Could the public ever contact 911 for help via Twitter or Facebook?
Though public safety answering points are far from implementing that service now, it’s actually something that’s being mulled over by key figures in the industry.
Social media is already being tapped for a variety of public safety uses but there are major challenges that PSAPs would be confronted with if they enabled the public to use social media to ask for help with emergencies.
Right now emergency responders use social media to disseminate or gather information. In the event of an emergency, public safety agencies can notify the public via posts on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets. Because these posts have the potential to reach large targeted audiences quickly social media can be truly valuable in a dangerous situation. From warnings about road conditions in bad weather to instructions and updates during an unfolding public safety-related event, social media announcements can actually save lives.
The police and FBI use social media to gather information about crimes. They comb Facebook and other networking sites looking for people who are bragging about a crime they just committed – or maybe even posting pictures or videos of themselves in the act. Social media can also help them tap into the collective knowledge of entire communities. Oftentimes people post pictures of large-scale emergencies as they’re happening and emergency responders can utilize that intelligence in handling the situation. And it’s not uncommon for police to post a picture or video on Facebook to ask the public whether anyone recognizes the criminal.
There are situations where calling to request is impossible as it puts the individual in even more danger, such as during a kidnapping or domestic violence. Instead of attempting to seek help through messaging a police station’s Facebook, text a friend and have them call for help. Post a status on Facebook (and tag individuals so they will be alerted). Still, the best option is to call 911, turn the volume down, and leave the line open so dispatchers can hear what is going on.
Before 911 contact centers could consider responding to pleas for help via social media, there are several obstacles that would have to be dealt with.
First of all, there’s the issue of response time. When a person calls 911, they expect an immediate answer and help within minutes. But with social media, there can be a time lag between posting a request and getting a response. Meanwhile, the person in trouble won’t know whether their post has been seen yet. Just think of the usual response times for companies answering a customer question on their Facebook page 24 to 48 hours or more! A 911 Facebook page would have to give instantaneous responses.
That leads us to the next problem: staffing. In order to effectively monitor social media for requests for emergency help, a dedicated workforce would need to be put in place to scan all social media feeds around the clock and handle emergencies as they arise. This workforce could not be comprised of people already busy answering the phones because response time would be compromised for those calling in. Budgets would have to be adjusted accordingly, which is never conducive to making a change.
Finally, important information that can be gathered from a phone call such as location, is not as easy to obtain from a social media post. If someone posts a request for help without mentioning their location and is then unable to continue the conversation due to the nature of the emergency it would be just about impossible to locate them.
The use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter has already proven to be very effective in helping public safety agencies disseminate and gather information. As far as giving 911-style help via social media, who knows? With advances being made in technology every day, it may not be too long before there’s an app for that, too.
It’s probably every contact center supervisor’s least favorite thing about their job: handling escalated calls. By their very nature, these calls are unpleasant at best, and day ruining at worst. Whether it’s the customer who’s demanding to speak to a supervisor, or the call center agent who has given up trying to solve the problem and is passing the call to you for help, it’s bound to be a challenging conversation. Luckily, there are ways to diffuse the situation and make that escalated call go as smoothly as possible.
Before you take the call, take a moment to prepare yourself mentally for it. If your first reaction to an escalated call is a feeling of dread or even anger about having to speak to this awful, rude person, your attitude will come through in the way you speak – and both you and your customer will get even more upset. Instead, take a deep breath, and realize that no matter how badly they’re behaving right now, the person on the other end of the phone line is just a human being, who has a problem that needs solving in order to feel better. Approaching the conversation in this way will allow you to take the call in problem-solving mode, instead of going on the defensive.
There’s nothing that makes an angry customer angrier than having to repeat their story over and over again to new people who haven’t been briefed on the situation. Make sure that you understand clearly what the problem is, as well as what the agent has already tried. Here as well, it is important to try to separate the person from their problem, and find out what the objective facts of the matter are. Another good idea is to find out what the customer’s mood and tone were at the beginning of the call, and what they are now, to see if you’ll need to do any damage control.
You should come up with two types of goals for this call – a customer satisfaction goal and a problem-solving goal. For the customer satisfaction goal, determine what emotional state the customer will need to be in to accept your offer of a solution. Also, decide how you want the customer to feel about you and your company after your call is over. Then use these goals to guide your words. For the problem-solving goal, decide what resolution you want to have achieved by the end of this call, and then act accordingly.
