What Inspired Me from Pinnacle of Influence

I finished reading this new book that I am a co-author of called Pinnacle of Influence, How the World’s Greatest Thought Leaders Became Global Gurus, and wanted to give both a shout-out to the authors and add a few of my favourite snippets of their inspirational words.  Here are some short phrases or quotes from […]

The Human Experience of Customer Service

Let’s talk Customer Service Experience! Join me Ric Phillips and Jason Agouris of iTristan Media Group as we delve deep into how we humans respond to customer experience, especially in a world of digital products for business. If you work in customer service, or run a small business, this video is for you, especially if […]

Communication Skills Part of YEDI Success

As most of you know I am part of a team that trains entrepreneurs, both for-profit and not-for-profit, in Canada and abroad.  This year our organization YEDI (York Entrepreneurship Development Institute) which operates partnership programs with York University and Schulich Executive Education Centre was ranked the #1 University-linked accelerator in the world, by UBI Global.  […]

Are You the Director of First Impressions?

I snapped this picture a few weeks ago while i was visiting my local Scotiabank branch here in Toronto.  I’m not sure how widely used this new labelling is – maybe it’s a national or even international initiative – but it’s eye-catching to say the least.  For me I immediately responded to it because as […]

Dealing with “Fishy” Customer Service

My friend recently received some strange customer service while dealing with a mid-sized company located in the USA.  He had purchased some sport fishing products about a year ago and, to his surprise, when he reached for the pole a couple of weeks ago, it broke in two.  He is very familiar with and loyal […]

Books I Read and Recommend for Improving Communications

I love to share information and recommend resources to my friends and clients, and love hearing about books and authors that have made a difference in their life too.  Like many I have an Amazon page that lists the books I use in my coaching and training to help clients and teams improve their skills.  […]

The Old Bait and Switch? – Not the Best Idea for Good Customer Service

My wife and I went to a restaurant recently and experienced something that I think is all too common, at least in Toronto. If you are not familiar with the expression from the title, a ‘bait and switch’ is when you hook someone’s interest with something that is very enticing, and then switch it to […]

VIA Rail Employee Made My Mother Smile

Hello fellow customer service advocates of Toronto! Today’s post is a little late, but as the saying goes, it’s better late than never!  (By the way, isn’t it sad how people often don’t post about good service, but quickly will post about bad service?  Why can’t we be balanced in our online reviews?  LOL) My […]

WestJet Christmas Miracle! Real-Time Giving

This is a very heart-warming example of marketing done right, i.e. the company gets great exposure, but the customer also gets something great in return!  Just watch and see, and then ask yourself if you’ve ever seen something similar done by another company.  This is great!  And it was partly filmed at Toronto’s Pearson Airport.  […]