Customer service representative. Customer support associate. Help desk support. Customer relationship specialist. Customer experience manager. Do a quick search for “customer service jobs” and you will find endless job titles for those who work on the front lines of client service. And there are obvious reasons why – businesses who want to stay ahead of… Continue reading
Ever spend time with a sick toddler? When they don’t feel good, they may ask for candy, soda or ice cream – but all the sugar in the world won’t cure a cold. As an adult, you know that what they ask for isn’t necessarily what they really need. The same logic applies to staffing… Continue reading
How many times have you reached out to a company when you experienced a problem with their product or service, only to be forced to jump through hoop after hoop to get what you needed? You’ve probably ended up struggling to communicate your thoughts to those who needed to hear them, going back and forth… Continue reading
Snapchat is much more than a platform used to take selfies. Here are some stats to put this into perspective: There are over 300 million monthly active users. 187 million people actively use Snapchat daily. 18% of U.S. social media users are using Snapchat. 45% of Snapchat users are aged between 18-24. With stats like… Continue reading
On August 3, I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Taylor Swift perform live in Toronto for her Reputation Stadium Tour. The whole experience was incredible, and the steps taken to ensure all fans had a great experience did not go unnoticed. The marketing was awesome and had my gears turning to turn my experiences… Continue reading
By now, I’m sure all of you have seen, or at least heard of “Stranger Things.” If not, it is an awesome sci-fi story about friendship and a coming-of-age that takes place in the ‘80s. There are monsters, teenage heartbreak, and puns that would give John Hughes a run for his money. Although the show… Continue reading
Touting “amazing service” as a point of differentiation? Branding your organization as an “employer of choice”? Hanging your hat on delivering an “exceptional customer experience”? Then you’d better have a customer-centric company culture. (Now THAT’s a mouthful!) But what exactly does it mean – and how can your staffing or recruiting agency build one? At… Continue reading
Imagine it’s 3 a.m. A supervisor at [insert hot prospect company name] needs to fill a last-minute call-off for their 7 a.m. shift. Bleary eyed, they hop online to request a temporary from you. But when they reach your site and fill out a request form, they receive a polite auto-response saying that someone will… Continue reading
Sound like a lofty business goal? Achieving it is easier than you think, if you do this one simple thing: Keep your customers longer. Marketers say it costs six times more to win a new client than it does to keep an existing one. Six times! So if you improve your client retention – even… Continue reading
Ever said that you liked something (an outfit or a home-cooked meal) to protect a loved one’s feelings? “Yada-yada-yada-ed” your way out of an uncomfortable conversation with an acquaintance? We all have! But in business, there’s no room for “versions” of the truth. If 20 years of running a company has taught me anything, it’s… Continue reading
Which would you rather have: bad service or incompetent service? Yikes – how about neither? Customer service guru Shep Hyken recently wrote a great post on the difference between bad and incompetent service. You can read the full post here, but I’ve distilled the main points below. What’s BAD customer service? Essentially, bad customer service… Continue reading
…a website that’s intuitive, simple and welcoming – or one with copy so dense that it’s impossible to find what you need? Service staff who are friendly, resourceful and truly helpful when you call – or ones who act clueless or put-off by your requests? The guy on the left – or the guy on… Continue reading
Ever encounter a difficult client who thought he could do a better job than you? You know, someone who was frustrated because he believed he knew more than you did – or could resolve his problem more effectively than you? It’s a tough spot to be in. On the one hand, in situations like these… Continue reading
And so does trying to improve customer experience without knowing your clients well. Staffing customers are not as loyal as they once were – they have more options than ever. To further complicate the matter, you’re likely selling to an incredibly diverse pool of buyers and decision-makers, ranging from office managers and HR to department… Continue reading
Pumpkin pie is good, but a dollop of whipped cream makes it irresistible. Turkey is tasty, but when it’s served with stuffing, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, it’s downright delicious. (Is it lunch time yet?) Most of us know how to make a Thanksgiving meal delightful. But when it comes to “wowing” staffing customers, what’s… Continue reading
What’s hot? Well, it’s not the weather (at least not in Buffalo, anyway). But it’s a new year. And you’re a smart staffing professional, looking to tap into the latest customer service trends. And frankly, I relish any excuse to conjure an image of a tropical paradise (especially in January). So grab a beach blanket… Continue reading
