The Compassionate Geek: Recent Episodes
Don R. Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Attention! (and Bad Customer Service)
Word of the Week: Attention The word of the week is attention. As in, pay attention to what your customer is saying and doing. That’s part of the difference between good and bad customer service. Quote of the Week: Customer Loss There’s an often-repeated quote that says, “68% of customer loss is due to perceived …
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Attention! (and Bad Customer Service)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Show Respect
Word of the Week: Respect The word of the week this week is respect. Respect comes in two forms. Probably, the most common way of thinking about respect is in how you feel about another person, based on their words and deeds. We often say that someone must earn respect. It’s internal, it’s about your …
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How to Show Respect
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
“Shoulding” All Over Yourself and Misguided Self-Help Myths
Word of the Week: Should The word of the week is should, a popular topic in self-help circles. That probably seems a little odd, but here’s why it’s the word of the week. Janet, my wife, and I were talking about the direction of her professional life. Like millions of others, her life has been …
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“Shoulding” All Over Yourself and Misguided Self-Help Myths
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Be a Powerful Uplifting Presence: A Positive Point of View
We’re changing the format and the name of the Compassionate Geek blog starting with this post. You can think of the new format as a weekly motivational triple-play. In fact, that’s what I’m calling it: The Weekly Motivational Triple Play. We’ll publish one new post per week, reflecting a positive point of view. Each post …
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How to Be a Powerful Uplifting Presence: A Positive Point of View
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
A Solution for Poor Customer Service
This is a story with a simple solution for poor customer service. I like word puzzles. The New York Times puzzles are an ongoing distraction for me, whether it’s a crossword puzzle or their accursed spelling bee. There’s even one called Vertex, which is a mindless connect-the-dots puzzle. Their puzzles are well-designed and thought-provoking (except …
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A Solution for Poor Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence for Great Relationships
In a breakout session on how to improve your emotional intelligence at IT Nation Explore, an attendee commented, “You say to avoid saying things like, ‘You make me so happy’ or ‘you make me so angry’ because it gives power to the other person. Yet, you also say to be assertive and tell the other …
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How to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence for Great Relationships
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Prime Time Management
The 4 Quadrants of Urgency and Importance How is your time management? Are you spending your time on activities that are important or are you wasting your time on activities that don’t matter? Author Stephen Covey’s urgency/importance four-quadrant time management model is a powerful tool you can use to prioritize how you spend your time. …
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Prime Time Management
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Technician’s Checklist for Customer Support
This technician’s checklist is for anyone in customer support who responds to service tickets and requests. It’s also for anyone who deals with end-users, other customers, and coworkers. When preparing to respond to a support ticket or service request, even an informal one, be sure to go through the following checklist. IT Customer Support is …
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Technician’s Checklist for Customer Support
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
When Clients Bypass Customer Support Systems
We build customer support systems to take excellent care of our customers, but some clients just want to go around them. Does this sound familiar? Bypassing Customer Support Systems Terry, an owner of a mid-sized MSP wrote: “I’m wondering if you have anything on voicemail, specifically an outbound voicemail message on the owner’s mobile or …
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When Clients Bypass Customer Support Systems
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle an Angry Customer (Includes Video)
For most of us, dealing with an angry or abusive customer is upsetting, even nerve-wracking. Still, sometimes it happens. When you know how to handle an angry customer, you can turn situations around, save relationships, and keep your stress levels under control. Here are five critical success factors in dealing with difficult customers (or anybody …
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How to Handle an Angry Customer (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Deal with Inappropriate Behavior (Includes Video)
Two years ago, I had to deal with inappropriate behavior toward me by a colleague in my professional association. I found the experience demeaning, disrespectful, and confusing. It still weighs heavily on my mind. I did nothing to encourage the bad behavior by the other person, but it left me wanting to avoid attending meetings …
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How to Deal with Inappropriate Behavior (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Inspiration and Perseverance in a Time of COVID
Are you bombarded with promotions for webinars telling you how to deal with these crazy times? Yeah, me too. I could use some inspiration, so today, I’m taking a different approach with the Compassionate Geek blog and podcast. I’m offering uplifting stories about people, both ordinary and extraordinary, and their resilience in the face of …
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Inspiration and Perseverance in a Time of COVID
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Your Life Matters and Relationships Matter
UPDATE ON RELATIONSHIPS: I just learned that my friend Reggie Watkins died of COVID-19 and that my friend Ray Benson is terribly sick with this awful virus. That news makes this week’s blog post more timely than ever. Please, read on… My friend Roger is 87. He’s in great shape, both mentally and physically. Before …
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Your Life Matters and Relationships Matter
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Cope with the Stress When the Whole World is Upside Down
Stress, when untreated, can kill you. That’s why it’s important to learn how to cope with the stress. Stress can cause heart attacks, strokes, a compromised immune system, diabetes, and obesity. It can cause headaches, fatigue, sleep problems, anxiety, irritability, and anger. It can undermine relationships (personal and professional), and it can bring on depression. …
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How to Cope with the Stress When the Whole World is Upside Down
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Caring for Customers Like Amazon Does
People have strong opinions about Amazon. Regardless of how you feel about Amazon, they are focused on caring for customers. You may have heard the quote about Amazon, “We aim to be Earth’s most customer centric company.” I had an experience with Amazon that clearly demonstrated why I would choose to do business with Amazon …
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Caring for Customers Like Amazon Does
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What is an Active Listener: The Fine Art of Listening Well
What is an active listener? In short, an active listener is engaged with the speaker. They ask relevant quetions, the avoid passing judgment until the speaker is finished, the give physical cues that they’re listening, and they make the speaker feel heard and respected. Listening Well It’s 1970, I’m sixteen years old and in love …
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What is an Active Listener: The Fine Art of Listening Well
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Manage Your Own Emotions
Emotional Intelligence can make the difference between having a successful career in IT and struggling in your career. Successfully managing emotions can also make the difference between having successful personal relationships and struggling in relationships. One of the four domains of Emotional Intelligence is Self-Awareness. Here are keys to recognizing emotions in yourself: Check your …
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How to Manage Your Own Emotions
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT Customer Experience Like a Michelin-Starred Restaurant
I’d heard about Le Violon d’Ingres, a Michelin-starred restaurant near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. One of my foodie friends described his meal there as the best dining experience of his life. So my friend Shea and I agreed to meet there for lunch. We set the meeting time for noon. I planned to …
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IT Customer Experience Like a Michelin-Starred Restaurant
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What Compassionate Customer Service is NOT
In a recent corporate training session, I spoke with the group about compassionate customer service. Cindy sat on the front row. She was friendly and professional with me, but shortly into the session, she said, “I don’t get it. I act professionally around my users and I’m efficient. Why do I need to be “buddy-buddy” …
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What Compassionate Customer Service is NOT
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Be a Better Listener Video (Three Types of Listening)
One of the most common reasons companies ask me to speak to their teams is to teach them how to be a better listener. In order to help team members improve their listening skills, I explain that there are three different types of listening, each of which requires different techniques to be effective. The three …
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How to Be a Better Listener Video (Three Types of Listening)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Practice Gratitude: The Life-Changing Power of Sincere Gratitude
The United States’ holiday Thanksgiving is coming up shortly. It’s a day when we express our thanks for the gifts we’ve been given, spend time with our families, watch American football, and eat ourselves into oblivion. This is also a time to reflect on how to practice gratitude. Sincere Gratitude It’s also an opportunity for …
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How to Practice Gratitude: The Life-Changing Power of Sincere Gratitude
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
One of the Most Important Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid (Includes Video)
My client was frustrated with team members who were brusque with end-users. These particular team members didn’t support paying customers, they supported an internal engineering team. They didn’t see their end-users as customers. In fact, their behavior toward their end-users was almost like older siblings would treat a pesky little brother or sister. They would …
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One of the Most Important Customer Service Mistakes to Avoid (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What it Means to be Patient with End-Users (Includes Video)
When we ask about the important characteristics of customer service providers, IT or otherwise, one of the most common answers is patience. People who are receiving customer service want the provider to be patient. Similarly, one of the most common complaints is that customer service providers aren’t patient with end-users and other customers. In this …
