The PATLive Blog

The time has come and your journey has begun. Though you can’t be sure what dark roads you will encounter, you can be certain you will find your destiny at the end. There are no wizards. No wraiths. No lords, ents, or imps. There is only your business, its customers, and their experience. I’m talking…

If you read absolutely any business publication or any blog talking about business growth, management, or tactics, you’ll see one key fact repeated over and over again: You need great customer service. Most businesses understand this in theory, but often struggle to prioritize exceptional customer service consistently because they’re trying to manage so many other things. Marketing,…

Customer service is a crucial skill for all businesses. As a client, which would you rather work with: A business that takes four days to respond to an email after two follow-ups about being overcharged, or a business that has a friendly customer service agent answering the phone, email, or live chat in minutes and…

While large corporations are everywhere, Americans tend to prefer working with smaller businesses whenever possible. Small businesses are seen as more accessible. They aren’t bound by rigid policies that don’t make sense like corporations, and they’re often perceived as being heavily involved in the local communities. Customers often trust them more and feel more invested…

It’s virtually impossible to make everyone happy, all the time. While you pride yourself on providing top service in your field, upset customer calls are bound to happen. Details are miscommunicated, mistakes are made, and they may not necessarily be in your control. How you turn around a bad experience makes all the difference, and…

Landing new clients is exciting. It’s like a rush — you see your profit margin increase, and your business scaling right in front of your eyes. Your business can’t really scale, however, unless you’re able to keep your clients in addition to landing new ones. Repeat customers are essential for retention rates and long-term success….

Customer service departments don’t just exist to address issues after they’ve already happened; they’re meant to be proactive parts of your overall business strategy. The level of competition in almost every field is so high that customer service has become a key decision-making factor for most buyers today. 96% of consumers, for example, stated that…

Quality customer service is crucial in every industry. However, compared to a brick and mortar retail store, eCommerce customer service is significantly different. The lack of physical interaction before a purchase can lead to more uncertainty before committing to the purchase. Combine this with unhappy customers taking to social media to vent their frustrations, and…

Delivering excellent customer service relies on your ability to understand your customers, their relationship with you and your brand, and what they need from you. You can’t do this without understanding how customer service fits into the customer’s lifecycle and buying process. A customer who has a few questions about your return policy prior to purchasing,…

Starting a small business can be one of the most difficult things anyone can do. Scaling a business and keeping it successful can be even harder. Just when you feel like you’ve got things figured out, with a solid schedule in place and a growing roster of clients, you’ll likely find that things need to…

We all understand the basic value of customer service, knowing that if we aren’t able to deliver a good customer experience, they’re going to walk away unsatisfied. Better customer service means happier customers, which means more profit, better retention rates, and an easier job growing your company. But what exactly does that look like, and…

The end of the year is headed towards us full steam. Before we know it, we’ll be in the hectic holiday season and then, bam! 2020 will be here. There’s nothing like the upcoming close to the year to create some urgency in your business. As a small business owner, you’re taking stock of what…

Customer Service Week is a nationally recognized event celebrated annually on the first full week in October. If you’re wondering why anyone would ever want to celebrate customer service for a day, let alone an entire week, here’s why. At PATLive, we celebrate Customer Service Week to remind our live receptionists what an integral role…

Customer journey mapping is gaining prevalence in the business world, especially within the realm of customer experience. Some CX experts might even say if your business hasn’t taken the time to create a journey map, it can’t properly serve its customers or anticipate their pain points.  While there are many ways to create an exceptional…

Do you dread calling a customer service line? Unfortunately, that’s what many of us find ourselves doing when placing a call to a business where we know we won’t get through to a human being. And if we do reach a person, we have to repeat our stories a handful of times before reaching someone…

Everything about the business world is rapidly evolving, ranging from the tools we use to connect to customers to how exactly those client interactions are going. Customer service trends are no different. We’re very much living in a buyer’s market, where the client holds all the power and has the option to choose from so…

We’ve all been an angry customer on the other end of the phone, frustrated with a problem that a brand has caused us while a customer service representative tries to come up with a solution for us.  Some calls go great, with an outstanding rep who really seems to care about your experience and works…

Customer service is the cornerstone of a positive relationship between a business and its clients. If a customer does not feel valued by a business or service provider it can damage the relationship to the point where they may cut ties entirely. But it can be difficult to maintain these quality client relationships, with potential…

Customer service has increasingly become an omnichannel experience for both customers and the businesses trying their best to serve them. Trying to keep up with the evolving technological landscape, many companies are offering phone lines, social media messaging, email responses, and even live chat on their site. With so many options, it’s easy to get…

