The field of IT is multifaceted, making it complex. The training is detailed and rigorous. Despite endless hours of training and numerous professional certifications, many who enter the industry find that they struggle with service skills. The reason? Their technical education lacked effective training in customer service, which is integral to any successful career in […]
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The United States’ holiday Thanksgiving is coming up shortly. It’s a day when we express our thanks for the gifts we’ve been given, spend time with our families, watch American football, and eat ourselves into oblivion. This is also a time to reflect on how to practice gratitude. Sincere Gratitude It’s also an opportunity for
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When we ask about the important characteristics of customer service providers, IT or otherwise, one of the most common answers is patience. People who are receiving customer service want the provider to be patient. Similarly, one of the most common complaints is that customer service providers aren’t patient with end-users and other customers. In this
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Note: This blog post on career roadblocks is a transcript of an excerpt from my keynote speech How to be a Compassionate Geek. As we talk about the five principles, are there some roadblocks that might possibly get in your way? And the answer is, of course there are. There are many, but I’ve observed
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Here’s how to lose a customer quickly! Hint: It’s about bad decisions by the customer service rep and business owner. It’s easy to avoid! I recently changed health insurance plans. My neighborhood pharmacy is covered by my new plan. I like to support local businesses and I know the owner of the shop, so I
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In IT customer service, sometimes we fix the technical issue, but our customers still don’t think we care. Here are eight simple ways to show customer care. 1: Be on time. If you’ve ever said the words, “I’m sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible.” or words to that effect, you were making an excuse
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It’s a beautiful day in Seattle, so I decided to record today’s video in my back yard. Today, we’re going to revisit and update my list of the top ten ways to be a great listener. One of the greatest gifts we can give our fellow humans is to listen, to really listen, to turn
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