When you take the call, you should have two things in mind as to how you want to sound to the customer. First of all, you want to come across as positive and confident in your ability to solve this problem, so that the customer can trust you. Secondly, you want to show your concern for the customer, and empathize with their situation, so that they feel understood.
Chad Carden, president of the CardenGroup, a company that inspires effective communication, offers a step-by-step process on how to de-escalate a situation.
Carden’s steps are:
Using these tips and Carden’s process as a basis, you can craft your own de-escalation battle plan. When you get a particularly difficult call, you will have a guide you can follow. You are now ready for any escalated call that comes your way! With just a little preparation, these once dreaded calls can become just another call in your day. And who knows? After turning so many customer frowns upside down, you may just begin to enjoy them.
As anyone who works at a public safety answering point knows, holidays are always a time of increased emergencies. Emergency call centers are on high alert when the weather takes a turn for the worst, people are traveling, alcohol is being served at parties, heaters are in use 24/7, and holiday decorations are up. Put together, it can be – and often is – a recipe for disaster, when certain precautions are not taken.
So what steps can you recommend to family and friends to help prevent holiday emergencies from occurring? We’ve put together a helpful list of things to keep in mind so they don’t end up having to call your PSAP this holiday season.
With so many people travelling for the holidays, whether it’s to stay at Grandma’s for a couple of weeks or just to visit friends for a few hours, it’s no wonder that this is the time when, according to the FBI, almost half a million burglaries take place each year. In order to minimize chances of a break-in, make sure your doors and windows are locked when you leave, even if it’s just to go to the store. Give the appearance that someone is home by leaving a TV or radio on, and putting lights on a timer. If possible, keep a car in the driveway, and ask a neighbor to pick up your mail and maybe even shovel snow while you’re away. Also be mindful when holiday shopping!
According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), fire departments respond to an average of 210 homes each holiday year. Doesn’t seem like a lot? Consider that those fires caused $17.5 million in property damage from 2009 to 20013. Not including the 1,000 people who are injured by the tree alone!
Be smart when choosing your Christmas tree by relying on safety tips. Make sure that needles don’t fall off in large quantities and that the base is still sticky with resin; the fresher your Christmas tree is, the less likely it is to be a fire hazard. Once you bring it home be sure to keep it in plenty of water to keep it fresh as long as possible and place it in a location well away from fireplaces and heaters.
Before decorating the tree, the outside of your house, or anything else with Christmas lights, check to make sure the wires, sockets, and connections are all in good condition. Before leaving the house or going to sleep, all lights should be turned off. And finally, be careful never to decorate a metallic tree with electric lights – one faulty light can cause someone who simply touches a tree branch to be electrocuted.
And it’s not just the lights you have to worry about. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, there is an average of 250 injuries a day during the holidays—that averages to be about 15,000 decorating-related injuries per year.
It goes without saying that you should keep an eye on your own alcohol intake during the holidays, as at any time. But if you are throwing a holiday party, be a responsible host by making sure your friends have a designated driver and not letting anyone drive drunk or even tipsy. Offer plenty of non-alcoholic drinks at your party as alternatives and watch your friends’ consumption so that they don’t overindulge.
If you are going out to a party, the same rules apply: Make sure you have a designated driver (or cab or Uber) and keep in mind how many drinks you have. Going to a public place? Always keep an eye on your drink and get a new drink if you leave yours unattended even for one moment. Utilizing these tips will ensure that you have a fun and safe time!
When the weather outside is frightful, people break out the space heaters – which can cause fires if they malfunction, tip over, or are placed too close to anything flammable. The NFPA reports that candles start about 38 percent of home decoration fires and 51 percent of December fires started by candles so be sure never to leave one unattended. And with all the hustle and bustle of cooking for the season, fires can start in the kitchen. Keep an up-to-date, non-expired fire extinguisher handy. The most popular holidays for home cooking fires are Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and Christmas Eve respectively.
By taking a few precautions, the holidays can be a safe and happy time for everyone – including public safety answering point personnel. Happy Holidays from all of us here at KOVA Corp!
These days, it’s not enough to simply provide good customer service – you want to ensure that your contact center’s customer service is distinctive.
It’s one thing to build rapport with customers on the phone, where you are able to listen empathetically and speak reassuringly. When providing customer service via social media, however, the situation can be a bit more complicated.
