Sometimes we have to tell people the last thing they want to hear: “No.”

Just think about your reaction when someone tells you no.  You get defensive immediately, right?  No one likes to be told they can’t do something – and your likely response is to start an argument to prove you’re right (and the person who told you no is wrong).

In your world, there are lots of reasons your frontline reps have to say no to customers. Sometimes it’s unavoidable. Sometimes it seems outside your reps’ control.  But, what if you could actually eliminate the negative reaction your customers have when they are told no – just by making a few tweaks to your current approach? Read More »

What’s your favorite type of hold music?  Do you like some smooth jazz or light rock?  Or maybe you prefer silence while you wait?  Me personally, I like to listen to some classical music while I’m waiting to talk to a customer service rep.

Whether it’s the recommendation to use nature sounds instead of actual music, a ranking of the top worst hold music songs of all time, or the innovative use of your own staff to record hold music – seems like everyone has an opinion on the matter.  From everything about deciding on the music itself to inserting messaging throughout – I’ve even heard members talk about letting their customers choose which kind of hold music to listen to or let customers choose to wait in silence.

But, there may soon come a time when all of these questions are rendered irrelevant.

Meet LucyPhone. Read More »

In the late 90s and early 00s the Food Network achieved incredible popularity with shows like “Iron Chef” & “Emeril – Live”.  Both shows featured entertaining, but difficult to replicate creations often requiring a laundry list of ingredients and difficult to execute cooking techniques. 

In the past couple of years, though, the network has found shows with a simpler message to be just as, if not more, compelling to audiences.  Semi-Homemade Cooking & Ten Dollar Dinners have simplified cooking for viewers and convinced aspiring chefs it doesn’t take a Culinary Institute degree to be successful in the kitchen.     

A similar timeline illustrates the rise in unnecessary complexity and the subsequent back-to-basics approach for the Quality Assurance function at a few service organizations I’ve spoken with recently.

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