Updated: June 30, 2023

You probably had a combination locker in high school.

Back then, you could open the locker in a matter of seconds. You dialed that combination so often that it was practically burned into your muscle memory.

Imagine standing in front of your old locker right now. You probably couldn’t open it, even if the combination hasn’t changed. It has long since been forgotten.

That’s because you store most information on a use it or lose it basis. Frequent use and repetition makes that knowledge easily accessible. Infrequent use causes the information to slip farther and farther back in our memories.

Customer service skills are a lot like your old locker combination. Using them often keeps them top of mind and makes them easier to remember.

Regular reminders can help.

Banner that reads “Customer Service Tip of the Week.”

How weekly tips can help you stay sharp

The Customer Service Tip of the Week email is a simple reminder system. Each week, you receive an email with one tip that reminds you to apply a specific customer service skill.

Focusing on just one tip at a time keeps it manageable. Making a habit of practicing one skill per week ensures you always stay sharp. Over the course of 52 weeks, you’ll have practiced 52 different customer service skills.

Here’s how to use the weekly tips:

Read the the tip of the week.
Reflect on the tip.
Create an intention to use the tip with your customers.
Practice using the tip for one week.
Evaluate your progress at the end of the week.

You can subscribe for free if you don’t already receive them.

What if I’m already an expert?

True experts gain their status, and keep it, by constantly practicing. Think about your favorite athlete or musician. They keep their skills sharp through constant practice.

You should, too.

In 1999, researchers Justin Kruger and David Dunning published some fascinating research on expertise. Kruger and Dunning discovered that unskilled people consistently overrate their ability. Even average performers think they’re smarter than they really are.

Top performers are the only group who consistently underrates their ability. That’s because they know how difficult it is to achieve their level of expertise, and they worry about maintaining their skills.

How to use the weekly tips with your team

The Customer Service Tip of the Week after a brainstorming session with a client. Her team had just taken my Customer Service Foundations course and wanted a way to remind her team about the concepts they had learned.

This conversation spurred the creation of my Customer Service Tip of the Week email. Each weekly email contains a single customer service tip that’s based on my training class.

Since then, customer service leaders around the world have used the tips to supplement their training. Here are a few examples:

Gina, a Customer Care Director, uses the tips to generate discussion topics for her daily team huddle meetings. She often forwards the tips to her team when sharing reminders about a particular topic.

Mark Berlin, Guest Services Director at the USS Midway Museum, connects the tips to specific customer service challenges. This reminds employees about ways they can use them to resolve problems.

Lupe Zepeda, Customer Service Manager at CSA Travel Protection, uses the tips for ideas that can improve customer satisfaction. For example, her team stocked up on branded note cards after reading this tip on the power of handwritten notes.

Jeremy Watkin, Director of Customer Service at Phone.com, forwards tips to his team when they address a specific issue or concept he wants to reinforce.