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What it Means to be Patient with End-Users (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Career Roadblocks On Your Way to Success
Note: This blog post on career roadblocks is a transcript of an excerpt from my keynote speech How to be a Compassionate Geek. As we talk about the five principles, are there some roadblocks that might possibly get in your way? And the answer is, of course there are. There are many, but I’ve observed …
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Career Roadblocks On Your Way to Success
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Lose a Customer in 10 Minutes (Includes Video)
Here’s how to lose a customer quickly! Hint: It’s about bad decisions by the customer service rep and business owner. It’s easy to avoid! I recently changed health insurance plans. My neighborhood pharmacy is covered by my new plan. I like to support local businesses and I know the owner of the shop, so I …
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How to Lose a Customer in 10 Minutes (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Poor Customer Service Examples: Missing Appointments and Not Doing Your Homework (Includes Video)
This is a story about poor customer service. The salesperson left a voice message to tell me his assistant had given me inaccurate information and he wanted to correct what I’d been told about their service. He also sent an email, so I replied to his email with a time when I could talk. I …
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Poor Customer Service Examples: Missing Appointments and Not Doing Your Homework (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Six Ways to be Sincere (Includes Video)
A viewer on my YouTube channel recently asked how to be sincere. Good question! In this post, you’ll learn six ways to be sincere. Be genuine. That means that you say what you mean and mean what you say without being nasty to the other person. Always speak the truth, but that doesn’t mean insulting …
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Six Ways to be Sincere (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Service Support: Why Things Go Wrong (Includes Video)
Sometimes, when we’re working on customer service support or even helping a colleague, things seem to go off track unexpectedly. Of course, when you’re dealing with other people, you will occasionally get a surprise reaction! Here are some common reasons why things go wrong, along with some tips for what to do when that happens: …
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Customer Service Support: Why Things Go Wrong (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Proactive Customer Service Examples (Includes Video)
My wife Janet needed a new rearview mirror for her car. We called the dealership to see about getting one. (You can probably imagine where this is going!) It was exorbitantly expensive. Even Stephen, the parts guy, was shocked when he found out how much it cost! He suggested that look into getting a used …
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Proactive Customer Service Examples (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Care: 8 Ways to Show You Care (Includes Video)
In IT customer service, sometimes we fix the technical issue, but our customers still don’t think we care. Here are eight simple ways to show customer care. 1: Be on time. If you’ve ever said the words, “I’m sorry I’m late. The traffic was terrible.” or words to that effect, you were making an excuse …
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Customer Care: 8 Ways to Show You Care (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Collaboration in Work (Includes Video)
Do all the parts of your business work together like a well-oiled machine? If you don’t work in business, how about your school, government, church, or non-profit? Does your workplace provide a good environment for collaboration in work? Any organization is comprised of many parts. Think about your workplace. It’s probably made up of various …
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Collaboration in Work (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Service and Sales Conflict: Successful Management (Includes Video)
Jared, the salesperson for a mid-sized MSP, had been working on a customer deal for weeks. Finally, it looked like the deal was going to close, but the customer wanted one more service included before she’d sign the contract. Jared agreed to the request without consulting with the service delivery team. Then, when the service …
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Service and Sales Conflict: Successful Management (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Never Argue with a Customer
Never argue with a customer. Here’s why. I walked into the luggage store with my carry-on bag following dutifully behind me. I was the only one in the store…no customers, no employees. After a moment, an employee emerged from a back room. He looked at me, said nothing, and walked on. I scratched my head, …
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Never Argue with a Customer
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Benefits of Management by Walking Around
You can’t overstate the benefits of management by walking around. Janet, my wife, our friend Bruce, and I went to Duke’s Chowder House in the South Lake Union area of Seattle for Sunday lunch. The views are of sailboat masts, looking out over a marina toward the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI). The food …
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The Benefits of Management by Walking Around
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The 5 Principles of IT Customer Service Success (Includes Video)
(The following is a transcript of a portion of a keynote speech I gave at Automation Nation in 2015. The five principles, covered in this post, are the foundation for all of my work in IT customer service.) I’ve had the privilege of working with IT people all over the world and I’ve observed IT …
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The 5 Principles of IT Customer Service Success (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Competence Charisma IT Career Success Model
I want to introduce you to the competence charisma model for IT career success. This is a model that I created to help understand the two broad skill families that are required for success in IT careers, and if you’ll take a look at this model, you’ll notice that in the lower left quadrant we …
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Competence Charisma IT Career Success Model
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Communication Style: 3 Ways to Choose the Right One (Includes Video)
Communication is the process of one person sending a message and another person receiving and understanding it. Your communication style helps determine whether the receiver understands the message you intended. That puts the burden of responsibility for communication on you, as the sender. When you are responsible for communicating an idea, a policy, new procedures, …
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Communication Style: 3 Ways to Choose the Right One (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle a Really Angry Person
It happens every now and then. One of our customers gets really angry or a co-worker loses his or her temper. Our ability to successfully handle a really angry person is something that can make us into heroes in the workplace. It’s important to think long-term when dealing with anger. Think about how what you …
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How to Handle a Really Angry Person
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT Customer Service Fundamentals
Kansas City Chiefs’ place kicker Harrison Butker made a perfect 39-yard field goal to tie the recent AFC championship game with 8 seconds on the clock and send it in to overtime. It was a dramatic moment in a game filled with drama. That had to be an unbelievable amount of pressure on Butker, but …
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IT Customer Service Fundamentals
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Listening to Customers
Successful businesses know the importance of listening to customers. I’ve talked before about my model railroading hobby. (In case you’re interested in such things, I run O Gauge.) I had an electrical question and I couldn’t find an answer online, so I decided to visit an area train store to see if I could get …
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Listening to Customers
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Best Team Building Exercises for IT Teams
It’s hard knowing what are the best team building exercises for IT teams. Many people say they hate team-building exercises. When I’m at a conference or a meeting and I hear there’s going to be some sort of team-building exercise, I run from the room! Perhaps you feel the same way. Choose the Right Team-Building …
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Best Team Building Exercises for IT Teams
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Employee Retention Strategies: How to Retain High-Performing Tech Employees (Includes Video)
This is the third and final installment in my series on how to hire, manage, and retain top-performing tech employees. In this post, you’ll learn five critical success factors in employee retention strategies to help retain your best employees. You’ve hired a great I.T. team. You work hard to be a great manager. How do …
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Employee Retention Strategies: How to Retain High-Performing Tech Employees (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Leadership Qualities: How to Successfully Manage High-Performing Tech Employees (Includes Video)
This is the second in my series of I.T. leadership and team-building posts for IT managers and supervisors. What are the leadership qualities that allow you to successfully manage the team and retain key individuals? Key Leadership Qualities Ensure You’re Providing Competitive Pay and Benefits On most scales of job satisfaction, pay and benefits are …
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Leadership Qualities: How to Successfully Manage High-Performing Tech Employees (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Hire High-Performing Tech Employees
People who hire tech people tell me over and over again how hard it is to find the best people. No doubt, in the current competitive job market, that hiring is a challenging process, especially for critical tech positions. You’ve got to create just the right combination of pay, benefits, work environment, and company culture. …
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How to Hire High-Performing Tech Employees
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Principle #3: Empathy
The Third of the 5 Principles is the principle of customer empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s position, to imagine what they’re going through, to try to feel what they’re feeling. Of course, there are times where you simply can’t put yourself in the other person’s position and, contrary …
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Principle #3: Empathy
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Encouraging Words for Coworkers: A 7-Year-Old’s Lost Home Run
Never underestimate the power of encouraging words for coworkers. It’s 1961, on the playground behind Robert E. Lee Grade School in Columbia, Missouri. I’m 7-years-old and up to bat in the P.E. softball game and I’m terrified. Let’s just say that sports, or anything requiring grace and coordination, was not then (and is not now) …
