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Recent Articles by Bill Hogg

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How To Assess Your Organizational Leaders And Their Capacity To Lead (1064 words)

Rarely is a great leader born. Developing leadership capacity and the “must have” leadership characteristics does not happen by accident. Building leadership capacity is a process that starts with understanding the concept of leadership capacity, defining the expectations of leadership within your particular organization, and then building intentional, implementable steps that help leaders assess and develop their ability to be a leader. Full Article

10 Tips to Improve Your Customer Experience (832 words)

Today customers demand a great customer experience and will not settle for anything less –  companies need to create memorable interactions with customers that help establish a loyal relationship and promote brand advocacy. And, for it to be successful it needs to be clearly defined so that each one of your employees understands how to deliver the experience you want to create for your customers. Here are 10 ways that you can improve and refine your customer experience and improve your relationship with customers. Full Article

10 Characteristics of Transformational Leaders (887 words)

There are certain core characteristics the majority of leaders possess. However, there are also an additional set of characteristics that define transformational leaders — leaders that have the ability to make an impact on organizational growth. It is an organizations ability to develop this next level of leadership capabilities through training programs, mentoring, and skill development programs that put organizations in the enviable position to grow year over year without experiencing dips in performance. Full Article

7 Must Have Transformational Leadership Qualities (732 words)

Today, we need courageous leaders who empower others to reach heights they never thought possible. We need our leaders to expand their capabilities and move outside of the transactional space and into a transformational space that focuses on long term solutions rather than short term gains. Leaders need to focus on developing a transformational leadership style that creates positive change and growth. Full Article

Is Your Leadership Limiting Your Organizations Ability to Grow? (1039 words)

Leadership capacity is more than simply skill development; it’s about performance, growth, transformation and change. They are the result of building effective leadership capacity and an awareness and willingness to take the necessary steps in identify internal talent and nurture them into the leaders of tomorrow. Leadership lays the groundwork for success in 3 key ways. Full Article

5 Ways Managers Should Support Their Employees (585 words)

It’s essential that staff receive support or they can’t do their job properly. Support isn’t limited to merely work-related aspects of the job but to other things such as morale and recognition as well. There are plenty of different ways employers can support their staff. Here are a few thoughts to keep in mind in your work environment. Full Article

4 Tips to Turn Satisfied Customers into Loyal Customers (1184 words)

In this article we’re going to cover a few key ways to turn customers who are satisfied into those loyal customers who are responsible for most of your company’s income. Loyal customers mean more profitability for the company and stronger job security for the employees– so taking active steps to turn satisfied customers into long-term loyal ones is in everyone’s best interests. Full Article

5 Steps to Turn a Negative into a Positive Customer Experience (898 words)

A negative experience often means the customer goes elsewhere with their business. However, research also tells us that if we are able to recover from a poor experience — then customer loyalty actually increases. So if you can turn a negative experience into a positive one — that can lead to loyal customers and increased profits for the company. Full Article

6 Valuable Customer Service Training Tips (678 words)

There are many different aspects of work as a customer service representative, regardless of whether it’s face-to-face or on the telephone. Understanding some of the key tips that improve customer service will enable staff to do their job better. Full Article

3 Reasons Why Customer Service Should Exceed Expectations (708 words)

Exceeding customer’s expectations is in the best interest of all employees at all times. Here are 3 key reasons why investing in exceptional customer service is an investment in your long term success. Full Article

10 Tips To Create More Powerful Employee Engagement – Part 2 (536 words)

Positive, engaged employees will stay with a company much longer than those who simply turn up and do the bare minimum because they’re unhappy, bored or the job isn’t challenging enough for them. In May we discussed the first 5 of 10 tips to create more powerful employee engagement. We are continuing this article with the next 5 tips. Full Article

4 Steps to GIVE Exceptional Customer Service (745 words)

Good customer service leads to satisfied customers — but exceptional Customer Service leads to loyalty and this leads to overall increased profitability. Each and every person in your organization has the opportunity to create a positive impression on your customers — to impact their experience and potentially convert them from a lukewarm satisfied customer to a red-hot loyal customer. These 4 steps will help them deliver exceptional customer service. Full Article

10 Tips To Create More Powerful Employee Engagement – Part 1 (649 words)

Positive, engaged employees will stay with a company much longer than those who simply turn up and do the bare minimum because they’re unhappy, bored or the job isn’t challenging enough for them. In this 2 part article, we will examine some of the techniques managers can utilize to build engagement with their teams. Full Article

Why Employees Need Guidelines Not Just Rules (915 words)

