After a full year of “Stepping Up Service” episodes wrapped up for 2013, it’s time to start looking into the future… what are the trends we see for the Customer Service world in 2014? Ed shares his predictions with Alan, as they talk about the potential shift to a more holistic, face-to-face customer service world, and how “big data” may be a bit overplayed. Plus, what is an “octopod”? Alan and Ed also share their Customer Service Story of the Month at the end of the episode. Ed Gagnon is the Pr...
Jan 14, 2014•47 min
For your listening pleasure this holiday season, Ed and Alan become storytellers for this episode of “Stepping Up Service”. Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions shares five stories (with almost all of them true!) about customer service experiences… and discusses what we can learn from these stories and use in our own businesses or organizations. Not to be left out, Alan Jackson of The Jackson Group also shares a couple of stories… with one of them being somewhat embarrassing for Mr. Jackson h...
Dec 17, 2013•43 min
Ed brought up a blog post recently where an avid NFL fan explained that they were not renewing their season tickets because of the "fan experience". This leads Ed and Alan to define "Customer Experience Management", and address how what brings your customers in often differs from what keeps them. Ed and Alan go through some various industry scenarios where the customer experience could make the difference as to whether we, as customers, "stay" or "go". Plus, as always, everyone's favorite portio...
Nov 12, 2013•51 min
Everyone has their own definition of good customer service... so leaving it to employees of an organization to provide their own defined level of customer service could result in an inconsistent experience for your customers. Many organizations are setting "Customer Service Standards", which define the core expectations of their staff in terms of how they will treat each other and customers. Ed and Alan discuss the purpose of customer service standards, the process involved, and sprinkle in some...
Oct 23, 2013•46 min
Alan and Ed take a bit of a break from their normal discussion format as they decide to sit back and listen to Ed tell us the "Lessons Learned from a Young Hitchhiker." Ed came into contact with an individual who had hitchhiked over 200 times in the past, and found that many of the things this person did to encourage people to pick him up are similar things we need to be doing when providing service to our customers. After the story and lesson-sharing, Alan and Ed both share their "Customer Serv...
Aug 16, 2013•51 min
So you've been trying to improve the level of customer service in your organization, and you feel that things are starting to improve. But how do you find out if your changes are truly affecting your customers' satisfaction? It's time for some measurement! Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions and Alan Jackson of The Jackson Group discuss the importance of measuring satisfaction, various methods for conducting your measurement, and some pros and cons for each method. They also end the show wit...
Jun 20, 2013•56 min
If communications within your office or organization are complex and prone to errors, then your customers are the ones that may ultimately pay the price. To help serve customers, clients and partners more effectively, we need to make sure our communications are as simple as possible within our workplace. Ed shares some tips and planning approaches with Alan to ensure communications in the workplace are clear, flow well, reach the intended parties, and are simply done. Plus, Alan and Ed share the...
May 17, 2013•54 min
A while back, we discussed "Great Service Examples from Small Businesses" and received very positive feedback from listeners. We realize, though, that there are just as many stories of some big, household name companies providing excellent customer service to their customers. In many ways, the larger businesses have a tough challenge in front of them as they try to deliver good service despite multiple locations, a large employee base, and a large, demanding client base. Alan and Ed discuss four...
Apr 18, 2013•50 min
This episode focuses on getting employees not to fear confrontations when they have bad news to share. Alan and Ed address the benefits of being proactive when you have to share bad news with a co-worker or a customer. They also discuss keys to setting up those conversations so they’re bigger on solutions than on emotions. And along the way, they make an extraordinary number of references to college basketball. Ed Gagnon is the President of Customer Service Solutions, helping organizations devel...
Mar 15, 2013•51 min
Most of the episodes of this show so far have talked about what businesses and organizations can do to improve their customer service abilities and ensure that service continues to improve. But what about the individual employee? What can they do to create a "continuous improvement mindset" and become a stronger asset for the organization? Ed gives Alan a checklist of questions that any employee should be asking themselves on a regular basis to develop that mindset and help their organization me...
Feb 08, 2013•52 min
The new year is upon us; what better time to gaze into the crystal ball and talk about the trends we can expect to see in the world of customer service in 2013? In this episode, Ed Gagnon of Customer Service Solutions talks Alan through his four top trends for customer service for the coming year, ranging from the use of technology in enhancing the customer service experience to the overall speed in how that service is delivered. It's the 2013 kick-off episode of "Stepping Up Service"! Ed Gagnon...
Jan 15, 2013•43 min
When confronted with hostile Black Friday shoppers, "compassion" is an emotion that can be hard to have and show to others in the customer service world. Yet, studies have shown that compassion is one of the most important attitudes traits for someone in customer service to have when dealing with clients, customers, or patients. In this episode, Alan and Ed discuss the idea of compassion in customer service, ranging from how to show empathy to others to the ways to properly communicate compassio...
Dec 12, 2012•55 min
For most of this podcast series, Alan and Ed have been talking about improving overall customer service at your company or organization. But how can a customer service strategy actually lead to improving customer retention, and - even better - customer growth? Ed educates Alan about the four keys to customer retention and growth, and shares some examples along the way. The co-hosts also share their "Customer Service Experience of the Month", with both stories this month having some positive outc...
Nov 08, 2012•50 min
The irate customer can be like a time bomb, and its important for anyone in a customer service role to know how to properly "defuse" that customer before things blow up. To help as an example, Ed leads Alan through a story of "Alan and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" to illustrate how a series of exhausting service experiences can lead to a very tense customer and what the person handling that customer needs to do to put the encounter back on the right track. Ed Gagnon is Presiden...