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Encouraging Words for Coworkers: A 7-Year-Old’s Lost Home Run
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How Not to Serve Your Customer (Bad Customer Service)
Here’s an example of really bad customer service. My next-door neighbor is 86 years old. She’s in great physical shape and her mind is as sharp as can be. She’s fun to be around and I’m lucky to have her as a neighbor. She doesn’t understand modern technology, so she occasionally calls me for help …
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How Not to Serve Your Customer (Bad Customer Service)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Three Customer Service Fails
I’m going to rant about a customer service fail, actually three customer service fails. I’ve been on the receiving end of three customer service fails within the past week. If you have these fails, you’ll lose customers and credibility and, if you are part of an internal IT organization, you’ll alienate your co-workers. Here goes: …
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Three Customer Service Fails
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Understanding True Intent of End Users and Other Customers
My audience member, Josh, was driving home from work when a speeding car came up behind him. The driver was aggressively dodging in and out of traffic. He tailgated Josh’s car before an opening came up and he swerved around Josh. He was driving like a crazy person. Josh reached out the window gave the …
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Understanding True Intent of End Users and Other Customers
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Volunteer as a Means to Enhance Customer Service
Why is it that some people are always volunteering? They volunteer at the hospital, at the food pantry, the animal shelter, or the soup kitchen. They provide rides for people who need them. They help an elderly neighbor. They go shopping for a single mom. They help clean up litter in the park. The list …
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Volunteer as a Means to Enhance Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Self-Improvement: Honing Your Skills
In his landmark book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the late author Stephen Covey identifies habit number seven as sharpening the saw. By that, he means working on self-improvement. More specifically, he means “having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.” Self-Improvement One …
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Self-Improvement: Honing Your Skills
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Setting Customer Expectations
Janet, my wife, and I were traveling with friends through Groveland, California, home to the Iron Door Saloon, which claims to be the oldest saloon in the state of California. We’re suckers for anything that describes itself as the oldest or the first in its category, so we stopped in for lunch. The saloon was …
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Setting Customer Expectations
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The DLL Stress Management Tool for IT Pros
My friend Karim has a long commute and he’s noticed that drivers have become more aggressive over the past few years. He found himself feeling stress and getting frustrated from it. He mentioned his frustration to his family and his 13-year-old daughter told him “Dad, DLL.” Now, you and I, as technologists probably associate DLL …
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The DLL Stress Management Tool for IT Pros
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Personal Change Management: When Management Makes Changes
The workplace is constantly changing and, as such, needs your personal change management. Certainly, some workplaces are more in a state of flux than others, but nearly every workplace undergoes constant change. Sometimes, you like the changes. Other times, not so much. What can you do when you disagree with the changes? Personal Change Management …
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Personal Change Management: When Management Makes Changes
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Knowledge: How to Know How Much They Know (Your Customers, That Is)
You may have heard me talk about how I like model railroading. There’s an electric train store in Seattle where the staff is knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. I buy things from them even when I can get them cheaper online because they’re so helpful and I like them. (That’s a whole other lesson!) There is, …
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Customer Knowledge: How to Know How Much They Know (Your Customers, That Is)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Confirm Resolution Before Closing a Ticket (Includes Video)
Have you ever asked for tech support, received a response that didn’t solve your problem, and then heard nothing else from the tech support person? Maybe a tech support person came to your desk to fix an issue, but two days later the issue hadn’t gone away. The tech support person didn’t confirm resolution before …
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Confirm Resolution Before Closing a Ticket (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Two Rules on Grammar (for Grammandoes and Non-Grammandoes, Alike)
Gramandoes are among us; people who cringe at grammar and spelling errors. They focus on such errors to the point where, in extreme cases, they don’t even notice the real message the writer or speaker is trying to convey. There’s a fine line between wanting to promote the correct use of our language and just …
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Two Rules on Grammar (for Grammandoes and Non-Grammandoes, Alike)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Making Small and Positive Human Connections in Another Person’s Life
Just like most professional speakers, I travel a lot which includes many hours in airports (places with many human connections, but often not a lot of humanity). Frequently, a meal in an airport means going through a line and ordering the various components of your meal from people who act and speak robotically with little …
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Making Small and Positive Human Connections in Another Person’s Life
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Corrected or Humiliated?
I was upgraded to first-class by the airline and witnessed someone being humiliated. The woman in front of me had been dealing with flight complications all day, none of which were her fault. The airline, as partial compensation, had plied her with plenty of alcohol. She was more than a little talkative. Okay, she was …
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Corrected or Humiliated?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Your Implicit Service Level Agreement
Providers of service are quite familiar with the service level agreement, also known as an SLA. You may have a Service Level Agreement with a company that spells out exactly what you can expect from them in terms of network outages and response times, for example. That’s an explicit SLA, because it explicitly calls out …
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Your Implicit Service Level Agreement
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Amazing Customer Service from The US
My friend Debbie wrote the following Facebook post about an amazing customer service experience with the US Postal Service two days before Christmas 2017: Debbie and I worked together and our late boss, Mike Costello, always said, “When you make a mistake, it’s an opportunity to win a customer for life.” Think about how delighted …
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Amazing Customer Service from The US
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
When Customer Focus Includes Sharing Customer Information
In survey after survey, one of the most common complaints from customers is having to repeat the same customer information every time they change to a new person. I would love to hear from someone telling me why some companies can’t get their systems talking to one another to prevent this widespread complaint. I called …
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When Customer Focus Includes Sharing Customer Information
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Trying to Understand Intent
In dealing with customers, colleagues, and others, assume good intent. To be clear, I’m not naive enough to think that no one has bad intent. I just believe, deep in my heart, that most people have good intent in whatever they do. I believe that most people are honest, compassionate, hard-working, and want the best …
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Trying to Understand Intent
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Judging Books (and People) by Their Covers
Appearances can be deceiving. We’ve talked about the danger of assuming a level of knowledge. It’s also dangerous to make assumptions about people based on their appearance. We can make bad decisions by judging others based on how they look. Judging Others Can Lead to Mistaken Perceptions My stepdaughter Ellie has a Bachelor of Science …
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Judging Books (and People) by Their Covers
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Never Assume a Level of Customer Knowledge
Do you ever assume a level of knowledge on the part of your customer? The company I use to distribute my books has outstanding, global distribution. Their website and customer service, however, are as bad as their distribution is good. Don’t Assume a Level of Knowledge I needed to update one of my books with …
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Never Assume a Level of Customer Knowledge
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Transforming Relationships with a Thank You
This is Thanksgiving week in the United States and a great time to talk about the power of a thank you. I noticed, when my wife Janet and I got married, that she always thanked me for everything I did for the household and the marriage. She even thanked me for the sorts of things …
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Transforming Relationships with a Thank You
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT People Setting a Standard for Respect and Civility
In the current political climate in the United States (and elsewhere, for that matter), it’s fashionable to place the blame for perceived problems on the other guys, the people who feel differently from you. Name-calling and lack of respect is rampant in the comments sections of blogs, on political talk shows, and among our politicians. …
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IT People Setting a Standard for Respect and Civility
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
A Hierarchy of IT Needs
Maybe you’re familiar with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, in which psychologist Abraham Maslow theorized that human motivation is driven by the need to fulfill our needs at each of five layers. The first, or bottom, layer concerns our physiological needs such as air, food, water, clothing, and shelter, to name a few. The remaining layers …
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A Hierarchy of IT Needs
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle a Customer Support Chat Session
You know how sometimes you’re receiving technical support in a customer support chat session and the rep tries to make small talk at the start of the session? Maybe they ask how you’re doing or how your day is going. Is it just me, or does that make you crazy, too? It’s Different in a …
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How to Handle a Customer Support Chat Session
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Deal with a Customer Service Question (Answer It!)
