This is the week when many of us step out of our routines.
Some people travel.
Some host. (This year I'm hosting Thanksgiving for the first time in a long while.)
Some recharge.
Some brace themselves.

And whether we’re talking about a packed airport, a busy store, a family gathering, or a tense cus...

Every day, your customer service team faces emotional customers, long handle times, and stressful escalations. One frustrated caller can disrupt not only the customer experience, but also the emotional state of your employees for the rest of the day.

As leaders, we want our teams to stay calm, take...

Picture this: an angry customer is on your phone, voice raised, cutting you off. Your heart starts racing, your shoulders tense up, and before you know it, you're matching their energy. Sound familiar? We've all been there, and it's not fun for anyone involved.

But what if I told you there's a simp...

Picture this: a customer calls in, voice shaking with frustration, speaking faster than usual, and you can practically feel the tension through the phone. Their logic has left the building, and you're face-to-face with what I call limbic hijack. This is the moment when a customer's emotional brain t...

Every leader today is focused on how AI is transforming customer experience, communication, and team interactions with customers. However, there is one thing that even the most advanced AI cannot accomplish: calming emotions.

AI can analyze language and predict behavior, but when a customer is e...

Picture this: two chimpanzees locked in a fierce battle. One, realizing he's losing, makes a surprising move. He grabs a baby chimp and holds it up to his opponent. Instantly, the aggression melts away. The alpha's testosterone plummets, and calm descends.

This isn't just an interesting animal b...

Customer Service Week is just around the corner, and if you're like most organizations, you're probably thinking about how to celebrate your hardworking team. But let's face it, while balloons and bagels are nice, they don't exactly leave a lasting impact. What if I told you there's a way to recogni...

Have you ever found yourself in a heated exchange with an angry customer, feeling like you're caught in an endless rally of frustration? I've been there, and I know how challenging it can be to navigate these high-tension situations. But what if I told you that the secret to defusing these encounter...

Have you ever wondered why some training sessions seem to go in one ear and out the other? You're not alone. As customer service professionals, we've all sat through our fair share of training that left us feeling underwhelmed and unprepared. But what if I told you there's a secret sauce to creating...

Have you ever been in a meeting where you shared a brilliant idea, only to have it fall flat, and then moments later, someone else repeats the same thought and suddenly it's the best thing since sliced bread? If you're nodding your head right now, you're not alone. This frustrating experience is a c...

Have you ever been in a situation where a colleague's comments or actions made you feel uncomfortable, but you weren't quite sure how to address it? In the customer service world, we're often taught to prioritize the customer's experience, but what about our own experiences in the workplace?

Microa...

We've all been there. You're in the middle of a customer interaction when suddenly, you hear a comment that makes you pause. It's not outright offensive, but it doesn't sit right either. Welcome to the world of microaggressions in customer service.

Microaggressions are those subtle, often unintenti...