Customer Service Conference: What a Refreshing Take on How We Relate to Others

Post date: Nov 07, 2012 10:12:36 PM

For someone that really enjoys being right as much as I can (if not all the time), I am surprisingly at ease with TLC proving me wrong on two counts.

The first time was when they were telling me about their online educational tutorial program, EMMI. An online cartoon about laser vision correction? How hokey is this going to be, I initially though to myself. But, wait, I tried it myself, and I actually thought, "Hmmm ... I bet you patients that do this are actually much better educated when they come in for consultations." Hey, at least I was right about that part! The tutorial program is actually very logical, moves at an easy pace, and even pauses to allow the patient to enter questions. Those questions are ready for me at their consultations to review together.

And, we have now encountered the second time that TLC proved me wrong. This Monday and Tuesday, I flew out to Cleveland, Ohio, to attend the Secret Service Summit. With a name like that, "Secret Service Agents" on protective detail for each speaker, and "networking breaks", I thought for sure that I was going to regret coming to the meeting. Turns out, though, that my only regret is that my Regional Manager, Richard Habib, had not nominated me to attend this meeting before! Geez, Richard! This was the fourth annual Summit. If I do my math right, that's three missed opportunities! : )

The speakers were fabulous. Each was specifically chosen because of their own ability to lead companies known for excellence in customer service or their ability to lead on a motivational level, inspiring one to achieve and demand more from their personal and professional lives. They spoke about looking within to develop core leadership values before one could reach out to others with the same expectations of rising above the the crowd.

The best part was our brainstorming sessions on the morning of Day 2. If you've ever worked in a group with me before, you'll find that I actually tend to think better on my own. An individualized team leader! : ) But, I was so proud of myself for really becoming invested in this brainstorming activity. The speaker asked to think realistically about our own businesses, identify key points were customer service could easily fail or be improved, and then create plans of action to address those issues. I came away with soooooo many new ideas!

Here's to future idea implementation! - jw