Oct 12, 2012•47 min
With the election in full swing, the latest “Stepping Up Service” podcast focuses on “The Politics of Customer Service.” Hosts Ed Gagnon, President of Charlotte-based Customer Service Solutions, Inc. (www.cssamerica.com) and MESH Executive Producer Alan Jackson, also with The Jackson Group (www.thejacksongroup.com) address the lessons learned of corporate politics, and how these internal clashes impact the customer, the culture, and the ultimate success of a company. “It’s exciting to be part of...
Sep 14, 2012•46 min
With the London Summer Olympics taking place, Alan decides to provide Ed with some of the breaking news headlines from the Olympics to see if he can relate each item to a customer service lesson. Can Ed connect the recent badminton team controversy with how to provide excellence service to our customers? Join Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group, www.thejacksongroup.com) and Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions, www.cssamerica.com) as they discuss Olympic Customer Service Stories in this month's "St...
Aug 08, 2012•29 min
Small businesses have the same need for delivering excellent customer service as the big ones... but they often feel they have limited resources, time and money to work with. To help owners, managers and employees understand how they can achieve service excellence in a small business environment, Ed Gagnon (www.cssamerica.com) shares three examples of small businesses that are providing great service through some innovative ways... and one example of a company that got it all wrong. Join show ho...
Jul 16, 2012•34 min
On this episode of Stepping Up Service, hosts Alan Jackson and Ed Gagnon premiere their new hit game show “Alan, What Do You Expect?” We expect the Game Show network will be calling anytime now about syndication rights…little do they know Alan has a contract that states he must always be a contestant. Ed and Alan also discuss nine customer service power words. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Jun 08, 2012•41 min
On this episode of Stepping Up Service, hosts Alan Jackson and Ed Gagnon lead off discussing three simple things you can do to help improve customer service. Then they flip the coin and discuss three simple pitfalls to avoid in serving your customers. The episode then rounds out with the guys each sharing a service experience that they’ve had recently. Along the way you learn which reality show program Ed’s daughter favors and Alan’s gripe with the film Saving Private Ryan. See Privacy Policy at...
May 12, 2012•53 min
The Masters are happening at the time of this month's recording... which got us thinking: how is handling customer complaints like scoring in golf? Ed Gagnon with Customer Service Solutions (www.cssamerica.com) and Alan Jackson with The Jackson Group (www.thejacksongroup.com) tackle this question and help you see how the two are related. Handling customer complaints takes planning, collaboration, and forethought... much like playing a good round of golf. Ed shares his top suggestions for handlin...
Apr 11, 2012•54 min
The topic of the month is mystery shopping, known to some as secret shopping. While many perceive mystery shopping as a practice involving retail specific organizations, the idea of mystery shopping has transformed into a practice that allows for many types of industries to take advantage of the service gauging technique. In this episode of Stepping Up Service, join your hosts Alan Jackson and Ed Gagnon as they discuss the practice of mystery shopping and how it can aid in stepping up your servi...
Mar 07, 2012•54 min
In light of the recent Super Bowl, Stepping Up Service hosts Alan Jackson and Ed Gagnan ask the question, “What can we learn from football?” Hailed the ultimate team sport, this episode ties the methods used in the world of football to the methods used in today’s culture. From setting goals to satisfying a market, there might be more similarities between America’s favorite sport and the way we handle our services that ever imagined. Find out how this metaphor can help you step up your game… only...
Feb 09, 2012•46 min
As we start a brand new year, Alan and Ed talk about the trends they foresee affecting the customer service world in 2012. How are customers and their expectations changing? What role will technology and social media play in this coming year? What do businesses need to be prepared for as they plan to enhance their customer service experiences in the coming months? All of these questions are discussed, along with Alan and Ed sharing their "Customer Service Story of the Month". All of this on the ...
Jan 12, 2012•55 min
You want to make your customer happy... but sometimes you have to say that dreaded word: "NO". This month's episode discusses how to handle those "NO" situations with the best customer service mentality possible. Show hosts Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group, www.thejacksongroup.com) and Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions, www.cssamerica.com) talk through some ways to smooth out tough situations when customers are not able to get what they need due to unrealistic expectations or a limitation of ...
Dec 13, 2011•39 min
This month's episode discusses the importance of Social Media in the Customer Service experience. Show hosts Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group, www.thejacksongroup.com) and Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions, www.cssamerica.com) explain why organizations are looking at using Social Media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to enhance or supplement their existing customer service processes. Along the way, they also discuss some of the challenges and potential pitfalls to watch out for when go...
Nov 13, 2011•57 min
This month's episode of "Stepping Up Service" discusses the importance of customer service in - of all places - the world of professional sports. Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions) talks with Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group) about how organizations like the NFL, NBA, and other pro sports leagues have their own special challenges when it comes to customer service and how we can all gain valuable lessons from their experiences. And, as always, Ed and Alan share some recent customer services ex...
Oct 11, 2011•51 min
Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group, The MESH) and Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions) discuss the need for customer service in today's business world and the three groups most impacted by good customer service and why. Alan and Ed also share their "Customer Service Example of the Month", with Ed providing a "good" example and Alan bringing up the "bad" one that turns into more of a rant. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do...
Sep 05, 2011•44 min
Alan Jackson (The Jackson Group, The MESH) and Ed Gagnon (Customer Service Solutions) sit down to record the first episode of their new series, "Stepping Up Service". This first episodes talks about Ed's background in customer service, what inspired him to help businesses in this area, and what "customer service" should truly mean to any organization. Plus, Alan and Ed both share some recent customer service stories — one positive and one negative. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy...
Aug 08, 2011•34 min
