Harvard Business School social psychologist professor Amy Cuddy says people judge you based on 2 criteria when they first meet you: * Can I trust this...
This may sound simple, but problems with customers recurrently begin with simple misunderstandings on either or both sides. Make sure you fully unders...
It takes 64 seconds to retrieve your train of thought after an interruption by an e-mail. (T. Jackson, PhD, Loughborough University) That means if you...
Learning something new requires effort, time and is often frustrating. Once we get good enough, it's easy to get in the habit of giving a half effort,...
Sometimes we lose sight of how much of a difference one person can make when it comes to customer service – in good ways and in bad. You can be that s...
Behavioral scientists have found that about two to four feet (0.6 to 2 metres) is the accepted amount of personal space most North Americans need to f...
Ultradian rhythms are the cycles of activity and rest that alternate during the day. Many of the functions of your body and brain are set for performa...
An acquaintance of the great philosopher Socrates came one day to tell him what he had just heard about a friend. Before allowing him to tell his stor...
In Quebec, we have BIG winters! We get ready for the snow and cold. We take out our coats, our scarves, our mittens and our boots. We also take out ou...
Statements such as "I just work here”, "It’s not my responsibility" or "I’m just following orders" are the worst kind of ethical excuses since work et...
Patience is not only a virtue; it is a necessary skill in order to deliver excellent service. If you deal with customers on a daily basis, be sure to ...
“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them — work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keep...
When we want to influence, we absolutely should not be using strategies to deceive others because, in the long run, it hurts our reputation. We must p...
Feedback shouldn’t be a judgement on personality. It should be an objective message on behavior and its consequences – be it on a job well done or a s...
It’s easy and natural to want to tell a customer they are wrong in what they are saying. However, this won’t help you in your efforts to diffuse a cus...
When feeling overwhelmed, it’s tempting to respond by working harder. But humans are "cyclical" so working more doesn’t just make you miserable, it ma...
If customers get angry or start yelling, employ calming techniques to defuse the situation. Keeping your tone of voice even can compel someone who's s...
If speaking in public causes you anxiety and concern, make an effort to stop thinking about yourself, your nervousness, and your fear. Instead, focus ...
It's just about impossible to convince a customer that he's wrong. To argue until the customer says, "I was wrong and I will change my mind." It is mo...
When decisions aren’t made, procrastination kicks in, nothing gets done and time is wasted. Avoidance uses up more time than actually making the decis...
Diversity is much broader than ethnicity, race or gender. Diversity is otherness or those human qualities that are different from our own and outside ...
Stress makes your body release out two hormones: cortisol and adrenaline. These chemicals put your body into fight-or-flight mode, ratcheting up your ...
John never includes the proper documentation when submitting his requests to accounting. Sam at shipping never answers the phone from customer service...
To work together successfully, team members must demonstrate a sense of cohesion. Cohesion emerges as team members exhibit the following skills: Openn...
They ask you to give a presentation to your customers, peers or superiors because you have the knowledge in the subject; you do it every day, you mast...