Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

  One of the best ways to determine if your service/business/organization is providing excellent customer service is for you, as a manager, to pretend you are the customer. Try it today. Contact your business via the phone, mail, email, and via the web. Use all four methods! Make a different contact each day for the next week. During those different instances, ask to reach a person where you only know their first name. Next time, ask for a person who no longer works at the business. Another time, complain about the service/product. Ask how to return a product. Or you can pretend you want to talk to someone to learn more about the business. Try different scenarios that would be typical for your customers when they contact your business. Then, observe what happens. I bet you'll be surprised. Hopefully,  pleasantly  surprised. But you may be shocked. In addition to likely getting helpful assistance, you may experience people being rude or unhelpful. You may get bounced from ...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

“The most successful companies are those that adopt an  Experience Mindset  that strengthens  both  employee experience (EX) and customer experience (CX) at the same time,” explains  Tiffani Bova , author of the new book,  The Experience Mindset: Changing the Way You Think About Growth .   The book’s teachings are based on exclusive research from two Salesforce studies of thousands of employees and c-suite executives around the globe, and further validated by hundreds of executive conversations and other industry research.  “The needs and preferences of both customers and employees must be considered with every decision made, large and small – requiring an entirely new operating mentality,” says Bova. “To remain completive in today’s marketplace, investing in people is no longer a nice-to-have, but rather a must have.”  Bova recommends that when companies are attempting to keep up with the relentless demands of customers, that they don’t favo...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

Image Credit: Ryan Plomp via UnSplash Today, I feature an interview with Debbie Laskey , MBA. With two decades of marketing experience and an MBA Degree, Debbie developed her marketing expertise while working in the high-tech industry, the Consumer Marketing Department at Disneyland Paris in France, the nonprofit arena, and the insurance industry.   Her expertise includes brand marketing, social media, employee engagement, leadership development, and customer experience marketing. Since 2002, Debbie has served as a judge for the Web Marketing Association’s annual web award competition. Her Blog has been recognized as one of the "Best 21st Century Leadership Blogs" and also as a "Top 100 Socially-Shared Leadership Blog." Be sure to visit both her website and her blog .   Debbie and I have known each other since 2009, when we worked together virtually for MicroMentor, Debbie on the West Coast, and me in the Midwest – and Debbie has appeared here on my blog many...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

“Companies that put customers first—ahead of all other stakeholders—are the ones that win,” explain   Fred Reichheld ,   Darci Darnell   and   Maureen Burns , authors of the new book,   Winning On Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy Of Loving Customers .  Furthermore, they share that when companies enrich the lives of customers as their company’s primary purpose, they ensure sustainable growth, happily fulfilled employees, and robust investor returns.  “When customers feel the love, they come back for more and bring their friends,” explain the authors. “And when you earn your customers’ trust, they openly share their needs and vulnerabilities. They provide honest feedback, which helps you design and deliver optimal experiences.”  Throughout the book, via a mix of personal stories, customer and employee experiences, along with CEO and investor insights, the authors demonstrate how to:  Use a moral compass to ensure people are treated right. Serve...

“Companies that put customers first—ahead of all other stakeholders—are the ones that win,” explain Fred Reichheld , Darci Darnell and Maureen Burns , authors of the new book, Winning On Purpose: The Unbeatable Strategy Of Loving Customers .  Furthermore, they share that when companies enrich the lives of customers as their company’s primary purpose, they ensure sustainable growth, happily fulfilled employees, and robust investor returns.  “When customers feel the love, they come back for more and bring their friends,” explain the authors. “And when you earn your customers’ trust, they openly share their needs and vulnerabilities. They provide honest feedback, which helps you design and deliver optimal experiences.”  Throughout the book, via a mix of personal stories, customer and employee experiences, along with CEO and investor insights, the authors demonstrate how to:  Use a moral compass to ensure people are treated right. Serve customers with empathy an...

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by  Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationship...

  How To Become A Rainmaker  is a quick, instructional book that reveals the rules for getting and keeping customers and clients. Written by  Jeffrey J. Fox , the handbook format provides you the best approaches to take to become a true rainmaker – one who brings clients, money, business, or even intangible prestige to an organization.  One of the real gems in the book is Fox’s  The Rainmaker’s Credo , which includes:  Cherish customers at all times. Treat customers as you would your best friend. Listen to customers and decipher their needs. Make (or give) customers what they need. Teach customers to want what they need. Make your product the way customers want it. Get your product to your customers when they want it. Give your customers a little extra, more than they expect. Thank each customer sincerely and often.

If you want to delight your customers, then the book by Steve Curtin ,  Delight Your Customers -- 7 Simple Ways to Raise Your Customer Service from Ordinary to Extraordinary , is a must-read for you and your employees. The book explains the  seven ways  for you and your employees to demonstrate  exceptional customer service : Express genuine interest Offer sincere and specific compliments Share unique knowledge Convey authentic enthusiasm Use appropriate humor Provide pleasant surprises Deliver service heroics "Exceptional customer service typically costs no more to deliver than poor customer service," explains Curtin. For example: How much does it cost to express genuine interest in customers or to anticipate their needs? Does it cost more to display a sense of urgency or to pay attention to detail? Do you pay your employees more to smile, to make eye contact, or to add energy to their voices? Curtin reminds readers that: Customers don't establish relationships with...

"Today's customers demand something unlike anything they have ever wanted in the past -- a connection with your business," explains  Noah Fleming , author of the  must-read book ,  Evergreen . "This means that in order to increase customer loyalty, you need to create a relationship with that customer on a deeper and much more profound level," adds Fleming. And, to do this, you need to think in an entirely new way (at times even counter intuitively) about your market, your customers and your marketing offers. Noah Fleming Fortunately, in Fleming's  timely and intensively relevant book , he shows you through strategies, exercises and examples what to do. Fleming's techniques teach you how to acquire customers faster and how to create what he calls  legitimate brand loyalty  -- the type that helps to keep your business thriving. One of the book's most compelling lessons for me was why it's so important to tell your customers your  company's orig...

Flavio Martins ' book,  Win The Customer , teaches you  70 simple rules for sensational service . "These can be used as a top-down resource in organizations looking to develop or enhance a service culture," explains Martins. "They can also be used as a resource for individuals who want to transform the way service is handled from the ground up, even when lacking the full commitment and support from organization-wide training and change efforts." To deliver sensational customer service, you need to have the  right culture . Martin says that the right culture: Inspires  -- Culture isn't a mission statement; it's a statement of action. Fosters  -- When united in a common goal, people contribute to an environment where everybody willingly comes to work each day and pours their best efforts into doing what they believe will make the greatest difference. Transforms  -- When working toward a higher purpose, the right culture has a real, positive effect on the w...

Last year brought the release of the book,  Unlocking The Customer Value Chain , by  Thales S. Teixeira , the Lumry Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He shows in his book how and why consumer industries are disrupted and what established companies can do about it—while highlighting the specific strategies potential startups use to gain a competitive edge. Among the insights revealed in the book are:  Startups do not disrupt existing markets – customers do. Customers, in effect, pay businesses with their money, time, and effort. These determine whether consumers will change their behavior or not. Most disruption in the marketplace occurs not because of new innovations in technology but as the result of new business models.  Lots of food-for-thought in this book. And, vivid insights from in-depth and exclusive accounts of both startups and reigning incumbents as they respond.

Consider this advice from author  Paul R. Timm . He recommends  a different twist on asking your customers questions : stop asking your customers the "typical" questions and instead ask them open-ended questions. Here's specifically what Timm recommends: Don't Ask : How was everything? Can I get you something else? Did you find everything you need? Will that be all? Was everything satisfactory? Instead Ask : What else can I do for you? What else can I get for you? What else can I help you with? What else could we do to better serve you? How else can we be of help? These open-ended questions will let your customers really  express their ideas, opinions and needs . Timm is the author of,  50 Powerful Ideas You Can Use To Keep Your Customers .

Author  Harvey MacKay  wrote the following spot-on advice years ago in a column in the  Kansas City Business Journal .  He wisely points out that all employees at every level should  never  use these four words in front of a client/customer for both obvious and perhaps not so obvious reasons: Can't --  As in, "We can't do that."  "We can't meet that deadline."  Unless you honestly cannot produce and then be honest and help them find another vendor. Busy  -- As in, "I'll call you when I'm not so busy."  "I'm really busy right now." The word "busy" gives your customer the impression they are a low priority. Safe  -- As in, "Let's play it safe."  Customers typically want to engage in calculated risks versus playing it safe. Fear  -- As in, "I fear that we may be moving too fast."  That tells your customer you haven't done your homework. MacKay writes, "Common sense, thorough ...

Earlier this year brought the release of the book,  Unlocking The Customer Value Chain , by  Thales S. Teixeira , the Lumry Family Associate Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He shows in his book how and why consumer industries are disrupted and what established companies can do about it—while highlighting the specific strategies potential startups use to gain a competitive edge. Among the insights revealed in the book are:  Startups do not disrupt existing markets – customers do. Customers, in effect, pay businesses with their money, time, and effort. These determine whether consumers will change their behavior or not. Most disruption in the marketplace occurs not because of new innovations in technology but as the result of new business models.  Lots of food-for-thought in this book. And, vivid insights from in-depth and exclusive accounts of both startups and reigning incumbents as they respond.

Flavio Martins ' book,  Win The Customer , teaches you  70 simple rules for sensational service . "These can be used as a top-down resource in organizations looking to develop or enhance a service culture," explains Martins. "They can also be used as a resource for individuals who want to transform the way service is handled from the ground up, even when lacking the full commitment and support from organization-wide training and change efforts." To deliver sensational customer service, you need to have the  right culture . Martin says that the right culture: Inspires  -- Culture isn't a mission statement; it's a statement of action. Fosters  -- When united in a common goal, people contribute to an environment where everybody willingly comes to work each day and pours their best efforts into doing what they believe will make the greatest difference. Transforms  -- When working toward a higher purpose, the right culture has a real, positive effect...

Whether you are in a new customer service role or simply need some customer service refresher tips,  Customer Service Training 101 , is the book for you.   Now in its third edition (originally published in 2005), you’ll find practical and actionable techniques and behaviors to ensure you are providing the best possible service for your customers.   Along with dozens of scenarios, examples, guidelines and practice lessons, author,  Renee Evenson , also provides a focus on customer service in today’s marketplace, which includes  effectively using social media .   My favorite parts of the book include Evenson’s techniques for  effective customer service via the phone  and for  properly responding to customer complaints .   First, for effective  customer service via the phone : Verbalize what you are doing  – explain to your customer what you are doing throughout the phone contact. Never assume that the perso...