Jeff Toister, a thought leader in customer service, has shared an idea on his blog, in this post: Anchor your attitude, that may help after dealing with unhappy, difficult customers (or colleagues).

Find an "Attitude Anchor." Toister says they can help to neutralize negative feelings. By focusing on something positive, the "anchor" will help you to recover a positive attitude after difficult interactions.

You are then ready to deliver outstanding service to the next customer.

Toister suggests these as "Attitude Anchors:"

• Pictures of family or friends
• Inspirational (or funny) quotes
• Upbeat music
• Conversation with family or friends
• Humor, including jokes and cartoons
• Going for a walk

These are great suggestions! What do you recommend for an Attitude Anchor? Share your thoughts by clicking on the Comments tab, above.

Sign up for free weekly tips like this one, here: Toister Weekly Tips

With 2019 now firmly established, we took this opportunity to look with fresh eyes at our business, our customers, and our thoughts about what we resolve to do in this new year.

Let's dive in:

1. We resolve to continue to provide stellar customer service.
Our Customer Care team is committed to our customers. We anticipate customers' needs and have product on hand and ready to ship. Sample units are sent when customers are unsure of what they need; and our 30-day money-back guarantee makes sure our customers are happy with the products that they purchased.

2. We resolve to give our customers more than they ask for.
We know which promotions give customers the best deals, making those budgets stretch farther. In working closely with our brands, our headset experts are aware of new product releases and features that help customers work smarter. We provide information via our blog and YouTube channel that adds value to our product offerings.

3. We resolve to answer all questions quickly and completely.
Whether you connect with us through the Internet, by phone, in person, or through email, our goal has always been to help customers through each purchase, tech support question, or warranty issue. Pre-sales support is mission critical, and customers receive what they need so they are able to open the box and use products immediately. What's a quick disconnect cord? Which headset works best with my phone? Why is my wireless headset making a beeping noise? Can I use a headset with my hearing aid? These questions are common, and our goal is to provide useful, comprehensive answers.

4. We resolve to tell our customers what they need to hear, and not just what they want to hear.
If we don't have the product on hand, we will let you know that delivery will be delayed. If we don't know the answer, we will tell you. (And then, we will research until we find the answer.) If we made a mistake, we will admit it. Our guiding principle at Avcomm Solutions is integrity.

5. We resolve to provide information that is essential to business productivity.
We share what we know. While some experts say "Leave it to us" we say "Let us share our knowledge with you." The Avcomm Solutions blog, YouTube channel, and social media sites Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, are updated continuously with valuable information that benefits our customers. Information such as, how to change a battery in a wireless headset to which Active Noise Canceling headsets are available for office environments, headsets are our focus and specialty, and we love to talk about them!

Do you make resolutions each year? Are they personal or professional (or both)? Share your resolutions on the Comments tab, above.

We are grateful for your business, and your trust in us! Here's to another successful year!

As we have navigated and observed the world of customer service recently (through various personal issues such as broken washing machines, trying to cancel auto ship orders, and tuning into news and social media reports), we are once again struck by the differences between us versus them: here at Avcomm, we care. And sadly, we are finding more often than not, that other companies just don’t.

What does the customer experience look like when a company truly cares?

1. Inquiries are answered timely and the customer isn’t expected to wait on hold.
   When you call Avcomm, you will not be left hanging on hold for over an hour (yes, this happened to us recently!). Typically, your call is answered within the first several rings; if not, leave us a voice mail, and we will call you back right away! We promise. When you use our “Chat” feature, rest assured you will be answered immediately. It’s disappointing and frustrating to have to wait … and wait … and wait … Can you imagine being expected to wait in a chat for 25 minutes or longer? Well, it happened this week to one of our team members. True story!


2. It is clearly evident that the employee knows their stuff.
   Avcomm fully trains our staff to know the products and business processes inside and out. Not only do we know enough to provide the best product recommendations, but we also offer full tech support! We know our products, we know our customers, and what we don’t know, we find out (see #4).


3. The company doesn’t try to sell you something that you don’t need.
   Avcomm doesn’t offer incentives or commission to our employees for their sales. This might surprise you, but it’s true! Knowing we’ve helped our customer make the right purchase and that their work life will be better because of it, is what’s most important to us. And, if we recommend an additional item with your purchase, it’s because we truly think you would benefit from it and should take it into consideration.


4. Concerns are addressed immediately and a resolution is made.
   It’s important to Avcomm Solutions that our customers have the product they need and are extremely satisfied. We are on the case until the case is closed – think of us as the Nancy Drews of the headset world. Just like Nancy solves the case (for example, “The Bungalow Mystery,” where Nancy digs up the truth in a bungalow cellar) – we find what you need: whether it’s answers, product, tech help, and more.


5. The customer feels appreciated and happy.
   We are committed to building positive relationships with our customers. Relationships that last a lifetime. We do not base our success upon the amount of the sale, but upon the fact that we have loyal customers who buy from us, year after year after year.

