Word of the Week: Attention The word of the week is attention. As in, pay attention to what your customer is saying and doing. That’s part of the difference between good and bad customer service. Quote of the Week: Customer Loss There’s an often-repeated quote that says, “68% of customer loss is due to perceived […]

Word of the Week: Respect The word of the week this week is respect. Respect comes in two forms. Probably, the most common way of thinking about respect is in how you feel about another person, based on their words and deeds. We often say that someone must earn respect. It’s internal, it’s about your […]

Word of the Week: Should The word of the week is should, a popular topic in self-help circles. That probably seems a little odd, but here’s why it’s the word of the week. Janet, my wife, and I were talking about the direction of her professional life. Like millions of others, her life has been […]

We’re changing the format and the name of the Compassionate Geek blog starting with this post. You can think of the new format as a weekly motivational triple-play. In fact, that’s what I’m calling it: The Weekly Motivational Triple Play. We’ll publish one new post per week, reflecting a positive point of view. Each post […]

This is a story with a simple solution for poor customer service. I like word puzzles. The New York Times puzzles are an ongoing distraction for me, whether it’s a crossword puzzle or their accursed spelling bee. There’s even one called Vertex, which is a mindless connect-the-dots puzzle. Their puzzles are well-designed and thought-provoking (except […]

In a breakout session on how to improve your emotional intelligence at IT Nation Explore, an attendee commented, “You say to avoid saying things like, ‘You make me so happy’ or ‘you make me so angry’ because it gives power to the other person. Yet, you also say to be assertive and tell the other […]

The 4 Quadrants of Urgency and Importance How is your time management? Are you spending your time on activities that are important or are you wasting your time on activities that don’t matter? Author Stephen Covey’s urgency/importance four-quadrant time management model is a powerful tool you can use to prioritize how you spend your time. […]

This technician’s checklist is for anyone in customer support who responds to service tickets and requests. It’s also for anyone who deals with end-users, other customers, and coworkers. When preparing to respond to a support ticket or service request, even an informal one, be sure to go through the following checklist. IT Customer Support is […]

We build customer support systems to take excellent care of our customers, but some clients just want to go around them. Does this sound familiar? Bypassing Customer Support Systems Terry, an owner of a mid-sized MSP wrote: “I’m wondering if you have anything on voicemail, specifically an outbound voicemail message on the owner’s mobile or […]

For most of us, dealing with an angry or abusive customer is upsetting, even nerve-wracking. Still, sometimes it happens. When you know how to handle an angry customer, you can turn situations around, save relationships, and keep your stress levels under control. Here are five critical success factors in dealing with difficult customers (or anybody […]

Two years ago, I had to deal with inappropriate behavior toward me by a colleague in my professional association. I found the experience demeaning, disrespectful, and confusing. It still weighs heavily on my mind. I did nothing to encourage the bad behavior by the other person, but it left me wanting to avoid attending meetings […]

Are you bombarded with promotions for webinars telling you how to deal with these crazy times? Yeah, me too. I could use some inspiration, so today, I’m taking a different approach with the Compassionate Geek blog and podcast. I’m offering uplifting stories about people, both ordinary and extraordinary, and their resilience in the face of […]

UPDATE ON RELATIONSHIPS: I just learned that my friend Reggie Watkins died of COVID-19 and that my friend Ray Benson is terribly sick with this awful virus. That news makes this week’s blog post more timely than ever. Please, read on… My friend Roger is 87. He’s in great shape, both mentally and physically. Before […]

Stress, when untreated, can kill you. That’s why it’s important to learn how to cope with the stress. Stress can cause heart attacks, strokes, a compromised immune system, diabetes, and obesity. It can cause headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, and anger. It can undermine relationships (personal and professional), and it can bring on depression. […]

People have strong opinions about Amazon. Regardless of how you feel about Amazon, they are focused on caring for customers. You may have heard the quote about Amazon, “We aim to be Earth’s most customer centric company.” I had an experience with Amazon that clearly demonstrated why I would choose to do business with Amazon […]

What is an active listener? In short, an active listener is engaged with the speaker. They ask relevant quetions, the avoid passing judgment until the speaker is finished, the give physical cues that they’re listening, and they make the speaker feel heard and respected. Listening Well It’s 1970, I’m sixteen years old and in love […]

Emotional Intelligence can make the difference between having a successful career in IT and struggling in your career. Successfully managing emotions can also make the difference between having successful personal relationships and struggling in relationships. One of the four domains of Emotional Intelligence is Self-Awareness. Here are keys to recognizing emotions in yourself: Check your […]

I’d heard about Le Violon d’Ingres, a Michelin-starred restaurant near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. One of my foodie friends described his meal there as the best dining experience of his life. So my friend Shea and I agreed to meet there for lunch. We set the meeting time for noon. I planned to […]

In a recent corporate training session, I spoke with the group about compassionate customer service. Cindy sat on the front row. She was friendly and professional with me, but shortly into the session, she said, “I don’t get it. I act professionally around my users and I’m efficient. Why do I need to be “buddy-buddy” […]

One of the most common reasons companies ask me to speak to their teams is to teach them how to be a better listener. In order to help team members improve their listening skills, I explain that there are three different types of listening, each of which requires different techniques to be effective. The three […]