Have you ever asked a customer service question and received an answer that wasn’t even close to what you were asking about? Maybe it was somewhat related, but it felt like the rep wasn’t really paying attention to what you wanted. Just Answer Customer Service Questions I recently was in a chat session with a …
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How to Deal with a Customer Service Question (Answer It!)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Positive Customer Choices When Choices Are Limited
My friends arrived at the theme park with only about two hours before they had to leave to catch a flight. They knew they would have limited customer choices. They explained their situation to the customer service agent and asked what they could do in the park in two hours. The customer service agent instead …
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Positive Customer Choices When Choices Are Limited
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Real Problem with Customer Service Systems
The real problem with customer service is that many systems are designed by people who apparently don’t ever use them. I’ve stayed at many hotels during my career as a professional speaker. In some of them, I wondered if the managers of the hotels had ever tried spending the night in one of the rooms. …
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The Real Problem with Customer Service Systems
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Conflict Management Training: 5 Keys to Successful Conflict Resolution
Here’s an obvious statement: Conflict is a fact of life, especially at work. Conflict management training teaches you how best to deal with conflict. You have to deal with it, even if your choice is to avoid it. Conflict resolution involves negotiating skills, empathy, listening, compassion, and treating all parties with dignity and respect. Successful …
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Conflict Management Training: 5 Keys to Successful Conflict Resolution
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Simple Self-Improvement Steps to Being Even Better Than You Already Are
You and I may have never met, but I know something about you. I know that you’re committed to self-improvement, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this blog post. Sometimes, the process of self-improvement can seem overwhelming. You know, “Should I take up yoga? Learn a new language? Start an exercise regimen? Learn to play an …
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Simple Self-Improvement Steps to Being Even Better Than You Already Are
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Dangers of Jargon
A common complaint among end users is that we, in IT, use technical jargon when explaining problems. It’s similar to your doctor using lots of medical jargon. It may be accurate, but unless you understand the jargon, it’s a waste of time. It can even come across as condescending. Of course, different people have different …
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The Dangers of Jargon
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Importance of Following Up on a Hall Conference
Most of us have had hall conferences at work. You know, that time when you see someone in the hallway at work and discuss a project or maybe some upcoming workplace changes. We chat for a few minutes and then go about our business. Then, maybe a week later, the other person takes some action …
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The Importance of Following Up on a Hall Conference
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Why You Must Never Discuss Other Customers in Front of a Customer
Here’s a basic principle of customer service: Don’t talk about other customers in front of a customer, unless it’s speaking positively of something the other customer is doing. Even then, your current customer might take it the wrong way and think you’re comparing her or him to other customers. The Focus Must be on the …
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Why You Must Never Discuss Other Customers in Front of a Customer
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Communicate or Die!: The Importance of Communication in Customer Service
In a recent survey of customer service complaints, one of the top complaints was issues not being resolved the first time. We can all relate to that. The problem, of course, is that sometimes an issue takes time to resolve, especially IT issues. Sometimes, due to the complexity of the systems we work with, multiple …
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Communicate or Die!: The Importance of Communication in Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Power of Appreciation with Your Customers and Colleagues
Customer service is much broader than just serving your paying customers or internal clients. Customer service is a mindset. Frankly, it’s a way of living. Customer service is about winning hearts and minds among the people in your life. That includes colleagues, bosses, subordinates, vendors…anyone with whom you interact, even friends and family members. In …
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The Power of Appreciation with Your Customers and Colleagues
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Impressions Matter in Customer Service
You’ve probably heard the old saying, “You only get one chance to make a good first impression.” There are many variations on it, but the idea is sound. People form lasting impressions of others based on their very first impression. That’s why you should review every possible point of contact with a customer, both on …
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Impressions Matter in Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Workplace Culture and Your Personal Style
Is it possible (and appropriate) to integrate workplace culture into your personal style? The YouTube commenter posted, “I wish my family members and friends would respect me and allow me to talk instead of my saying a few words and taking what they want when I was not even finished, or thinking they know what …
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Workplace Culture and Your Personal Style
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Say No to a Customer Without Being a Jerk
Part of good customer service is knowing how to say no to a customer without being a jerk. How to Say No Successfully I needed to refill a prescription. I had recently changed to a different physician who wanted to see me before authorizing the refill. The problem was that her office didn’t tell me that …
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How to Say No to a Customer Without Being a Jerk
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Why You Must Market Your Value as an IT Professional
We’ve all seen websites designed by someone’s neighbor’s cousin’s step-son’s friend. We’ve probably also had to deal with network problems on a network set up by the business owner’s daughter’s best friend’s uncle. Such scenarios usually include a comment about how it may not be the greatest website or the most perfect network, but at …
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Why You Must Market Your Value as an IT Professional
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Focus: It’s Not About Technology, It’s About People
I recently submitted a question through a pre-sales form on a company’s website. I asked them to contrast their product with a competitor’s product. The response I received was too long and didn’t answer my question. It was a canned response that pretended to be a personal response. There was no customer focus. They went on …
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Customer Focus: It’s Not About Technology, It’s About People
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Danger of No Communication
When I was seventeen, I hitchhiked from Kansas City to Denver overnight. When I arrived that morning, I decided to try to find a job right away. I planned to hitchhike to a shopping mall in hopes of finding work as a delivery person or doing some other form of manual labor. I’m standing at …
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The Danger of No Communication
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
11 Powerful Tips for Dealing with Authority Figures in IT Customer Service (Includes Video)
As IT people, we work with people in nearly every part of an organization. That means we may have to support and work with people in positions of great authority such as police officers, executives, physicians, or attorneys. Sometimes, that can be uncomfortable or even intimidating. Many of the actions to use when dealing with …
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11 Powerful Tips for Dealing with Authority Figures in IT Customer Service (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life
One of the most powerful life lessons happens when you learn that gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. Every year, on the fourth Thursday of November, the people of the United States celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition that goes back to the time of the early European settlers on what became the North American continent. …
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How Gratitude Unlocks the Fullness of Life
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Why It Is Important To Be Proud And Show Your Pride To Your Customers
Do you have pride in your work? Do you tell your customers about improvements that are a benefit to them? Your customers want to believe that you’re the best at whatever it is that you do. We can reinforce that belief by letting them know about improvements we make to the systems they use. Pride …
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Why It Is Important To Be Proud And Show Your Pride To Your Customers
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
5 Ways to Handle a Chatty Customer (Includes Video)
We’ve all been there. Maybe it was with a customer, a friend, a colleague, or even a stranger. Whomever it was, they were talking your ear off! What’s the best way to handle a chatty customer or any overly talkative person? One of the problems is that we are often told, as part of customer …
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5 Ways to Handle a Chatty Customer (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How a Receptionist at One Company Torpedoed Job Applicants at Another Company
When I was a manager, one of my best friends’ daughters was a receptionist at a competing company. Whenever I was thinking about hiring someone, I’d always check with her to see if that person had also applied for a job at her company and, if so, how they had treated her when they came …
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How a Receptionist at One Company Torpedoed Job Applicants at Another Company
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Communication: What’s the Best Way?
