Customer-centric employee smiling while working with a client.

Customer Service Advice from 17 Small Business Consultants

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

seamless interactions by virtual receptionists
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What are Virtual Receptionists? The PATLive Guide

You might’ve heard the term “virtual receptionist” before, and it’s not immediately clear what exactly they are or what purpose they serve. Are they robots? Do they sit in the corner of your office, beeping like the Jetsons’ robot maid? (We’ll get that one out of the way now—no.) If you don’t know what a…

5 Lessons I Learned While Following Shep Hyken on Twitter

5 Lessons I Learned While Following Shep Hyken on Twitter

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

losing a customer: unhappy customer

Read if You Dare: The Most Dreadful Customer Service Stats of All Time

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

Customer Communication: 3 More Ways to Keep Cool During Stressful Calls

Customer Communication: 3 More Ways to Keep Cool During Stressful Calls

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

6 Brilliant Quotes to Inspire Awesome Communication with Your Customers

6 Brilliant Quotes to Inspire Awesome Communication with Your Customers

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

4 Crazy Simple Ways to Communicate Better With Your Customers

4 Crazy Simple Ways to Communicate Better With Your Customers

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

Answering Service Tips: How To Keep Your Cool During Stressful Calls

Answering Service Tips: How To Keep Your Cool During Stressful Calls

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

6 Ways Answering Your Own Phone Harms Your Business (And How An Answering Service Helps)

6 Ways Answering Your Own Phone Harms Your Business (And How An Answering Service Helps)

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

3 Things I Learned About Customer Service by Being a Plumber First

3 Things I Learned About Customer Service by Being a Plumber First

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