That’s why we’ve put together a list of tips for providing outstanding customer service on social media, as well.
1. Don’t hesitate to mix phone and social media. Interactions taking place via social media don’t have to stay that way – if the situation warrants it, have agents ask for the customer’s phone number and give them a call. They’ll be flattered that they went to the extra trouble for them, and being able to speak rather than type may expedite the resolution of their issue.
2. Be clear about your social media operating hours. Some businesses may be able to keep their social media contact center open 24/7. But if yours has set hours, be sure to have your contact center workforce let your customers know what they are, clearly and repeatedly. That way, they won’t get frustrated waiting for someone to answer when nobody’s there.
3. Work closely with your company’s PR department. The voice and tone your company uses on social media should remain consistent, whether you’re announcing a new special or handling a customer service issue. Make sure that the customer service you provide “feels” like your brand to customers, and corresponds with your company’s image and values, as well.
4. Follow up on negative comments. It’s tempting to ignore or even delete these, but negative comments can actually be the starting point for a great relationship with a customer. Have agents respond publicly to the criticism, and do their best to make it right. You may just win that customer back, more loyal than ever.
5. Bond with your customer. It can be harder to convey feelings such as empathy via social media, so it’s important to go the extra mile when it comes to creating rapport with your customer. Ask your contact center workforce to inject some personality into their responses, and even humor, if that’s possible in the situation. They can also ask friendly questions other than those immediately related to the matter at hand, to begin forming a relationship with this customer. The more the customers feel they’re dealing with a friend, the better.
6. Log all interactions in a customer database. That way, each time the same customer contacts your center, anyone communicating with him will have access to his past interactions with the company, and be able to make him feel as if he has a personal relationship with them. Customer loyalty increases when customers feel valued in this way.
By putting these six tips into practice, you’ll be on your way to providing amazing customer service via social media. And who wouldn’t want word to get out online that their contact center workforce provides not just good customer service, but distinctive, uniquely helpful, and incredibly friendly customer service?
Whether your call center is a customer service desk, a tech support center, a public safety answering point, a sales division, or anything in between, the most important aspect of each agent’s job is listening.
Think about it. Yes, they’re there to fix problems, make sales, or help people. But all of those things are impossible to do without that vital first step – listening effectively to the person on the other end of the phone.
We hear about the importance of good listening skills all the time, but isn’t it strange that almost no one ever actually teaches people how to listen? We learn to read, write, and speak effectively in school, but classes on effective listening are extremely few and far between.
We’d like to change that today, by offering you this list of the five stages of effective listening, and how to train your agents in each one, whether you run a PSAP or a contact center.
Stage 1: Receiving
At this stage in the listening process, the agent should be focused on receiving the caller’s message. This entails more than just hearing the words, however: agents should try to receive what the caller is actually saying, but also what their unspoken, underlying message is. It’s important that the agent listens both to what is said and what is not said. Omitting certain things can be just as significant as talking about them. It is also vital that the agent listens to the caller’s tone of voice and other nonverbal cues – they can be just as telling as words, and sometimes even more so. In order to help agents receive the message in each call effectively, have them focus entirely on the call. There should be no distractions in the environment around them, they should be sure not to interrupt the caller, and they should avoid trying to plan out their response in advance, instead focusing all their attention on the speaker.
Stage 2: Understanding
Making sure agents truly understand the caller’s message is the next step. Train them not to make assumptions or judgments about the caller’s message before they hear it completely, as that might cause them to misunderstand. The best way to ensure true understanding is to ask the caller questions if clarification is needed, and then restate the message back to them for verification.
Stage 3: Remembering
In order for an agent to be able to take action in response to a call, he or she must be able to remember the entire message. Teaching agents to focus on finding the central idea or ideas in a caller’s message, and organizing information heard into easily remembered categories, will help them to keep all the key points of the call in mind as they search for a solution.
Stage 4: Evaluating
This stage can be the most difficult of all. Evaluating a caller’s message requires that an agent be able to distinguish fact from opinion, as well as whether the caller might have any bias or slant coloring their perception of things. Train agents to listen for certain words or statements that indicate such a bias or personal interpretation of events might be in play.
Stage 5: Responding
It’s important for agents to respond to their callers throughout the conversation by giving small affirmations to show they are listening, such as “I see,” or “mm-hmm.” But don’t let them give in to the temptation to complete the person’s sentences for them. And finally, teach your agents to focus completely on the other person in their final response, using what they’ve just listened to so effectively as the guide for responding to their needs in the most appropriate way for their individual situation.
