customer service

Image of two people overlapping to show empathy Develop Stronger Client Relationships through Empathetic Action

There’s a big difference between simply saying "I feel your pain" and displaying evidence of empathy. When dealing with clients' complaints and issues, do more than try to understand what they're going through. Aim to communicate early, often, and with sincere concern. It will improve the situation for them—and you.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Remote control The Importance of Giving Others a Sense of Control

It's important to give people some sense of control over their circumstances, especially during times of stress. This is good to keep in mind when dealing with clients. Feeling a sense of control is a very deep need, so it would be smart to ask clients' opinions and let them influence how some things happen.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
When It’s OK to Ignore Company Policy

Most company policies have their roots in good practices, but over time, an organization's goals can change so much that a policy does not support those goals any longer. It’s important for employees to be able to use their own judgment and feel comfortable going to supervisors about making exceptions.

Lee Copeland's picture
Lee Copeland
Testing Big Data in the Retail Marketplace

The concept of data as a tool for retailers is not a new one. But the volume of that data is greater than ever. Testing big data is essential because the collected information only becomes an asset when it is analyzed and processed in a way that makes it useful to retailers, which in turn engages consumers.

Sunil Sehgal's picture
Sunil Sehgal
The Risk of Negative Customer Experiences

If people have a positive customer experience, they tell a few friends, but if they have a negative one, they tell everyone—and now that social media have made sharing so easy, no flaw, delay, or mistake seems too small to complain about. More than ever, it's important to create positive customer experiences.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Make Your Customers Feel the Wait Was Worth It

Sometimes the only way you can give customers adequate attention is to make other customers wait. In this age of impatience, some people won't like to hear that. But the way you treat those who have had to wait can make a big difference in how satisfied they are with your services. Read on for some advice.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Testing Customer Touchpoints

When testing a product, it can be easy to neglect how support processes such as call verifications, email communication, online chat, and service request processes function. But these touchpoints go a long way toward defining customer experience and an organization in general. How can you improve?

Parimala Hariprasad's picture
Parimala Hariprasad
4 Frequent Feedback-Gathering Flaws

If organizations really want customer feedback, why do they make it so difficult for customers to provide that feedback? Naomi Karten gives four examples from her own experience that suggest some things to keep in mind when gathering feedback from your customers.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten