Use Values to Pull Your Team Together

No doubt today’s leaner organizations can benefit from the power and synergy of teamwork but all too often it’s become fashionable to call every group a team. Organizations rush to anoint departments and committees alike, “teams”, and then sit back to wait for the results, which, without the right kind of training, are disappointing. Fact is, few people really know the difference between a group and a team, or, for that matter the difference between a team, and an effective, high performance team, which takes full advantage of the combined intelligence, energy and enthusiasm of its members to reach their agreed upon goals.

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Are We Having Fun Yet?

If you’re too busy to laugh, you are entirely too busy, according to “fun” expert Matt Weinstein, Founder of Playfair, in Berkeley CA. Matt, who has built an entire organization around the concept of play at work, believes the company that plays together, stays together. The intentional use of fun on the job can help improve employee morale, increase productivity and create a more people-centered corporate culture.

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If you are a customer facing person, you know that there's never been a time when great customer service mattered more than it does now. The economy is recovering, but consumer confidence is still down, and the customers who are buying have scores of choices of where to buy and how to buy. And now, almost every product and service out there has been "commoditized" so it's hard to determine who actually offers the best value (and so, many people just shop based on price alone.)

7 Things Every Customer Facing Person Needs to Know Now

The “Get Real” Guide to Having a Good Day Every Day

By JoAnna Brandi

There’s never been a time when great customer service mattered more than it does now. The economy is recovering, but consumer confidence is still down, and the customers who are buying have scores of choices of where to buy and how to buy. And now, almost every product and service out there has been “commoditized” so it’s hard to determine who actually offers the best value (and so, many people just shop based on price alone.)

Articles, Blogs, Creating Customer Happiness, Creating Happiness, Customer Experience, Customer Happiness, Happiness at work, Tips

How Zen It Is!

I”m getting ready for two important events: Customer Service Week (Oct 4th – 8th) and uploading the short videos I made yesterday that we’ll be sending out every day that week (It’s the ONLY time of the year that you will be receiving mail from me every day – and it’s only 5 days). And…

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What’s happiness got to do with customer care and loyalty? Everything. The level of happiness you feel is largely in your control. When you’re happy it’s much easier to create happiness for the customer. According to Martin Seligman, the founder of “positive psychology” with whom I studied to become an Authentic Happiness Coach, there’s plenty of evidence being happy has far reaching business benefits.

Is Workplace Happiness a Business Decision? 8 Tips That Will Increase “Business Resilience”

Want a more positive workplace where you and your co-workers feel happy and motivated? Want to make customers happier so that their loyalty – and your profits – grow? Want to work more efficiently and effectively and improve your health? Authentic Happiness Coach and Customer Loyalty expert JoAnna Brandi shares tips for transforming these wants into “haves” Her overall message: Happiness creates resilient employees who, in turn, create resilient, thriving companies.

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Critical Business Relationships

In my seminars on Customer Caring I talk about something I call the Work-Relationship Tripod (sm). As many of our businesses are consciously moving from being “transaction – based” to being “relationship – based,” it’s important to understand the interactions of relationship in business. Imagine, if you will, that your business sits on a tripod (or even a three-legged stool.) Each leg of the tripod represents a different set of relationships: External, Internal, and Inner. All of the legs need to stay in balance, in order for the business on top to be in balance.

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Before I write anything these days (with the exception of a rant when I get poor service, which is driven purely by emotion at the time) I check in with what you want to learn from me about caring for customers, leading a high performance team and creating more happiness for yourself and others.

Are You Dealing Positively with Conflict?

One recurring theme is dealing positively with conflict. I thought I’d tackle that topic today since I was recently challenged myself to do just that.   Here are 12 ways to deal more skillfully and positively with conflict.   Adopt a Win/Win intention. We live in a competitive culture. We want to “win,” but in the competitive…

Blogs, Conflict, Creating Customer Happiness, Creating Happiness, Customer Experience, customer satisfaction, Employee retention, Empowerment, Happiness at work, Tips

Jumping out of Airplanes

Steven Slater became a folk hero overnight last week when he jumped ship on his airline attendant job and career by popping open the emergency exit slide on his JetBlue plane, grabbing two beers and sliding into the spotlight as an employee who was “mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.” After…

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Are You Delivering Happiness?

Recently I had the opportunity to do the closing keynote address for Merit Direct’s private user conference. Once a year this company gets its customers together and provides two and half days of learning, playing eating, dancing and even… karaoke. They pull together a roster of industry experts to teach and stimulate lively conversation among…

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