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Recent Articles by Bill Hogg

5 Essential Characteristics That Differentiate Leaders From Managers (642 words)

Often people use the terms leaders and managers interchangeably. But nothing could be further from the truth! Anyone can become a manager, merely by awarding the title. That makes them a manager -- but that is simply a name. A leader, on the other hand, must be earned and recognized by one's peers. Full Article

5 Steps To Customer Service Glory (640 words)

We all know that providing exceptional customer service is the stated goal of every business leader, regardless of how large or small the company. Sadly, the personal touch customers want -- and deserve -- is often lost in the daily grind of doing business. Here are five simple ways to keep your customers coming back, even after facing their problems or complaints. Full Article

15 Tips That Excelerate Performance (1008 words)

Developing loyal customers begins with developing a team who understand the importance of customer-focused service and care about the total customer experience. A key building block of developing high performance employees is recognizing the behaviours that you want repeated -- those that ultimately create loyalty with your customer. Full Article

Three Simple Steps to Help You Win the Customer Service Race (622 words)

Five Ways To Turn Indifferent Customers Into Raving Fans (509 words)

Providing good customer service just isn't enough anymore, not with companies the world over clamoring for the dwindling dollars consumers spend. And heaven forbid your customer service should be classified average! That could, literally, be the death of a company if it's not turned around quickly. Full Article

The Power of Parables (484 words)

Parables are defined as a short simple story intended to illustrate a moral or religious lesson. These stories have been passed down from generation to generation through story-telling -- each story with its own significance and message. What makes these messages so important is that a key message is embedded into the story, which illustrates or demonstrates the message. Modern fairy tales and fables often contain similar messages that help children learn accepted and wise behaviours. Building a high-performance culture is no different. Full Article

10 Service Principles Every Employee Should Know (522 words)

Even employees who never deal with the public must exhibit good customer service skills. How employees treat each other is the harbinger of how the organization will treat the public. Here is quick checklist of behaviours we should all demonstrate when dealing with colleagues or the public to ensure an exceptional customer experience -- internally and externally. Full Article

Critical Qualities of a Top Manager (635 words)

In business we are only as successful as the people we hire.  And while our front-line employees are critical to our business, choosing the right managers can have significant impact on our success.  So what makes a good manager, what are the behaviours that stand the test of time? Here are a few thoughts on the characteristics to look for in a successful Manager. Full Article

Customer Service Training is For Managers Too (743 words)

Good managers know that customer service is the lifeblood of any successful company. Given this, it's no wonder that many companies invest in customer service training. What's less obvious, but probably even more important, is that customer service training isn't just for the front line; it's for managers too -- and for good reason. Full Article

Starting An Employee Engagement Program (466 words)

We have all heard the importance of developing engaged employees at our workplace, but too often the articles are full of theoretical discussion instead of practical steps to making it happen. Without any claim that this is the definitive list, here are some simple steps to consider when starting your own program. Full Article

Ten Tips to Keep Your Team Positive (559 words)

Your sales and customer service team are the primary customer contact for every business. What does their attitude say about your company? If some of your team are not communicating the message you want, here are 10 questions to ask yourself to ensure they stay positive, focused on message and deliver an exceptional customer service experience. Full Article

Seven Tips to Deal with Unhappy Customers (649 words)

No one likes to receive a complaint -- but complaints are worth their weight in gold if an organization learns from them and then uses the information to improve the customer experience. Customer complaints can be used to build a better customer experience and turn a dissatisfied customer into a raving fan. Full Article

10 Tips for Impeccable Customer Service & Repeat Customers (582 words)

Every business claims they focus on customer service and offer the best to their clients.  However, how many really do?  If you want to be able to stand out from the crowd and offer truly great customer service instead of just empty promises, here are ten great tips that will help. Full Article

Turning Adversity into Opportunity (554 words)

Despite the doom and gloom of today's economic downturn, smart leaders look to history for learning. History tells us that now is not the time to cut important foundational programs, but to leverage current conditions for competitive advantage so they emerge from this economic downturn better positioned for success. Full Article

Growing in a Down Market (462 words)

Okay, we all know about the recession. I have decided not to focus on the problems but the opportunities (old P&G training kicking in!). So what are the opportunities that we can leverage? For starters, focus on motivating and inspiring your teams. Here are a few things that you can do tomorrow, for little or no money, which will have a positive impact on your business results. Full Article

Providing Positive Feedback (600 words)

I must admit, I am uncomfortable when someone compliments me about my work. Of course I want people to be happy about my behaviour (performance) and I want positive feedback versus the alternative, but for me, I am uncomfortable responding to praise, or compliments. I'd like to hear something specific about my work rather than some generic comment about me. Full Article

Give Your Employees The Finger (372 words)

Another successful technique for providing recognition doesn't require talking—that’s right, you can provide positive feedback to anyone without saying a word. The only requirement is you have to see them demonstrating the desired behaviour. Full Article

Seven Critical Success Factors to Exceptional Customer Service (422 words)

Employees report that one of the key factors they are engaged in their organization is predicated on how well the organization treats their customers. So treating your customers well will also have a corresponding positive impact on your employees. Here are 7 critical success factors to providing exceptional customer service. Full Article

Seven Steps to a Customer-Focused Company (550 words)

There are a few common imperatives shared by all successful customer-focused companies. Scholars may debate the exact number or wording, but it is universally agreed that to create a well-integrated organization, these basic characteristics must be in place. If any of these essential ingredients are missing, no organization will achieve its full potential. Full Article

Twelve Steps to Improve Your Customer Experience (425 Words)

Employee engagement and exceptional customer service play a critical role as a competitive advantage in the business landscape. Great customer service built on a foundation of high employee engagement isn't a revolutionary concept. More companies are recognizing just how important a deliberate and intentional customer-focused culture is, but few companies do it well. Here are 12 simple steps to ensure your organization is maximizing this important competitive advantage. Full Article

Who Do You Work For? (1,353 words)

If I was to ask you who you’re working for, what would you say? a) Your company? b) Your boss? c) Yourself? d) Your customers? Most people, when they are honest, answer a, b or even c.  But if you answered d, are you really working for your customers, or just paying lip service to it? Full Article

How To Provide Corrective Direction (762 words)

How to Achieve The Ultimate Customer-focused Company (350 words)

While many companies claim to be focused on their customers, they are unable to deliver on these promises within their current company culture. The argument is that companies continue to focus on their own needs versus the customer needs. Four values are identified that companies must adopt in order to successfully be customer-focused. Full Article

Have you Identified Employees as a Key Target Audience? (478 words)

Are you facilitating a conversation? Do you have a process set up that stimulates a conversation or is your messaging primarily just being pushed out from the communications team? Full Article

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