Rules are an essential part of any business. Rules are necessary to ensure we make intentional decisions. While there’s nothing wrong with this in principle, there are always going to be situations where a certain degree of flexibility is essential because people are unique, so you have to be flexible enough to respond to their needs. Full Article

4 Essentials Every Employee Needs To Deliver Exceptional Customer Service (890 words)

These are 4 key elements that your employees need so they can provide superior customer service to the people they come into contact with on a daily basis, whether it’s on the telephone or in person. Full Article

5 Golden Rules for Handling Customer Complaints (736 words)

Most employees hate complaints. They don’t like having to deal with customers who call or visit their store or office with a complaint. What they don’t understand is that a complaint is actually a positive thing. Here are 5 golden rules for handling customer service complaints. Full Article

3 Pillars of All Successful Organizations (853 words)

I like ideas that are easy to remember. That is one key reason why I often use memory hooks — something that helps me remember more complicated ideas. One memory hook that is always popular is the 3-legged stool. When one leg is weak, uneven — or worse, missing — the stool loses it ability to perform effectively. Full Article

4 Reasons Why Teamwork Makes The Dream Work (719 words)

We discussed the expectations a team has of their leaders. It’s important to understand those points to empower a leader to forge a strong team. Leaders understand that to achieve goals, it’s important to have everyone working in unison. If they all have different goals, the only result you’ll get is chaos. Here are four reasons why teamwork makes the dream work. Full Article

5 Special Qualities Shared By Courageous Leaders (627 words)

There are many different aspects that make up the complex psyche of a true leader who passionately strives for success for both themselves and others. A leader has so many special qualities that it’s inspirational when you work with them. They possess an invisible aura that radiates confidence and challenges everyone around them to achieve greater heights than they would have ever dared to try before. Full Article

5 Expectations Your Team Has For You As A Leader (637 words)

Leaders help to create powerful, cohesive teams that enable organizations to achieve their targets. Part of being a great leader is understanding what the members of your team expect from you. You can use that knowledge to become a better leader and make them an even stronger team that can achieve anything. Full Article

5 Key Ingredients of Courageous Leaders (674 words)

A great leader knows how to get the best out of their people. Through strong, clear guidance, they enable others to walk tall and achieve success in many ways. Courageous leaders are inspirational. That isn’t their ambition. It’s simply a positive by-product of their character and powerful work ethic. By following the example a good leader sets, others can also achieve the same results. Full Article

5 Ways to Create A Powerful Cohesive Team (527 words)

Leaders are the people who guide companies into the future and inspire people to follow them along the way. In this article we will discuss the specific thought processes that a leader uses to transform a team from average to awesome — into one cohesive, highly motivated team who are willing to go the extra mile to meet objectives. Full Article

5 Ways to Ignite Passion In Your Team (752 words)

True leaders have the innate ability to motivate staff to achieve better results. Leading with a passion is what separates great leaders from the “wannabees.” Some people come to work every day, do their job and then go home. Their heart isn’t really in it, but they need the money, so they see their job simply as a means to an end — money. So how do you inspire your team to deliver superior results? Here are five ways to ignite the passion in your team. Full Article

4 Reasons a Leader Embraces Change (545 words)

A leader has an entirely different vision to that of a manager. Managers fear change because it upsets their carefully structured way of life — while leaders embrace change because they know that change leads to new ways of growth and accomplishment.Leaders understand these 4 principles of change to help companies and their teams grow and progress to the next level of performance. Full Article

4 Powerful Ways To Motivate Your Team (754 words)

Inspiring leaders recognize that money is not the main reason people come to work. Sure, it’s the primary motivator for why we work — but once the concept of comparable pay for comparable work has been addressed, it fails to inspire passion in the work place. Great leaders learn how to motivate their people on an individual basis instead of falsely assuming they’ll all work harder for an extra financial incentive.
Full Article

3 Ways to Improve Your Leadership Aptitude (542 words)

Being a leader is not the same as being a manager. Thankfully, the skills of being a leader can be cultivated. Developing these three qualities in your life and career will help you become a better leader.
Full Article

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

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

Excellent customer service is a hot commodity in today’s challenging economic environment. Your customer relations are truly your only sustainable competitive advantage for growth and profitability. The brutal fact, however, is that 75 percent of your customers would gladly do business with your competition! Regardless of how low your prices are or how much your service is needed, customers will shop elsewhere — even pay more money — to be treated well. Full Article

5 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.

10 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

7 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

7 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

7 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

12 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)

When discussing the “How to’s” of building an engaged culture, we hear lots of talk about ‘reinforcing the positive’ and ‘catching people doing things right’, but what happens when people are doing things wrong and we need to provide corrective direction. Specific steps need to take place to get the person moving in the proper direction while still keeping them positive and motivated.
Full Article

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