It's still Customer Service Week.

I skipped the tips for yesterday and today because they're more insulting and useless phone doctor type stuff. You know, crap like Be a problem-solver, because, you know, all this time I thought I was being paid to create problems. Boy am I glad for that tip!

No Thursday swag.

Friday swag to date:

• Red cd-holder booklet thingy. Snaps closed, holds 12 CDs.
• cake this afternoon and a raffle for a movie ticket gift card

It's still Customer Service Week.

Wednesday swag to date:

• A very nice small spiral bound notebook with a telecscoping pen. Company logo on the cover and the pen.

Tip of the day:

People Before Paperwork: How many times have you stood and waited while someone tallied up a batch of figures or counted a pile of money? Then, only after they were done were you asked: "Now, how can I help you?" And how many times have you waited while someone "fiddled" with something or wrote up a note, before they acknowledged you? Reminder: Paper can wait. People should not. Paper won't walk away, but the customer might. Drop what you're doing and pay immediate attention to the customer.

Don't Be Too Busy to Be Nice: In most interviews, managers and owners hear something like this from the applicant: "Oh, I love to be busy. If I'm not busy I get bored and unhappy." Then they are hired, and one of the first things managers hear is the complaint: "Wow, I am so busy." Well, being busy does not give you carte blanche to be rude. Let's not be too busy to be nice. It's not worth it.

Rushing Threatens Customers: Whether it's on the phone or in person, avoid rushing people. Make each experience a great one. And remember, one-word answers make you sound cold and unfriendly. Slow down. Smell the roses. Stop rushing people. Use full sentences. Rushing threatens customers.

Don't Use Military Language on Civilians: Simply put, company jargon should stay within your company. Mistakes and miscommunications thrive on company jargon. You, as the employee will be far more familiar and comfortable with the terms and abbreviations than your customer is. Some companies seem to have acronyms that would make the CIA green with envy. Use simple, easy to understand words with your customer. They'll appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Be Friendly before You Know Who It Is: As a customer, have you ever been treated in a rather average - or maybe even below average - manner? And then, when the salesperson realized you were a friend of the boss or someone other than an "average" customer, they brightened up? Why wait to be friendly? Why discriminate? If you're friendly before you know who it is, you'll make a whole lot of extra points. When you're friendly before you know who it is, you're delivering the same great service to everyone. That's the way it should be. Don't discriminate.

"There Ya Go" Is Not "Thank You." "Uh-huh" Is Not "You're Welcome": Count - starting today, just for one day - how many times people forget to say "Thank you" and "You're welcome" to you. "There ya go" just doesn't hack it. When customers spend money, they want to hear a big, smiling "Thank you, we appreciate your business." And when we, as customers say "Thank you," we don't want to be grunted at with the old, mouth-hung-open "Uh-huh." Speak clearly. "You're welcome" is a wonderful phrase. Please use it more often. And don't be a grunter. When your customer tells you "Thank you," immediately give them a great, big, smiling "You're welcome."

Wow. That was a very long tip of the day.

bethynyc's post reminded me of the existence of menstrualhut, and I swung over there for a few moments. It's not topical to me right this second, but still a nice female space, and I ducked into one of the conversations.

I was struck that many of the posters mentioned they'd only been menstruating for a few years, placing me in a position of comparative experience. "Holy cow," I thought, "I'm a crone!" Except, in retrospect, I'm not really at the cronehood stage. It's that I'm skipping the Mother phase. I don't mean that I don't nurture other people's kids, but that's not really being a Mother in the whole mystic journey sense.

When you're not planning to spawn, what is it that you are, between Maiden and Crone?

It's still Customer Service Week.

Tuesday swag to date:

• Astonishingly, none.

Tip of the day:

People skills are vital when delivering exceptional customer service, but they must be joined with the knowledge of your products and services in order to produce positive results and satisfied customers.

Yesterday's swag went to grandbuddha - I'm sure he'll come up with a use for it.

Today there was some minor drama as the Customer Relations department is going out for drinks on Thurday, an outing that our group has been included in during past years' CSWeeks. Turns out it is a budgetary issue, not a snub.

It's Customer Service Week.

Monday swag to date (I wish my camera wasn't broken, or I would display):

• Continental Breakfast
• red plastic keyfob/D-ring/flashlight thingy with company logo on it.

Tip of the day:

To each and every customer, you are the representative of your organization. Your voice and language are the tools you use to convey an attitude of willingness, competence, and professionalism.

The keyfob things came with a AAA battery. The light seems to activate by tightening the top connection, rather than a switch.