It is not uncommon for employers to think that if they hire people who are nice and polite, there is no need to invest in customer service training. Erroneously, some employers believe that if they hire pleasant staff, that’s all that’s needed. Sourcing naturally friendly people for your front line is very important; however this is only the first step in ensuring your customers have a great experience. 

I can’t tell you how many times during my workshops I’ve witnessed “polite people” give their best effort only to demonstrate their honest ignorance of what is acceptable and unacceptable to say. Training helps to create...

Many languages have two forms; the standard and then a variation of colloquialism, dialect and slang which is indigenous to specific regions and groups of people. In the Bahamas, though we speak English, we have our own dialect and colloquialism that we as a people recognize as part of our Bahamian culture. Our unique accent and phrasing is what makes our speech colorful and expressive. Dialect is an important part of culture; it connects us and creates a feeling of familiarity.  

What we do have to keep in mind is dialect is defined as nonstandard  spoken language, which indicates it is not best suited for the workplace. For example if you go to the beach in a pair of cut off shorts no one would think...

If you are in a position that requires you to get the cooperation of others you will be able to perform more effectively if you increase your ability to influence others. Here are some tips.  

Developing rapport is crucial when you are trying to sway others to be receptive to you and your ideas. Rapport comes easily when you can find areas of common ground. Once someone feels that you are more like them they begin to let their guard down and more open to what you say.  

Learning to skillfully phrase questions can be a powerful tool. Always phrase your question to get the answer you want. For instance, as a manager instead...

Most people feel some anxiety about asking for a raise during the best of times, let alone during a recession. However, if you feel you deserve more money, be direct and make an appointment to speak to your boss about a salary increase. Good employees are the key to keeping the company afloat during tough times.  

Write down and rehearse what you want to say. This will help you to be succinct. You don’t want to ramble. Knowing what you want to say will increase your confidence.  

Include all the areas in which you are an asset to the company. Support your claims with examples of new business you’ve brought in, projects you’ve worked on...

Many people underestimate the value of polish and presence when representing themselves and their company. Polish conveys you are serious about your business and you don’t take your customer’s business for granted. It is easy to become so relaxed in our jobs that we forget to be polished. Beyond the outward presentation, polish is demonstrated in the way you communicate with those who choose to do business with you.  

Polish is that professional dimension we should show when we are at work, which should be different than the persona we show when we are relaxing with our friends. It takes effort, it requires us to “turn it on” and earn the right to the client’s business.

It’s common in business to have to deal with an unhappy or even angry customer in instances where the company has somehow dropped the ball or there has been a misunderstanding. Often company representatives feel hesitant to offer an apology for fear of further exposing the company or being forced to take the blame for something they had nothing to do with. When is it appropriate to apologize to a customer who is obviously upset? What about those instances where the customer is at fault, like when they have failed to read disclaimers or policies?  

Research has shown that fifty percent of unhappy customers never receive an apology. Unfortunately this can sour the customer’s experience even more than the actual incident. Remember, the issue is never the issue...

The way your staff answers your phone may actually hurt your business. Your advertising, sales representatives, referrals, etc. all help to form an image of your company in the mind of the client. That image can be destroyed in five seconds just by the way your telephone is answered. There is a right and a wrong way to answer the phone. However, most staff has never been trained, many employers assume they know. There are a number of components that constitute a polished sound. One is to pause whatever you are doing and take a breath before answering. You should never sound like you’ve been interrupted.

Lack of enthusiasm conveyed by your staff, is always disenchanting for someone who is inquiring about a product or service to purchase now or in the future...

There are so many different elements to a more polished vocal image. But the one element that helps to instantly improve your personal presentation is  Enunciation. Oh I know we take it for granted, we all assume that people understand us, but sloppy enunciation is actually considered to be one of the most irritating of all bad speech habits.  

Failing to enunciate each syllable in each word and actually pronouncing the endings may make it difficult for listeners to understand us. The few seconds it takes to decipher what we are saying may cause them to miss a part of our message...

Investing the time to eradicate verbal viruses can have big returns in terms of coming across as confident and well-spoken. We all have our favorites but those senseless fillers such as: “ah”, “duh”, “um”,” like”, “you know”, “ya’ see”, etc. can be very distracting. If uncontrolled they can cause a listener to totally miss your message.

It seems these fillers come in handy when we are searching for the right word or phrase, so we fill the silence with our favorite word or even non-word. Typically, we are unaware of how often these viruses creep into our speech and the habit is so deeply embedded it really requires cognizance and work to correct...