The Power of Service: Be Prepared for Customer Service Week

Since 1991, the first week of October has been deemed National Customer Service Week by the Customer Service Group. With the week quickly approaching this year (October 4-8), I’m getting a jump start on the celebration and I hope you will, too. At a time when there’s a lot of noise in the news about customers…

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Yes, I’m Talking to YOU!

This space is usually reserved for a monthly lesson on customer service, where I share my latest insights into helping you and your team deliver exceptional guest experiences every single time. We’ll return to that regularly scheduled programming soon, but first I’m excited to share a career milestone that I recently celebrated at the National Speakers Association annual conference in Las Vegas. This week,…

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Shoehorned Into Customer Service Excellence 

Tip: scroll to the end of this article to watch Laurie’s brief overview video! There’s no doubt that the pandemic forced us to adjust how we did business for a time, for everyone’s health and safety. In many instances,  businesses were forced to make their services fit into new regulations, which shoehorned both staff and customers…

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What Does Your Billboard Say? Make it Noteworthy!

  When a customer experiences our service, good or bad, they become walking, talking billboards. I’m like any other buyer: I seem to notice and share about the negative experiences more than the positive. So today, I am changing that up a little and sharing a memorable and noteworthy experience, a “two thumbs up” encounter I had…

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Don’t Be Stingy: It’s Time to Treat Yourself! 

Our beloved dog Otis has started to show his age. With his 12th birthday coming up next month, he has taken on the attributes of a true senior. He wants to eat dinner at 4:30, go to bed by 8, and is slow to get up from a resting position.  Over the past year, his appetite has diminished significantly. One day I opened…

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What’s Been GOOD About This Time?

The month of March brings hope. Spring is around the corner, and we’re so close to life after COVID. So this month, I want to know what has been GOOD for you over the last year? Lately, I’ve been hearing from others about the silver linings of this challenging year and it got me to…

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“Armor Up” for Post-Pandemic Business Trends

Well, we made it through 2020! Although all of our problems didn’t magically go away with the flip of the calendar page, I’m more optimistic than ever that we’ll find our way to the other side soon. As I think about what’s ahead for businesses this year, one thing is certain: the time is now to…

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Theme for 2021: Try New Things!

At the end of every year, I choose a theme for a new one. I deliberately don’t make resolutions; those are just made to be broken! A theme, however, can set the tone for the year ahead and put you on track for whatever you want to accomplish or however you want to grow. Since…

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When Is the Last Time You Did Something for the First Time? 

Recently, I stumbled upon an article that contains 40 photos that capture people experiencing things for the first time. My favorites?  Baby meets a dog  Soldier meets his daughter  First ever snow  This creative piece made me stop and think about how long it’s been since I did anything for the first time. When we are children, it happens routinely without us even realizing it. But…

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