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The Memorial Day holiday is near!!  It is time to remember and honor the men and women who died in active U.S. military service.  Memorial Day was first known as Decoration Day; it originated after the Civil War and became an official U.S. federal holiday in 1971.

This year, make Memorial Day extraordinary by honoring living veterans and deliberately giving them excellent service.  By doing so, it will show your appreciation for their service to our great country.

Now, suppose I were to tell you that 91% of consumers will NOT return to your company after a negative experience…would that make a difference in how you and your team deliver customer service?  Make a point to clarify in the minds of your employees how, when and why they should give customers amazing experiences.  After a designated period of time, meet with them and ask how they felt when they gave amazing service.  Allow them to share with their peers; use the exercise as a teaching moment.  The activity will result in employees who feel empowered and a sense of belonging which will increase morale.

You wouldn’t play football without a helmet so don’t run your business without a great customer service plan and philosophy.

To retain existing customers and to get new ones, companies MUST get smarter about customer service delivery and understand how to give them CONSISTENT amazing experiences.  You must know your customer!

For example.  Customers of almost every demographic are moving away from using the telephone for self-service and going directly to company FAQs, websites and other channels to obtain answers to questions about products and services.  They will not tolerate difficult navigation through your web pages and shopping experiences.  A whopping 78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction because of a bad experience.  (Source:  American Express Survey, 2011)

Summer is only a few weeks away and many of us will be longing for a nice ice cream cone to help offset the sweltering heat.

Well, here’s another thought about summer:  Families will be vacationing and making lifetime memories which makes for excellent opportunities for businesses to showcase their BEST customer service skills.  NOW is the time to train/re-train employees and all levels of staff HOW to deliver amazing customer service and create memorable experiences.

Employees must go through technical and customer service training in order to be ready to anticipate and solve customers’ needs and complaints.  Here are a few skills that all employees must master to provide amazing customer satisfaction:

I love my work and the seminars I conduct for my clients.  Sometimes, the curriculum includes helping them to understand that “thinking outside the box” is more than a cliche.  It requires that they go several steps farther to deliver unique and customized experiences for their clients.

I teach them the importance of giving themselves and their staff permission to be different — decide HOW you will deliver the magic of amazing experiences everyday to every customer and NOT to be defined by someone else’s idea of customer service delivery.

So, you want to retain your clients and give them incredible service but your employees seem to be displaying lackadaisical energy?   Your responsibility as an executive or a manager is to inspire them, “get off the dime” and show them how to make things happen!  These ideas are worthy of consideration:

1) Motivate your BEST staff who display strong leadership skills and who demonstrate the ability to effectuate change for the benefit of the customer and for the company.

2) Make sure the right employee is working in the right position.  The wrong personality in the wrong position can doom sales and profits.  Don’t feel obligated to allow employees to work in a position for which they are not properly matched.