While we’ve seen some rough times in the world of customer service lately, we would never want your experience with us to be negative.

Doesn’t it feel good to know that someone still cares?

Let’s party! Our customer care agents can be customers’ only connection to a company, and so it’s only fitting to celebrate our Brand Ambassadors with an entire week. This year, Oct. 3-7 has been set aside to honor these important people at our organizations. Keep reading for our take on some great ideas to help you celebrate.

The Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals in Business (SOCAP International) put together a comprehensive list of ideas to mark the week in style. Click to view the list. SOCAP, an organization made up of customer care experts from across all industries, promotes customer care and customer engagement as a competitive advantage in business. We are proud to be SOCAP members!

SOCAP has partnered with Hallmark Business Connections to celebrate Customer Service Week to recognize and thank the thousands of professionals driving customer loyalty to your organization. #TellThemThx is the official hashtag to use when sharing the great things you’re doing for Customer Service Week.

We’ll highlight a few of their ideas, and throw some of our own into the mix.

How about creating a theme for the week? A few ideas that we’ve read about include Think Service, Commitment to Customers, One Team One Goal No Limits, and Customer Service Superstars. Or, come up with something that is relevant to your organization; for example, at Avcomm Solutions, our theme could be Headset (Super) Heroes. Use the theme throughout the week to delight your staff.

Some fun things to do during the week:

Dress Up Day: Pajama Day, Favorite Team, Celebrity Look-Alike, Hat Day, 1980s Day; Service Champions, etc. Be creative!

Feed the Staff: Bring in lunch for the staff, or have a potluck day; perhaps a snack would be better, and offer a buildable ice cream sundae bar with ice cream and tasty toppings (hot fudge, caramel sauce, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, fruits, whipped cream and more).

Office Olympics: Here at Avcomm, we hosted “Minute to Win It” games for our staff’s Office Olympics last month. Our games included Cookie Face (rolling an Oreo cookie down the face and into the mouth – without using hands); Stack ‘Em Up, using one hand to stack 25 pennies; Suck It Up, which required the transfer of M&M’s from one plate to another using a straw; and Movin’ On Up, where the competitors had to rotate through a stack of 25 red cups. The games are more difficult than they sound! Points were awarded to those who attempted the challenges, and to those who successfully completed the tasks in a minute. On the final day of competition, all competitors received a fun T-shirt that we designed in-house.

Small Gifts: Each day, hand out a piece of candy with a fun, related (customer service) phrase, such as a small bag of Tootsie Rolls with the tag: “Great Customer Service is How We Roll.” Or, instead, attach an inspirational customer service quote to the candy. Here are 100 Customer Service Quotes to get you started: 100 Inspirational Quotes.

Thank-You Notes: Administrators can write thank-you notes that share specific, personal reasons they are thankful that the agent is on staff. Another twist: ask employees to write thank you notes to each other, or to customers.

Make a Movie: Ask each employee the same question, such as “What does excellent customer service look like to you?” and compile answers into a movie to share with the staff during a team gathering during Customer Service Week.

Training: Perhaps a speaker, or a training video found on-line, can be a great reason to bring staff together and learn new techniques, or share an inspirational message to get the team pumped up.

We would love to hear how you’re planning to celebrate Customer Service Week by clicking on the Comments tab, above.

Here at Avcomm Solutions, Inc., we keep things simple. Are we giving you, our customer, what you need? We sure hope so.

Finding the very best solutions to your headset and conference phone dilemmas gives meaning to our days. From the home office in the center of the U.S., our customer care team of Sara Diaz and Carey McCoy work hard to give you answers, great products and fair prices.
 
How do we manage this? In a few ways, such as:

Our Midwestern Hospitality
Clichéd? Of course. True? You bet! Neighbors looking out for neighbors is a common theme around here, and one that we at Avcomm embrace. We’re always on the lookout for products and services that make sense for you. Once your products reach you, we expect to continue the relationship by answering any questions you may have about product setup, assisting with technical concerns and warranty repairs – and, of course, your feedback is always appreciated!

Strong Partnerships
By working with the best manufacturers in the headset and conference phone world, Avcomm Solutions offers products from Jabra, Konftel, Plantronics, Sennheiser and Yamaha. Partnerships with these companies allow us to get the essential support, resources, and information to you when you need it. You can rely on our expert advice!

A Commitment to You
We understand that you want to do your very best for your customers. We know that you want to keep your employees happy and productive. Sure, it’s a balancing act, but when you get it right, the results can be transcendent. We have great products that make communication clear and simple, and we’re here for you.

At Avcomm Solutions, Communication is Our Business.

We are very excited to announce some new ways to reach us: on Twitter: @AvcommSolutions, LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/avcomm-solutions-inc- and Facebook: Facebook/AvcommSolutions