Turning Failures Into Trust

Say you own a busy neighborhood bakery. It’s a Saturday morning, the line is out the door, and a regular customer calls to say the custom cake for her daughter’s birthday (scheduled for pickup an hour ago!) isn’t ready. Somehow, the order slipped through the cracks. It’s a nightmare scenario,…
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Feedback Surveys Offer an Incomplete Picture

Many businesses fall into the trap of relying exclusively on customer feedback surveys to measure service quality. It’s easy to see why: surveys are low-cost, easy to automate, and can be quickly added to any email, receipt, or website. But if you’re using surveys alone to assess the customer experience,…
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How to Avoid Key Person Risk

In every small business, there’s usually at least one person who just seems to know it all. They can handle the tough customers, remember how to fix that one quirky piece of equipment, and they even have answers to questions you didn’t even think to ask. That sounds like a…
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Use Tech to Connect, Not Deflect

Automated phone menus. Chatbots. Artificial Intelligence. For small business owners, these tools can sound like magic. They promise efficiency, 24/7 responsiveness, and a lighter load on your customer service. But here’s the truth: if you’re using technology to deflect customers instead of connecting with them, you’re not just missing the…
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Surpassing Expectations by Meeting Them?

You don’t need to reinvent the customer experience at your business by constantly trying to outdo yourself. In fact, according to customer service expert Shep Hyken, some of the most impactful customer experiences don’t come from extravagant gestures but from simply fulfilling your promises. Reliably, consistently, and maybe even a…
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Turning Transactions into Relationships

Not long ago, a member of The Brandt Group shared a story that perfectly illustrates the kind of customer experience we should all be striving for. He had stopped into a local nature store—one of those specialty shops that sells bird feeders, seed blends, and other products for backyard birding…
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Happy 4th of July!

A happy Independence Day from all of us at The Brandt Group to you! And a happy 249th birthday to the United States of America!
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Man vs. Machine

You’ve probably heard the buzz: artificial intelligence is changing everything. And in the world of customer service, the next big wave is something called agentic AI. It promises to revolutionize how businesses interact with customers—but if you’re running a small business, you might be wondering: Is this a threat or…
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When Price Stops Being an Advantage

Many businesses are feeling the squeeze right now—even giants like Walmart are under pressure. In a recent CNN Business article, Walmart’s CEO warned that U.S. prices on many of its products are likely to increase due to tariffs on imports from China. That’s a big deal. Remember, millions of consumers…
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