When it comes to customer communication, is email still the best communication choice? What about texting? Or chat? Or on the phone? What about Skype or other Internet video calling options? Maybe you should just go see the other person in person? Oh wait, there’s always Snapchat. Or what about Twitter? Facebook Messenger? WhatsApp? Hangouts? …
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Customer Communication: What’s the Best Way?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Importance of Assessing Customer Competence
We’re all been there. We’ve called some company for technical support after we’ve performed a long list of troubleshooting steps, only to have the tech support rep ask us to repeat all of the steps. Of course, the support rep is probably just following a script or a required checklist. We all understand it. It’s …
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The Importance of Assessing Customer Competence
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How Labels and Painting in Broad Strokes Can Undermine Good Decisions
Humans have a need to use labels and categorize. It serves us well in terms of organizing our world. We know where to find items because we use categories to group, say, pencils and pens together in the same location. Look At Each Person Individually Other times, however, categories can cause problems. The best example …
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How Labels and Painting in Broad Strokes Can Undermine Good Decisions
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Two Contrasting Approaches to IT Customer Service
When you think about it, there are really just two broad approaches to IT customer service. One involves protocols, policies, and scripts. This approach is often used by large organizations who want to ensure consistency of customer service throughout the organization. They provide extensive flow charts and scripts for every imaginable situation. They even provide …
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Two Contrasting Approaches to IT Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Automation Creep: How to Succeed in a Changing Job Market
In the 1940s, most elevators were manually operated and required an elevator operator to move people between floors in a building. Today, most elevators are self-operated by the passengers pushing buttons which correspond to their desired floor and there are not many jobs for elevator operators. The number of mail carriers dropped by ten percent …
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Automation Creep: How to Succeed in a Changing Job Market
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Anger Management Techniques: 10 Tips to Help You Keep Your Cool When Everyone Around You is Really Hot (Includes Video)
Those of us who work in IT, especially in technical support, often have to deal with people who are losing their cool. Maybe a printer failed at the worst time, maybe the network went down right in the middle of an important project, maybe a computer blue-screened right in the middle of a client demonstration. …
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Anger Management Techniques: 10 Tips to Help You Keep Your Cool When Everyone Around You is Really Hot (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Successful Communication Techniques for Technical People: Interview with Lisa Voso
Don Crawley: My guest today is Lisa Voso of Voso Impact, Inc. a communications and speech coaching firm. She works with executives and professional speakers on their communication skills including both their speech performance and their content development. She holds a master’s degree in communications and a law degree. She has participated in national speech …
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Successful Communication Techniques for Technical People: Interview with Lisa Voso
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Turn Around a Failed Client Relationship
I received the following email from a reader concerning a failed client relationship. He agreed to let me share it with you. “Good Morning Mr. Crawley; As a fan of your book, “The Compassionate Geek,” I was hoping I could get your opinion on how to turn around a poor customer relationship. After several years …
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How to Turn Around a Failed Client Relationship
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
5 Concepts IT Pros Need to Understand About Their Jobs and Careers
As IT pros, we understand the technology we work with, but successful careers in IT involve much more than the technical aspects of knowing how to code, set up a server, or configure a router. Here are five concepts IT pros need to understand for success in their careers. Careers Concept #1: Our jobs are not …
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5 Concepts IT Pros Need to Understand About Their Jobs and Careers
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Championship Performance Under Pressure: Interview with Maureen Manley
Don Crawley: My guest today is Maureen Manley and today we’re talking about performance. As a member of the US Cycling team, she won a national championship, set a national record, earned a silver and two bronze medals at national championships, competed in three world championships and won a silver medal in the 1990 World …
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Championship Performance Under Pressure: Interview with Maureen Manley
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
7 Ways to Find Motivation When You Don’t Like Your Job
Many people love their jobs. Others…not so much so. Strangely, even when you love your job, it can sometimes be hard to find motivation. When you really don’t like your job, finding motivation can feel nearly impossible. Still, you’ve got to keep going. So, how can you find motivation, even when you can’t stand your job …
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7 Ways to Find Motivation When You Don’t Like Your Job
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What to do if Your Company Won’t Provide Training
A well-trained workforce is one of the best ways to ensure a company’s success. It seems like common knowledge, yet often companies provide either inadequate training or none at all. What should you do if you work for an organization like that? Some people might choose to coast, doing as little as possible. They might …
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What to do if Your Company Won’t Provide Training
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to End a Support Call or Visit Gracefully
Sometimes, people find it difficult to end conversations gracefully. Even normal, routine conversations can sometimes feel awkward to end. Then, there’s the time when you’re trying to help someone, perhaps an end user, who rambles on and on and won’t stop talking long enough for you even ask a question. Maybe a co-worker has stopped …
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How to End a Support Call or Visit Gracefully
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Condescension Karma
Have you ever referred to the ID-10-T error? How about the PICNIC error? Or, the PEBCAK error? If you’re not familiar with them, ID-10-T spelled out looks like the word idiot. PICNIC is an acronym for “Problem in chair, not in computer.” and PEBCAK is an acronym for “Problem exists between chair and keyboard.” Many …
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Condescension Karma
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Techniques for Successfully Hiring and Managing Technical Staff
My friend Paul Senness is an internationally recognized speaker and trainer on management and leadership. He’s also one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever known. I asked Paul to let me interview him on how to successfully hire and manage technical staff. How to Hire In the IT world, there seems to be a …
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Techniques for Successfully Hiring and Managing Technical Staff
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT Careers: How to Start and Build Your IT Career
People who want to enter the IT field or those who are just entering it often ask me about the best way to get started in IT or how to build their IT career. In this post, I’ll outline some ideas for a basic plan. Start with IT Career Certification Start by pursuing a basic certification such …
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IT Careers: How to Start and Build Your IT Career
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Technical Competence: How Much is Enough?
