Don Crawley, Author.

One of the most important skills any of us can learn is how to be a good listener. It’s an interesting paradox that, in order to be known as a great conversationalist you must first become a great listener. And, one of the four foundational skills of the customer service masters is to be a […]

Top 10 Ways to be a Good Listener (Includes Video)

Don Crawley, Author.

One of the 5 principles of IT customer service success is empathy. Empathy is the ability to put yourself in the other person’s position, to feel and understand what they’re experiencing. Empathy, combined with technical ability, is a powerful formula for success at work. How Can You Be More Empathetic? Listen. Truly listen to the other person. Listen […]

Seven Ways to Improve Your Empathy

Don Crawley, Author.

One of the four traits of the customer service masters is compassion. People who have mastered the art of customer service are naturally compassionate, they have a profound awareness of other’s suffering combined with a desire to alleviate it. One of author Mitch Albom’s friends once described him as noticing people in pain and trying […]

7 Ways to Become More Compassionate

Don Crawley, Author.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to deliver bad news to a customer or end user. For example, an order might not be ready when it was promised, a project might end up costing more than was projected, or a software application might not be ready for installation according to schedule. Regardless of the nature of the bad […]

5 Rules for How to Deliver Bad News

Don Crawley, Author.

Customer service basics: It’s common in a group of IT folks to tell stories about some of the crazy things our end users do. I’ve certainly told my share of such stories, but I think we often forget that no one is an expert on everything. When our end users sometimes ask questions that seem stupid, […]

A Customer Service Reminder: We’re All Clueless Sometimes

Don Crawley, Author.

Motivational Stories and Speeches: I want to share a story from the new edition of The Compassionate Geek about a woman who defied the odds and is re-making herself into a great model of tenacity, perseverance, and compassion. I first heard about Starcia Ague in a story on KUOW-FM here in Seattle. Starcia’s mother kicked […]

Defying the Odds: The Tenacity of Starcia Ague

Don Crawley, Author.

Client insights and service tips: We don’t normally associate humor with a danger zone. In fact, I think lots of humor is key to living a fulfilling life. When my family gets together, we laugh, giggle, chortle, and guffaw like crazy people and we love it! So, are there times when humor is dangerous? Absolutely. […]

Call Center Articles: Humor in the Danger Zone: When Jokes Interfere with Our Job

Don Crawley, Author.

You can find a negative environment nearly anywhere. I have a friend who’s dealing with some really ugly stuff in her life. We all know people in that situation and many of us have found ourselves dealing with ugliness from time-to-time. There’s certainly no denying that there’s ugly, bad stuff in the world. I think […]

How to Deal with a Negative Environment

Don Crawley, Author.

I spend a lot of time thinking about human relationships. After all, I write books and blogs on human relations, I teach human relations workshops and seminars for IT people, and it’s generally a big part of my life. I think a lot about how we get along, how we don’t get along, what makes […]

Success in Marriage and the Help Desk: Some of the Same Human Relations Concepts Apply

Don Crawley, Author.

I recently spoke with a client who is concerned about how some of his staff members speak to CEOs. He owns an IT consulting firm with a variety of clients and is worried about his consultants' communication skills. His consultants are required to interact with various individuals both on the phone and at client locations. He is concerned that some of the consultants' language choices are inappropriate for dealing with clients, especially when the client in question is a C-level executive.

How to Talk to a CEO; Professional Communication Skills for the Helpdesk