Jenny Dempsey
What Armstrong Garden Centers did right with feedback
Recently, I had a really great experience at Armstrong Garden Centers where they went out of their way to help me tend to a dying houseplant. I used to shop at Home Depot for plants, as it was closer to my home. But, after having…
Why I’m Tickled Pink about this Customer Feedback Program
As the customer experience manager for NumberBarn, I’m constantly looking for new ways to connect and build relationships with our customers. In fact, our company mission statement includes this: We believe behind every telephone number there’s a beaut...
How to create customer how-to tutorials on a budget
As the Customer Experience Manager for NumberBarn, part of my role includes creating customer facing how-to video tutorials. Knowing absolutely nothing when I began, I used resources such as webinars, YouTube videos, online articles and simply asking f...
Tips for Coping with Stress at Work
This article was originally published as a featured contributor on ICMI. You’re running fast through the forest. Sweat drips off your forehead, heart wildly beating as your eyes dart around to make sure you don’t run into a branch or trip over a rock...
Simple Ways to Leverage Wellness to Improve the Employee Experience
This post was originally posted as a featured contributor on ICMI. Eat only healthy snacks at work, lose weight and burn calories through your daily exercise. Save your company gobs of money by not getting sick. If this is all your workplace wellness p...
This is why Zendesk Relate rocks
“A customer service conference? That must be filled with some of the kindest, coolest people ever.” A friend told me that. Rings true! Zendesk Relate 2018 was held in San Francisco at the Fairmont Hotel. A 3-day adventure into the world of customer ser...
Crying in a Contact Center Cubicle: A Look at Emotions in the Workplace
I’m not crying, you’re crying (at work). Photo cred: Ban.do Samantha (not her real name) sat across from me in our small contact center. Not a week went by that she didn’t shed tears after hanging up the phone with a customer. She didn’t seem…
4 Best Practices To Incorporate Wellness In Your Workplace
This post was originally published on CallCenter Weekly. In the contact center community, we understand the true value of a happy customer. We’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that we leave our customer satisfied. But – let’s consider this for a mo...
Here’s How VIP Treatment Might Also Ensure the Safety Of Your Customer
I recently picked up a part time job as a cashier at a local health food store. Having not worked face to face with customers in a long while, I figured this is a great way to not only make the extra cash I need…
Customer Service Surprises When You Least Expect Them
Are you in “The Customer Service Zone”? This is type of mindset where, as an agent, you find that customers are generally friendly and cooperative, issues are resolved successfully and answers to questions are all found either in your mind or in the re...
My Office Depot Customer Experience
Chair selfie! Saturday, March 24th I go to my local Office Depot to pick up a new desk chair. I sit in a bunch of chairs, find one that gives me the support I need, make my purchase, and head home. The young employee from…
The Story of Buca di Beppo & One Picky Eater
I’m a picky eater. I prefer to avoid meat, wheat and dairy. Going to a restaurant, unless they cater specifically to vegan or wheat free customers, I find it is often hard for me to dine out without making adjustments to my meal. It’s been…
How to Say “Sorry” Without Saying Sorry
My colleague recently presented me with this question: How can we reply to a customer with empathy and still take ownership of the issue, but without actually saying the word “sorry”? I spun this around in my mind for some time, as I’m definitely a…
What Drives The Customer Experience: An Uber Story
Leaving my hotel from the ICMI Contact Center Demo in Las Vegas, I login to my Uber app and request a car to take me to the airport. Jovita is my driver’s name and she arrives within a few minutes. She parks, says hello and...
3 Slices of Advice When Taking an Escalated Customer Service Call
You sense an energy shift. The air stiffens as a silent hush falls over the room. A tapping of a finger on a desk echoes. You hear footsteps slowly moving in your direction. You begin to sweat. You have a strong desire to feverishly...
Customer Service Looks Good in Hats
I have been a loyal Verizon Wireless customer for 13 years. I have also not updated my plan for about 10 years and am on what is called a “legacy plan”. Needless to say, I was not getting the best bang for my buck. I really...
Deconstructing Goodbye: An Exploration in Creating An Effective Email Signature
Pop quiz: What is the single most impactful marketing message that you send every day? (source) I’ll give you a hint: it’s NOT the body of your email. If you guessed your email signature, you win! For those of us in customer service, we understand…
3 Creative Alternatives to Making a Customer Read (but it not feel like reading)
Perhaps I’m just bitter, but no one reads. We’re all lost in our own la la lands, zoning in only on what we want to see. “You say, I only hear what I want to.” ~Lisa Loeb And, perhaps I’m bitter because it is a lesson…
The Top 5 Reasons Your Employees Stay Put
This post was originally published as an article for the ICMI International Customer Management Institute. Understanding why employees stay with your company begins with a very simple task. No, it doesn’t mean looking at their pay stubs to see who you pay the most. It begins simply…
A Tail Waggin’ Customer Experience
Meet my dog, Miso, an 11-year-old Pekingese with an adorable face and a laid back attitude. Meet me, a customer service manager working 8am – 5:30pm who sometimes doesn’t have time to walk Miso. Meet Wag!, a dog walking app that a friendly targeted Facebook ad…