Even in our competitive business environment, organizations that pride themselves on great customer service continue to be few and far between. To test that thesis, answer this: How often do you receive exceptional service—the kind where you can tell that the person serving you actually cares about keeping you as a customer? I rest my case. Now […]
Ask Empowering Questions
Most of us—even millennials—have a history of working under guidance and control at school and in our workplaces. Therefore, we tend to think of authority as external rather than internal. The following questions are all too familiar to us: At school: “What does the teacher want me to do to get good grades?” At work: […]
The Simple Truths of Service
When was the last time you received customer service that was so great you wanted to tell others about it? Okay, now what about the last time you had a really bad experience as a customer? My guess is that the bad experience will pop into your mind a lot more easily than the good […]
Five Keys to Great Customer Service
Think of a time when you experienced really excellent service. Now compare that to a time when the service you received was just acceptable—okay, but nothing special. Which organization do you want to do business with again? I’ll bet it’s the one where someone made you feel valued and cared for—someone who understood the true importance of […]
Dealing with “The New Normal”
A client recently asked me to speak to their company about “the new normal.” It reminded me of an interview I conducted with Sir Richard Branson on the same topic a couple of years ago. As you know, Sir Richard is an expert on operating in the new normal. His international investment group, the Virgin […]
I Care—Do You?—the key to great customer service
One of the books I’m working on this summer is a customer service book with Kathy Cuff and Vicki Halsey tentatively titled I Care—Do You?: The Essentials of Delivering Legendary Service. A recent experience I had at my vacation home in upstate New York beautifully illustrates what we are trying to capture with this new book. […]
Is there such a thing as servant leadership in government?
(This is the eleventh installment in my twelve-part blog series A Leadership Vision for America.) I realize that what I have been saying about creating a servant leadership culture in Washington is not easy to sell. To a lot of people, it sounds like “soft management.” When I am confronted by these kinds of concerns, I […]
Happy Employees = Happy Customers
I recently had a wonderful experience working with the founder and the head of leadership for a wonderful healthcare company in the Midwest whose main focus is elder care.
How to create Raving Fan customers
To have a successful business, you don’t want satisfied customers—you want Raving Fans. I wrote a book with the title Raving Fans along with Sheldon Bowles from Winnipeg, Canada. Our belief is that you don’t want to simply satisfy your customers. You want to treat them so well that they are blown away—that they brag […]
The Customer is King
As part of a new series, I’m introducing today’s leadership concept via a segment extracted from my latest book, Lead with LUV, coauthored by former Southwest Airlines president Colleen Barrett. The Customer is King I’ve said for many years that profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating […]