I'm sorry...

Last week Uber charged me for a trip I didn’t take.  But, I’m still a loyal customer.  Here’s how they turned a negative incident into a positive outcome.

1. They made it easy to let them know about the mistake.  If it had been difficult I would have gotten more upset and it might have gotten ugly.

2. They responded to me right away.  If they had taken too long, I would have gotten more upset and it might have gotten ugly.

3. They sent me this email. 

Read it and see if you can spot what was done well:

“Hi Ann,
Thanks for reaching out. Happy to help.

I’m sorry to hear about this charge. So that I can look into this charge for you, please confirm the date and amount of this charge. Also, can you provide a screenshot of the charge on your statement? Once I have this information, I will follow-up to assist further.

Hope to hear from you soon”

Made it personal. Hi Ann,

Thanked me. Thanks for reaching out.

Offered reassurance. Happy to help.

Offered empathy. I’m sorry…

Used a WIIFM (what’s in it for me) to give them more information. So that I can look into this

Gave me a reason to do what they were asking.  Once I have this information…

Shared next steps.  Hope to hear from you soon.

Mistakes happen, how we handle them makes or breaks customer loyalty. 

If you’d like more tips and strategies for delivering outstanding service via text and email, send us a note and we’ll share pricing and availability for our webinar:  The Write Stuff.

What Do You Do Next?

Do you have callers that try to pick a fight?  Perhaps they start with one of these phrases.

• "You people"
• "Put me through to your Manager"
• "@@#$%^%&"

How do you respond to those phrases?  If you react and get defensive, then you might need a new strategy.   Try these steps. 

Step 1:  Identify it, own it.   My name is Ann and it makes me defensive when the caller starts the call with 'you people'.
Step 2:  Laugh at it.  "You people", that's funny, what else would we be?  Cats? Dogs? haha. 
Step 3:  Handle it.  Treat the call the way you do the other 95% of your calls.  Having a sense of humor takes the sting out of the phrase and allows you to be your usual awesome self.
Step 4:  Note it.  After the call, high five yourself for overcoming a hurdle.

You people....good grief, that is so funny! 

News from the North

Many of you know that I was born up North, but did you know Canada celebrated their 150th Birthday on Saturday? In honour of my heritage I wanted to share some Canadian humour, and yes, those 'u's are intentional. 

Happy Canada Day! 

And of course, Happy Independence Day tomorrow!  

Is it ever okay to add an emoji to a business email or text?

If you’re of a certain age, you probably think no, not appropriate.

A younger person might say, Yaaasss, absolutely! 😀 

Here’s the scoop.

Studies show that people read email in a negative tone, even if it wasn’t written that way.  Imagine reading an email with the words, “You’re welcome.” Is that sarcastic, a question, or genuine?  

If left up to the reader, they may read negativity into an email unintentionally.   So, perhaps there is a place for an emoticon in a business email or text, but let’s identify some rules.

Tips: 

• If you use an emoticon, use only smiley faces.  Use words to convey any other message i.e. a frowny face comes off as sarcasm.  Right?!  Not sadness.
• Use :-) vs. 🙂  An unconverted smiley face is more professional looking and is guaranteed to appear correctly on all platforms.
• Don’t ask an emoticon to deliver bad news nicely.  Pick up the phone instead or write more carefully.

What do you think? :-) or :-(

Telephones Over Tasks

Chances are when the phones slow down, you get assigned extra tasks. Maybe some billing assistance, envelope stuffing, or account clean-up.  Have you noticed though that when you're in the middle of those tasks, and a customer calls, that ringing phone feels like an interruption?

Make sure it doesn't sound like an interruption.

Stop - Drop - Roll

Stop what you are doing, drop the task and roll into your best greeting. Take a breath and say your greeting with competence and caring. Give the caller your full attention.

The first 30 seconds set the tone for the call. Telephones over tasks!

Blink Blink

I sometimes like to share a tip that gets your body moving so that your circulation, breathing and energy improve.

But this tip caught my attention, maybe because my eyes are aging faster than I am, and I wanted to share it with you!

The problem: Screen fatigue; tired, itching and/or burning eyes.  One of the most common causes of eye fatigue is staring for long periods at digital devices such as computer screens, smartphones, silly phones and video games.

The solution?  Scientists say 20 seconds of BLINKING can stop computer users getting eye strain.

Try this:  20/20/20/20

Blinking 20 times in a row every 20 minutes, combined with looking away from the screen for 20 seconds and focusing on an object 20 feet away.

What to read more?  Check out the article HERE.

Your Daily Boost!

To boost your energy at work,  eat a high-carb, high-fiber breakfast. For short-term and long-term energy boosts, make a habit of eating a high-fiber, carbohydrate-rich breakfast, says Jaimie Davis, PhD, RD, research associate at the Institute for Prevention Research at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

As proof it works, Davis points to a study that compared the effects of two carbohydrate-rich breakfasts -- one high-fiber, one low-fiber -- with two high-fat breakfasts. The high-fiber, high-carb meal was associated with the highest level of alertness between breakfast and lunch. The study was published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition.

So how about some whole wheat toast or high-fiber cereal with that cup of coffee?!