The phone is ringing. Again. It’s ringing when you’re trying to finish an expense report. It’s ringing when you’re trying to take ten minutes for lunch. It’s even ringing while you’re on the phone with another client. Whether it’s an employee trying to get in touch, a vendor who needs clarification, or a customer who…

At first glance, trusting another company with your phone calls might seem risky, if not straight-up absurd. We get it! No one knows your business like you do — yet. How can you be sure that another service will capture exactly what makes your business special and communicate that to every caller?  I sit well…

A few weeks ago, we asked a bunch of consultants and marketers from lots of different industries to weigh in on the most useful advice they could think to give a small business. (You can check that out here.) We’re back today with a few more gleaming nuggets of customer service gold, just for you. …

That’s right! Here’s a treasure trove of customer service knowledge from 17 leading consultants, from accounting wizards to content-creating wordsmiths. We asked each of them to weigh-in on the topic of customer service and communication, and each of them delivered with a unique perspective. Topics range from clever branding to enhancing responsiveness across channels of…

Customer service and experience expert, Shep Hyken, is doling out tons of actionable (and free) advice right on Twitter. I’ll admit that when I accepted my position at PATLive, I knew very little about customer service. Beyond the niceties that are practically baked-into my southern upbringing, I had never really considered service as anything beyond…

There’s no stopping it: bad customer service is everywhere. Even worse is that customers have a very low bar for what equates good service; a scant one percent of customers feel that their expectations of good customer service are always met. And yet businesses still miss the mark.We all know that a great customer experience…

A few months ago, we shared some tips for taking the heat out of your most stressful customer phone calls. Since good customer communication is a skill one can always improve upon, we thought we’d offer up a few more tips to help you smooth over your toughest calls. As a quick reminder, your business…

It’s been said that 85 percent of our success in life is directly linked to our skills in communication. That is a huge number. And it’s definitely a stat you should note if you own a business; customer communication plays a major role in your success. \We all know communication goes beyond talking, but what…

If you ever thought customer communication is over-rated, consider this simple fact: 70 percent of consumers are willing to spend more with companies that provide excellent customer service. Source: Neil Patel Blog The way you interact with your customers has a direct impact on your sales numbers. If they’re treated with respect and feel that…

It’s impossible to make everyone happy all the time, and owning a business practically places you in the hot seat. Those customer complaints are sure to come. It’s how you handle them that makes all the difference. Answering calls from angry customers is just one stressful task small business owners have to handle. And it’s…

You want to be as hands-on in your businesses as possible, but sometimes delegating certain tasks to other people is the best solution. Answering your own phones, for example, is one of those tasks that would be better handled by a receptionist or answering service. If you’re answering your own calls yourself instead of delegating…

This week we’re sharing a post from one of our favorite social media friends, Steve DiGioia. Steve is a renowned customer service trainer, author and speaker, and shares a ton of great advice on his blog. One of our favorites is a post about the service lessons he learned by being a plumber first. It’s an…

It’s a different day, but the story remains the same: you have just finished up work for the day, your receptionist has headed home and you’re daydreaming of unwinding over dinner. And just as you go to lock the door, your phone rings. You sigh, but you answer anyway. It’s a customer. And they need…

Customer service that delights. That’s always the goal, right? It’s easy for business owners to get bogged down with all the options for creating the best possible customer experience. From paying consultants to software to chat tools and on and on…there are a number of solutions right at your fingertips. The thing is that all…

Entrepreneurs are a hard-working and brave lot. Think about it: they have the cojones to start businesses in the face of turbulent economic conditions, are constantly brainstorming to solve problems in new ways, and withstand tons of adversity. Yet, they still come out on the other end as thriving survivors. Their power resides in their…

To say real estate investors are busy is a gross understatement. Agents are constantly rushing to appointments with partners or to show one of their available properties or putting out any number of property management fires; it is not a career choice for the timid. The very nature of the job has the investor on…

Call center agents have one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. Sure, they aren’t the President of the United States or a general in the army, yet handling customer issues can really take its toll on a person physically and psychologically. Why is the job so stressful? If you boil it down to…

I am an avid watcher of Real Housewives of New York. My favorite person of the show: The Countess LuAnn de Lesseps. She’s snooty, always dressed impeccably and has the most enviable collection of giant statement necklaces ever. She’s also an authority on etiquette; de Lesseps even has a song about etiquette that is awash…

It should be a rite of passage that everyone work one retail position in their lifetime. Retail positions get you out on the floor, mingling with the customers, and truly learning what customer service is all about. It’s in-your-face customer service. It’s where you can get a grasp on different personalities and how people should…

It can be a jarring experience. You go about your day and usually only speak with kind folks who are patient and have an easy time explaining their issues. They leave, pleased with your service. And then it happens: Your business has made someone mad. No matter what you do, you can’t seem to diffuse…