The first principle of IT customer service is deep technical competence. Often, I get asked how much technical competence is enough? The answer is in two parts. Deep Technical Skills are Required The first part is that you must have deep enough technical skills to fulfill your job description. Obviously, that’s going to vary from …
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Technical Competence: How Much is Enough?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT Customer Service and the 3 Ps
During our trip to India, we met Narendra Singh, who was often the morning host in our hotel’s restaurant in Noida, a suburb of Delhi. Narendra was always pleasant and helpful. He seemed to anticipate our needs. I asked him about his motivation to do his job so well. Caring is a Passion, Not a …
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IT Customer Service and the 3 Ps
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Treating Guests (and Customers) Like God
My wife, Janet, and I were honored recently to be able to spend a short time in the country of India. While there, we were deeply moved by the gracious hospitality of the people we encountered. Three different hosts explained to us a Sanskrit verse, which is “Atithi Devo Bhava.” Atithi Devo Bhava is taken …
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Treating Guests (and Customers) Like God
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Listening Skills as a Critical Part of IT Customer Service
I’m in the midst of a plumbing project. You probably know that most plumbing projects require three trips to the hardware store. I’m on my first trip. I’m holding a part which I’m trying to install to show the clerk what I’m trying to do. A second clerk walks up right in the middle of …
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Listening Skills as a Critical Part of IT Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Complain Effectively Without Being a Jerk
Although in IT jobs, many of us frequently are on the receiving end of complaints, sometimes we’re the ones who need to complain. Perhaps there’s a problem with a server or some networking gear or perhaps there’s a problem with a co-worker. Regardless, there are right ways and wrong ways to complain. Here are some important …
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Complain Effectively Without Being a Jerk
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Empathy for a Frustrated Customer or End User, Even When You Can’t Relate
The use of empathy is a common theme throughout much of my writing and speaking. Our ability to empathize with our brothers and sisters of the human race allows us to connect with one another, to see the world through the other person’s eyes, and to try to understand their experience. Of course, it’s not …
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Empathy for a Frustrated Customer or End User, Even When You Can’t Relate
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle Customer Complaints in Three Practical Phases
Customer and end user complaints are a fact of life if you work on the help desk. They’re not limited, however, just to the help desk. All of us in IT at one time or another have to deal with complaints. Perhaps the complaints are from an end user or a customer, maybe they’re from …
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How to Handle Customer Complaints in Three Practical Phases
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Tech Skills or Customer Service Skills: Which is More Important? (Includes Video)
Technical Skills Come First In any skilled field, whether it be information systems and technology, medicine, law, airplane maintenance, or any other skilled field, technical, professional, or otherwise, you simply must have technical skills in order to do the job. We certainly wouldn’t want a surgeon with limited ability performing surgeries nor would we want …
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Tech Skills or Customer Service Skills: Which is More Important? (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Deal with an Irate Customer or End User
Most people are reasonable most of the time. Occasionally, however, even reasonable people have meltdowns. Sometimes, unfortunately, you may also have to deal with someone who is a jerk. Regardless, it’s not easy to deal with an irate customer or end-user and still provide good customer service. After a recent speech, an audience member approached …
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How to Deal with an Irate Customer or End User
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How Compassionate Customer Service Can Improve Customer Satisfaction
In June of this year, I was privileged to be the keynote speaker at Automation Nation, an amazing IT conference produced by LabTech Software. After my speech, Aaron Huff of Ergos, a managed services firm in Houston, Texas, approached me to tell me how his company had successfully implemented the same concepts I write and …
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How Compassionate Customer Service Can Improve Customer Satisfaction
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Importance of the Business Mindset in IT Customer Service
I frequently receive calls and emails from potential clients who say something like this, “Our IT staff is filled with highly intelligent, very talented individuals who are great at solving technical problems, but they don’t understand that we’re a business.” Then, they’ll talk about how great the IT staff is with the technical aspects of …
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The Importance of the Business Mindset in IT Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Problem with Over-Sharing with Customers (TMI)
I called customer service at a large company. The phone was answered by a friendly woman who seemed helpful. While she was waiting for some information to appear on her screen, she started making small talk. Then, it happened. She started talking about her recent medical procedures. That’s bad enough, and to make things worse, she went …
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The Problem with Over-Sharing with Customers (TMI)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Problem with Micro Digs and Insults in Teamwork
We all know people who like to tease. Perhaps they tease about someone’s clothing, hairstyle, or choice of music. Maybe they toss seemingly harmless insults about a person’s work or the way they organize their desk. Perhaps they insult a person’s home state or country. Often, such digs and insults are said “in good fun”. …
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The Problem with Micro Digs and Insults in Teamwork
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Emotional Intelligence Training to Help Your Relationships at Work (Includes Video)
Emotional intelligence training can help you make better decisions about how to deal with people problems at work. Have you ever wanted to tell your boss what you really think? Most of us, maybe all of us, have felt that way at one time or another. Some of us have even wanted to include a …
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Emotional Intelligence Training to Help Your Relationships at Work (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle IT Customer Service Calls
When we’re on the phone with a customer, there are four important points which, when implemented correctly, help ensure a successful IT customer service interaction. Watch the video to see examples both of how to and how not to handle an IT customer service call. The four points are: Fix the Problem to the User’s …
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How to Handle IT Customer Service Calls
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Answer the Telephone in IT Customer Service
This seems so simple and so obvious, yet I continue hearing people answer the telephone the wrong way. It’s just like your parents said: You have only one chance to make a good first impression. The manner in which you answer phone calls is what creates that first impression. Do it right and the call …
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How to Answer the Telephone in IT Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Handle Other People’s Emotions When You Just Can’t Relate
Sometimes we encounter people who are experiencing emotions and we just can’t relate. Perhaps we encounter a customer or end user who is excited about something and we think to ourselves it’s no big deal. Maybe the other person is sad and we don’t think whatever it was that caused the sadness was that big …
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How to Handle Other People’s Emotions When You Just Can’t Relate
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Overcoming Obstacles
I want to tell you about two average people who overcame unbelievable challenges to lead happy and fulfilling lives. Myeong Hee’s Story In the summer of 2013, I met Myeong Hee, a woman who escaped from North Korea. Her father was killed for the food he was trying to bring to his family and her …
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Overcoming Obstacles
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Three Roadblocks to Success with People
In working to build successful IT careers, there are many roadblocks that can get in the way of our success. I want to focus on three in particular in this blog post. These three roadblocks get in the way of success in our relationships with other people. They are self-defeating, they can undermine even the …
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Three Roadblocks to Success with People
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Terms of Non-Endearment and, Dude, Breaking the Rules (Customer Service Rules)
I was in the self checkout line at my neighborhood grocery store when one of the checkers came up and said, “Did you find everything, Hoss?” Did he really call me “Hoss”? Yes, he did. We’ve all had other people call us by various names, including Sweetie, Buddy, Pal, Young Man, Young Lady, Dude, Bud, …
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Terms of Non-Endearment and, Dude, Breaking the Rules (Customer Service Rules)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Understanding the Business in Addition to the Technology
In last week’s blog post, we discussed the importance of understanding the business processes within the organizations where we work. As IT professionals, we are responsible for supporting successful communication and collaboration between the people in our workplace. We are responsible for helping our sisters and brothers in every department work together more creatively, effectively, …
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Understanding the Business in Addition to the Technology
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT’s Role Within an Organization
The functional perspective of sociology says that each part of society contributes to the stability and operation of society as a whole. The organization where you work is much the same. Each department contributes to the success or otherwise of the entire organization. Within an organization, you could find a sales and marketing department, an …
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IT’s Role Within an Organization
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Communicate Successfully Using Email
Email is often the most commonly used form of communication for support professionals. Email is a one-dimensional form of communication which, although efficient, fails to account for human emotions as a vital component of communication. (Other forms of written communication including texting, instant messaging, and even old-fashioned paper letter writing suffer from the same limitation.) …
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How to Communicate Successfully Using Email
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
8 Ways to Show You Care
In working with end users, customers, and technical support staff, the most common phrases I hear relate to how much a support person cares or doesn’t care. The simple act of caring about your fellow human being is the starting point for providing great customer service. If you truly care about your fellow humans, the …
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8 Ways to Show You Care
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Five Keys to Becoming a Compassionate Geek
Let’s define compassion and geek. Compassion is seeing others who are hurting and finding ways to help. Geek is a term of pride referring to a computer expert. The path to success as a compassionate geek is really the same as the path to success as a human. Here are five keys to help ensure …
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Five Keys to Becoming a Compassionate Geek
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Stress Management for IT Professionals
Stress is a popular topic in news broadcasts and in the blogosphere. We make stress out to be some sort of villain, when stress is simply how our bodies react to change. The change could be good or bad, it doesn’t matter. It’s still stressful. The issue is not with stress, per se, but with …
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Stress Management for IT Professionals
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Four Magical Customer Service Phrases (What to Say in Nearly Any Situation)
Customer service has many definitions. I think of a quote often attributed to the late Dr. Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you do, they’ll forget what you say, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” As providers of customer service, the feelings our customers have about us show …
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Four Magical Customer Service Phrases (What to Say in Nearly Any Situation)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Deal with an Angry Type A Customer
You’ve probably heard people talk about Type A personalities and you may have some ideas about what that means. In a landmark 1976 study of some 3000 healthy men, aged 35 to 59, Drs. Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, both cardiologists, looked at stress as a predictor of heart disease. For the purpose of their …
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How to Deal with an Angry Type A Customer
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Four Success-Blocking Character Traits (Don’t Do These Things!)
