“…my fear on this one is that no one will want to drink [the beer] for fear they will be implicated, or worse yet, sympathetic to the kidnappers.” – Bongo’s slightly regretful kidnapper.
Category Archives: Etiquette
This Email is Bloggable Signature
I’ve been thinking about when to send an email verses blog. I’ve decided on a loose guideline: if more than 3 people would find something useful, I’ll blog it. If not it’s an email (or, even better, an instant message) Somethings, like mailing lists, don’t map well to this guideline. To cover that, I’ve followed …
Six Step Process to Motivate Others
In a highly collaborative working environment, the traditional hierarchical relationship between employees doesn’t exist. The result is peers making requests to one another to move their respective projects forward. More akin to a volunteer organization than a button-down for-profit business. The best volunteer organizations use a 6-step process to motivate peers in assisting. This is …
Get Your Email Read with Specific, Compelling Subject Lines
One of my biggest pet peeves is vague email subject lines. This is for two reasons; Sometimes I only have time to read the subject lines – anything urgent needs to jump out. If I need to file and revisit the email, a clear specific subject line is easiest to re-find. My experience analyzing open …
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Anticipate Customer Needs
That was the mantra uncovered with each of the hotel concierge interviews we conducted a couple years back. Anticipating need is an excellent model for the customer relationship. It inherently means that the service provider – account manager, waiter, concierge, project manager – has a deep understanding of their service. Deep enough to know what …
Mobile Phone Etiquette Tips
SprintPCS has partnered with etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore to compile an excellent list of 10 mobile phone etiquette tips Number 1… Let your voicemail take your calls when you’re in meetings, courtrooms, restaurants and other busy areas. If you must speak to the caller, excuse yourself and find a secluded area where you can talk …
Taking Ownership
Clients, customers, collegues don’t care why there’s a problem. They just want it fixed and to move on. To do that, each person approached with a client issue needs to take ownership of problem and feel they have the authority to deliver a satisfactory solution quickly. Take this Ritz Carlton experience for example: At exactly …
A Polite Response is Reciprocal
Recently, I’ve noticed an impolite practice from some of our vendors. When you connect with a person in customer service, this is the initial exchange “Hello, I’m Steve. May I have your account number?” Rather asking me to reciprocate and introduce myself – as is a common and expected practice in our culture – they …