Four Steps When Handling the Angry Customer

I stepped into the local BBQ joint to witness an angry customer in the lobby yelling at the owner that she hadn't received enough fries the night before. (Like, god forbid, Americans need more fries.)

3 Ways To Win Loyalty and Build A Reputation for Customer Service

You'll never know exactly how much business you lose due to so-so customer service. But I guarantee that if your business is in trouble, a lack of customer service is one root cause of your situation. To turn your business around, try sharply redefining what acceptable customer service is for you.

Worst Customer Service Ever

Your company can have the best product, the best atmosphere, and the best location, but if it has terrible public interaction, it's doomed.

Case in point: My husband and I went out for Mexican food last night, to the restaurant that we frequent so often I practically consider it a second kitchen.

Why I Love Pickle People

Last night on my way home for class, I stopped by my minimart to buy a Diet Coke. I say "my" minimart, because I love it. It’s the best minimart on the planet!

My minimart isn't fantastic because their Diet Coke is colder, their Cheetos crispier or their gas cheaper. In fact, I don't think I've checked the temperature, crunch or price on any of those things. This little minimart - that looks like every other minimart out there - has killer customer service.

All I Really Need to Know About Customer Service I Learned at a Dinner Party

My husband and I recently arrived at a wedding, but couldn't find it. The GPS said we'd arrived and the invitation said we'd arrived, but we were standing on a dilapidated, industrial waterfront dock with no wedding in sight.

After walking through rundown boats and barnacle-encrusted equipment, we came to an old ferry. We decided to got inside and see if we could find a wedding.

5 Signs You Should Invest In Customer Service Training

I was at a Mexican Restaurant the other night and overhead a customer ask the waitress, "What's the best thing to eat here?" She answered, "I don't know. I don't like Mexican food."

Yikes! Can you say, "You need customer service training?"

Three Steps for Handling Difficult Patients

When my little sister was training to be an RN, she came up one day and said, "I need to practice my injections on you."

"What?" I said. "You mean like with a needle?"

"Of course with a needle. I've been working on an orange for days, and I need skin now."

To prove her point, she pulled out a huge, perforated orange and a sticky needle.

Three Tips for Handling Awkward Customer Situations

A while back, I was at The Old Spaghetti Factory when a lady at the next table ordered broiled fish, which as you might guess, judging by the name of the restaurant, was not on the menu. She made it clear that she hated spaghetti and preferred seafood.

I waited to see how the waiter would handle it. I expected him to say, "If you wanted seafood, why did you come to a spaghetti restaurant?" but instead he apologized that she was disappointed in their limited menu and brought her broiled cod. I couldn't believe it.

Sometimes Weird Service is Great Service

A while back, my husband and I took a trip up to Leavenworth; a picturesque Bavarian village nestled in Washington's Cascade Mountains. Though we both remember the beautiful hikes, the funky shops, and tasting locally crafted wine at dinner, the experience which most stays with me is popping into an elaborate fruit stand and feeding a miniature cow.

Attracting with Attitude

Have you ever walked into a business and felt within seconds that you wanted to leave?  That is your natural "flight" response kicking in.  The sad fact is that even though some employees may intentionally send that "Get out of here!" or "What the h#*! do you want?" signal, most employees are unaware that they are repelling the very people they depend on to keep their jobs.