feel that things are starting to improve.  But how do you find out if your changes are truly affecting your customers' satisfaction?  It's time for some measurement!  Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions and Alan Jackson of The Jackson Group discuss the importance of measuring satisfaction, various methods for conducting your measurement, and some pros and cons for each method.  They also end the...

 If communications within your office or organization are complex and prone to errors, then your customers are the ones that may ultimately pay the price.  To help serve customers, clients and partners more effectively, we need to make sure our communications are as simple as possible within our workplace.  Ed shares some tips and planning approaches with Alan to ensure communications in the workplace are clear, flow well, reach the intended parties, and are simply done.  Plus, Alan and Ed...

A while back, we discussed "Great Service Examples from Small Businesses" and received very positive feedback from listeners.  We realize, though, that there are just as many stories of some big, household name companies providing excellent customer service to their customers.  In many ways, the larger businesses have a tough challenge in front of them as they try to deliver good service despite multiple locations, a large employee base, and a large, demanding client base.  Alan and Ed...

This episode focuses on getting employees not to fear confrontations when they have bad news to share.  Alan and Ed address the benefits of being proactive when you have to share bad news with a co-worker or a customer.  They also discuss keys to setting up those conversations so they’re bigger on solutions than on emotions.  And along the way, they make an extraordinary number of references to college basketball. Ed Gagnon is the President of Customer Service Solutions, helping...

Most of the episodes of this show so far have talked about what businesses and organizations can do to improve their customer service abilities and ensure that service continues to improve.  But what about the individual employee?  What can they do to create a "continuous improvement mindset" and become a stronger asset for the organization?  Ed gives Alan a checklist of questions that any employee should be asking themselves on a regular basis to develop that mindset and help their...

The new year is upon us; what better time to gaze into the crystal ball and talk about the trends we can expect to see in the world of customer service in 2013?  In this episode, Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions talks Alan through his four top trends for customer service for the coming year, ranging from the use of technology in enhancing the customer service experience to the overall speed in how that service is delivered.  It's the 2013 kick-off episode of "Stepping Up...

When confronted with hostile Black Friday shoppers, "compassion" is an emotion that can be hard to have and show to others in the customer service world. Yet, studies have shown that compassion is one of the most important attitudes traits for someone in customer service to have when dealing with clients, customers, or patients. In this episode, Alan and Ed discuss the idea of compassion in customer service, ranging from how to show empathy to others to the ways to properly communicate...

For most of this podcast series, Alan and Ed have been talking about improving overall customer service at your company or organization.  But how can a customer service strategy actually lead to improving customer retention, and - even better - customer growth?  Ed educates Alan about the four keys to customer retention and growth, and shares some examples along the way.  The co-hosts also share their "Customer Service Experience of the Month", with both stories this month having some...

The irate customer can be like a time bomb, and its important for anyone in a customer service role to know how to properly "defuse" that customer before things blow up.  To help as an example, Ed leads Alan through a story of "Alan and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to illustrate how a series of exhausting service experiences can lead to a very tense customer and what the person handling that customer needs to do to put the encounter back on the right track. Ed Gagnon is...

With the election in full swing, the latest “Stepping Up Service” podcast focuses on “The Politics of Customer Service.” Hosts Ed Gagnon, President of Charlotte-based Customer Service Solutions, Inc. (www.cssamerica.com) and MESH Executive Producer Alan Jackson, also with The Jackson Group (www.thejacksongroup.com) address the lessons learned of corporate politics, and how these internal clashes impact the customer, the culture, and the ultimate success of a company. “It’s exciting to be...