In recent blog posts and podcasts, I’ve talked about the critical IT career success factors. Just as important as what TO do are the things NOT to do. Here, in no particular order, are four behaviors which are commonly seen in the workplace and which can torpedo your career. Dishonesty This may seem obvious, but if it’s so …
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Four Success-Blocking Character Traits (Don’t Do These Things!)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Mysterious Tattooed Barista (or How to be a Good Listener)
One of my favorite Seattle coffee shops is in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle. My wife and I stopped there this past weekend for a coffee (this is Seattle, after all) and a pastry. While we were waiting in line, one of the baristas, an attractive and mysterious-looking woman, her shoulders festooned with tattoos, was …
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The Mysterious Tattooed Barista (or How to be a Good Listener)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Change Perceptions of Your IT Department
Are perceptions reality? The ways in which our customers, end-users, and co-workers perceive us is certainly their reality. Since our relationships with each of those groups of people can affect our career success, our personal and professional reality is affected by their perceptions. I recently received an email from a client asking for some ways …
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How to Change Perceptions of Your IT Department
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Emotional Intelligence Interview with George A. Harris, Ph.D.
George A. Harris, Ph.D. is a well-known psychologist and author. I interviewed him this week on the subject of emotional intelligence. Transcript Don Crawley (00:00): Welcome to the Compassionate Geek podcast and videocast for IT professionals who are interested in improving their customer service and communication skills. My name is Don Crawley and today I’m …
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Emotional Intelligence Interview with George A. Harris, Ph.D.
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Five Principles of IT Customer Service
In last week’s blog post, I talked about the most critical customer service skill for IT career success. There are an additional four critical skills you must learn for IT career success. These skills are the Five Principles of IT Customer Service. They will, when mastered, allow you to positively influence your career, the people …
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The Five Principles of IT Customer Service
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Service Product Knowledge
In November of 2011, I uploaded a video to my YouTube channel titled The Four All-Star Traits of the Customer Service Masters, in which I described four characteristics I observed in people who were very good at supporting customers and end-users. Since then, I’ve worked with IT people, including help desk staff, at many different types …
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Customer Service Product Knowledge
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Going Too Far with Authenticity
Is it possible to be too authentic? In the last two blog posts and podcasts, we’ve talked about the importance of authenticity, the importance of being real. Authenticity has become another popular buzzword in today’s business world and even in society in general. The idea of being authentic in relationships, both business and personal, is …
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Going Too Far with Authenticity
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Genuine Relationships and Authenticity: An Interview with Jennifer Yost, MA and LMHC (Video and Transcript)
Do you have genuine relationships at work? What’s the line between being authentic and being rude? For this week’s blog post and podcast, I’m interviewing Jennifer Yost, a noted psychotherapist on the subject of genuine relationships and authenticity, especially as it relates to the workplace and the IT help desk. I hope you enjoy it! …
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Genuine Relationships and Authenticity: An Interview with Jennifer Yost, MA and LMHC (Video and Transcript)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to be Authentic in Your Authenticity
We hear a lot of people talking about authenticity. Certainly, authenticity as a form of honesty is a desirable trait, but when someone talks about authenticity, what do they mean? Dictionary.com defines authentic as “not false or copied; genuine; real or reliable; trustworthy”. Like many other words, authentic has become a fad word and, as …
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How to be Authentic in Your Authenticity
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
A New Year, The Same You and Me (Self-Improvement)
For the last few weeks, you and I’ve been assaulted by the usual flood of ads saying things like, “A New Year, A New You” and similar cliche statements which we’ve heard every late December and early January throughout our lives. But wait, what if I’m happy with the old me? Oh sure, I’m a …
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A New Year, The Same You and Me (Self-Improvement)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Four Simple Life-Changing Books every IT Person Should Read
Have you ever had something you’ve heard or read change your life? In my seminars and workshops on customer service and communication for IT staff, I often talk about four books that changed my life. These are certainly not the only life changing books. They’re just four books, among many, that have made a difference …
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Four Simple Life-Changing Books every IT Person Should Read
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Unaware or Don’t Care: Bad Either Way
I recently heard a story about someone in an organization who had gotten in an argument with one of his co-workers. He tried to walk away so he could calm down and avoid a heated argument, but the co-worker followed him and tried to keep the argument going. The first person then explained that he …
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Unaware or Don’t Care: Bad Either Way
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Compassion Test: What Would I Do?
Earlier this fall, an assisted living home in California was shut down by its owners leaving many of its elderly residents with nowhere to go. The staff members left when they learned they weren’t being paid, except for the cook, Maurice Rowland, and the janitor, Miguel Alvarez. Rowland and Alvarez decided on their own to …
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Compassion Test: What Would I Do?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Gratitude: How to be More Grateful
In the United States, every November on the fourth Thursday of the month, we celebrate Thanksgiving. It’s my favorite holiday because it’s a time when we get together with family, we enjoy a huge meal, and we express our thanks for our blessings. Oh, and we also watch a lot of American football. Thanksgiving is …
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Gratitude: How to be More Grateful
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Reputation Management: The Power of One
In a previous blog post, I mentioned my experience in the Sultanate of Oman, a country on the Sea of Oman, bordering Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman is a wonderful country of some 4,000,000 people with a rich history and beautiful architecture, filled with very warm and gracious people and I …
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Reputation Management: The Power of One
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
IT Management by Wandering Around
The landmark business book In Search of Excellence, written by Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr., was first published in 1982. It sold more than 3,000,000 copies worldwide and became something of a bible for 20th century business people. Much of its content is relevant today and even applies to us in information systems …
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IT Management by Wandering Around
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
A Salute to Veterans
In the United States, we celebrate Veterans Day every November 11 as a way of honoring the people who have served in our armed forces. Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day, to mark the anniversary of the end of hostilities in World War One. Major hostilities of World War One ended when the …
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A Salute to Veterans
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
End Users and Customers Are People First
In an earlier video, I talked about the four traits of the customer service masters. They are compassion, empathy, good listening skills, and an ability to treat all people with respect. Within every organization, there are certain people who seem to have an intuitive ability to treat their customers well, using the four traits of …
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End Users and Customers Are People First
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
The Problem with “Not My Problem”: How Teamwork Solves Problems
One of the worst feelings in the world is the sense that you’re all alone and there’s no one who can or will help you. That’s close to how some people feel when they approach one of us in IT with a problem. They may be embarrassed or feel ignorant because of the type of …
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The Problem with “Not My Problem”: How Teamwork Solves Problems
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Troubleshoot Nearly Anything
“The trouble with troubleshooting is sometimes trouble shoots back.” –unknown Troubleshooting is not just a part of an IT career, it’s a part of life. The ability to troubleshoot a wide range of problems is one of the most valuable skills you can develop, not only for problems at work, but also for problems at …
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How to Troubleshoot Nearly Anything
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Five Critical Customer Service Mistakes
Customer service work can be a tough job, whether we’re supporting computer users or retail customers. Some common mistakes, which can be easily avoided, will undermine the customer service experience. Here are five common mistakes guaranteed to ruin customer service experiences and kill good customer service: We seem like we don’t care. Support situations can …
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Five Critical Customer Service Mistakes
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer to Customer Questions (Includes Video)
No one knows everything, but sometimes it feels like we’re expected to know the answer to every question a customer asks. It’s not, however, our ability to answer every question that matters as much as our ability to handle every question with grace and aplomb and ultimately provide a complete, honest, and accurate answer. I …
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What to Do When You Don’t Know the Answer to Customer Questions (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Say “No” to a Client (Includes Video)
At one point in a past business relationship, I learned a painful lesson about how to say no to a potential client. I had committed to the customer to present a training seminar without realizing the true nature of the training the customer wanted. When I realized what they really wanted, I realized that it …
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How to Say “No” to a Client (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
People Skills Training and The IT Competence/Charisma Model (Includes Video)
People skills training is an often overlooked part of building a successful IT team. For success in a career in IT, as we’ve discussed in other blog posts, podcasts, and videos, two separate and distinct skill sets are required. Obviously, you must have outstanding technical skills, especially related to the product(s) you support. For the …
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People Skills Training and The IT Competence/Charisma Model (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Is Arrogance Killing Your Career?
Some people in the IT industry have a reputation for being arrogant and difficult to work with. Arrogance is the belief that you’re better than other people and it leads to cynicism and condescending behavior. Arrogance can undermine relationships and even lead to job loss. I was leading a customer service seminar at a large …
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Is Arrogance Killing Your Career?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Six Ways to Show Respect to Other People (Includes Video)
One of the four traits of the customer service masters is the ability to treat all people with respect. Sometimes, it may seem difficult to do that, especially when you may not like or respect the other person or when you feel that person has disrespected you in some way. In Viktor Frankl’s landmark book …
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Six Ways to Show Respect to Other People (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Top 10 Ways to be a Good Listener (Includes Video)
One of the most important skills any of us can learn is how to be a good listener. It’s an interesting paradox that, in order to be known as a great conversationalist you must first become a great listener. And, one of the four foundational skills of the customer service masters is to be a …
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Top 10 Ways to be a Good Listener (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Seven Ways to Improve Your Empathy
One of the 5 principles of IT customer service success is empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s position, to feel and understand what they’re experiencing. Empathy, combined with technical ability, is a powerful formula for success at work. How Can You Be More Empathetic? Listen. Truly listen to the other person. Listen …
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Seven Ways to Improve Your Empathy
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
7 Ways to Become More Compassionate
One of the four traits of the customer service masters is compassion. People who have mastered the art of customer service are naturally compassionate, they have a profound awareness of other’s suffering combined with a desire to alleviate it. One of author Mitch Albom’s friends once described him as noticing people in pain and trying …
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7 Ways to Become More Compassionate
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
5 Rules for How to Deliver Bad News
Sometimes, it’s necessary to deliver bad news to a customer or end user. For example, an order might not be ready when it was promised, a project might end up costing more than was projected, or a software application might not be ready for installation according to schedule. Regardless of the nature of the bad …
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5 Rules for How to Deliver Bad News
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
A Customer Service Reminder: We’re All Clueless Sometimes
Customer service basics: It’s common in a group of IT folks to tell stories about some of the crazy things our end users do. I’ve certainly told my share of such stories, but I think we often forget that no one is an expert on everything. When our end users sometimes ask questions that seem stupid, …
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A Customer Service Reminder: We’re All Clueless Sometimes
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Defying the Odds: The Tenacity of Starcia Ague
Motivational Stories and Speeches: I want to share a story from the new edition of The Compassionate Geek about a woman who defied the odds and is re-making herself into a great model of tenacity, perseverance, and compassion. I first heard about Starcia Ague in a story on KUOW-FM here in Seattle. Starcia’s mother kicked …
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Defying the Odds: The Tenacity of Starcia Ague
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Call Center Articles: Humor in the Danger Zone: When Jokes Interfere with Our Job
Client insights and service tips: We don’t normally associate humor with a danger zone. In fact, I think lots of humor is key to living a fulfilling life. When my family gets together, we laugh, giggle, chortle, and guffaw like crazy people and we love it! So, are there times when humor is dangerous? Absolutely. …
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Call Center Articles: Humor in the Danger Zone: When Jokes Interfere with Our Job
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Deal with a Negative Environment
You can find a negative environment nearly anywhere. I have a friend who’s dealing with some really ugly stuff in her life. We all know people in that situation and many of us have found ourselves dealing with ugliness from time-to-time. There’s certainly no denying that there’s ugly, bad stuff in the world. I think …
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How to Deal with a Negative Environment
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Success in Marriage and the Help Desk: Some of the Same Human Relations Concepts Apply
I spend a lot of time thinking about human relationships. After all, I write books and blogs on human relations, I teach human relations workshops and seminars for IT people, and it’s generally a big part of my life. I think a lot about how we get along, how we don’t get along, what makes …
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Success in Marriage and the Help Desk: Some of the Same Human Relations Concepts Apply
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Talk to a CEO; Professional Communication Skills for the Helpdesk
I recently spoke with a client who is concerned about how some of his staff members speak to CEOs. He owns an IT consulting firm with a variety of clients and is worried about his consultants' communication skills. His consultants are required to interact with various individuals both on the phone and at client locations. He is concerned that some of the consultants' language choices are inappropriate for dealing with clients, especially when the client in question is a C-level executive.
How to Talk to a CEO; Professional Communication Skills for the Helpdesk
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
What Can IT Customer Care Learn from a Country Music Hall of Famer?
Ernest Tubb is a well-known name to anyone familiar with country music stars of the 1930s through the 1980s. During his recording and performing career, he achieved many milestones including headlining the first Grand Ole Opry performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall along with a long string of hit records including Waltz Across Texas, Thanks a Lot, and Walking the Floor Over You.
What Can IT Customer Care Learn from a Country Music Hall of Famer?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Why Certify? Is IT Certification Truly Valuable?
In our business of IT, we hear a lot of talk about certification, both good and bad. The proponents of certification extol its benefits, including job advancement and more money. Detractors say technical certifications are not based on real world scenarios and only measure an individual's test-taking ability. In my experience, many of the certification proponents are training companies, book publishers, or vendors who stand to reap financial gain from certification. Conversely, many of the certification detractors are people who don't hold certifications. It's easy to get a bit cynical on both sides of the certification question.
Why Certify? Is IT Certification Truly Valuable?
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Win Your Audience: Do’s and Don’ts of Public Speaking
In a recent blog post, I ranted about how to be a terrible speaker. Now, let's turn it around. Here are six easy tips for giving a great speech or presentation.
How to Win Your Audience: Do’s and Don’ts of Public Speaking
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
How to Lose Your Audience: 5 Easy Keys to Having a Public Speaking Fail
As IT professionals and customer service reps, we're sometimes called upon to give a presentation to a group of end-users, customers, colleagues, or some other group of people. I recently had an experience that made me want to write a blog post on what not to do when speaking in public.
How to Lose Your Audience: 5 Easy Keys to Having a Public Speaking Fail
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Anger Management: 3 Tips for What to Do When You Get Angry (Includes Video)
A fact of being human is that we experience a wide range of emotions including happiness, pride, jealousy, sadness, and frustration. One emotion that can be difficult to deal with is our anger. When our work involves serving others, we can sometimes encounter situations that make us angry. Anger, in itself, is not bad and, in fact, can serve as warning sign that something is wrong and it can be a positive catalyst for change. Anger, however, when it is expressed in hurtful or destructive ways can cause problems in relationships (both personal and professional) and can lead to debilitating health problems. When not managed effectively, anger is a flame that consumes its host.
Anger Management: 3 Tips for What to Do When You Get Angry (Includes Video)
Don Crawley
Don Crawley, Author.
Customer Care Training Rule Number One: First, Do No Harm
You may have heard the Latin phrase, Primum non nocere, which means "first, do no harm." Although it’s often associated with the physician’s Hippocratic Oath, the original oath does not include the precise phrase. It is, however, taught in medical schools as part of medical ethics classes and it has an important connotation for those of us who serve end-users and other customers.
Customer Care Training Rule Number One: First, Do No Harm
Don Crawley