Contact center workforce management is a true balancing act. What with all the intricacies of scheduling, the heavy workload of call monitoring and training, the high standards of customer service, and the expectation of short call times, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way to take control of the situation? Not to have your schedule rendered inefficient by random call volume fluctuations? Not to be forever reacting to customer complaints?
There is. And it’s as simple as changing your mindset towards your contact center. What is this magic solution? Be proactive.
Most contact center workforces spend their days reacting to customers, whether to their questions, their complaints, their technical issues, or their new orders. But by changing the main focus of a contact center from providing reactive customer service to providing proactive customer service, contact center supervisors suddenly exercise more control over their staff’s daily workload, reduce costs by scheduling more efficiently, and as a bonus, customers are happier, as well.
So how can you make your contact center more proactive? Create a strategy of proactive contact. Don’t wait for your customers to call you – call them first, before they have the chance. Here are four different ways to make your customer service proactive.
1. Keep customers informed. Sending emails or setting up automated calls to let customers know what’s going on will go a long way towards reassuring them that progress is being made, and that they’ll be told instantly whenever there is a change in status. With a system like this in place, customers will not feel the need to call in nearly as often as they would if they were in the dark about their order or shipping status, their utility service restoration, or their claim status, for example.
2. Manage expectations proactively. If your company is aware of a problem, such as a canceled or delayed flight, or some other service or account related issue, contact customers who will be affected by the issue before they even know about it. By being the first to inform them of it, and at the same time offering an immediate solution, customers will be much more likely to think highly of your customer service than if they had to call in to complain themselves.
3. Anticipate your customers’ needs. There are certain transactions that almost always need to take place once a specific trigger has occurred. Rather than waiting for customers to call in on their own schedule to take care of these items, contact them as soon as the trigger presents itself. For example, in the case of a past due bill, you could immediately offer the customer payment arrangements.
4. Surprise customers with valuable information. Rather than passively waiting for customers to call to upgrade their service or plan, actively let them know about their options. Use their account history to recommend a better choice of service to fit their needs, or tell them about new products or services that they might find useful.
By taking care of these common instances of interactions with customers with outgoing calls, you can reduce the number of incoming calls to your contact center, thereby making scheduling easier and more efficient. This saves your company money, while at the same time providing better customer service than a reactive approach ever could.
A bipartisan team of Washington lawmakers recently unveiled a bill meant to penalize organizations that outsource U.S. contact center jobs to other countries, called the “U.S. Call Center and Worker Protection Act of 2013” (S. 1565/H.R. 2909).
Supported by Senators Robert Casey (D-PA) and Tim Johnson (D-SD), and House of Representatives Democrats Tim Bishop (NY-1), Mike Michaud (ME-2) and Gene Green (TX-29), along with House Republicans David McKinley (WVA-1), Michael Grimm (NY-11) and Chris Gibson (NY-19), this bill approaches the issue of overseas contact centers from various angles.
First of all, it would create a “bad actor” list of American companies whose contact centers are in foreign countries. This list would be maintained by the Department of Labor and available to the public. Any company on this list would not only be ineligible for federal grants, subsidies, and guaranteed loans, but would remain ineligible for three years. In addition, companies not on this list would be given preference when awarding civilian and defense-related contracts. Companies that moved their operations back to the United States would, however, be allowed to have their names removed from the list.
Secondly, the “Press One For America” section of the legislation would require call center agents overseas to disclose their name and the physical location of their contact center at the beginning of each call; saying, for example, “Hello, this is Ryan in Manila.” The bill then gives the consumer the right to request that his call be transferred to a contact center located in the United States.
Communications Workers of America Senior Director George Kohl explained: “This bill would not stop a corporation from moving jobs overseas, but it makes it clear that those that don't want to keep good jobs here in the U.S. won't be able to benefit from federal grants and guaranteed loans. There should be no more handouts from taxpayers for those who choose not to invest in American workers.”
The creation of this bill was motivated by the ever-growing number of American contact center jobs lost to overseas outsourcing. “Outsourcing is one of the scourges of our economy and one of the reasons we are struggling to knock down the unemployment rate and reduce the number of Americans who are out of work. We can't prohibit it, but we can certainly discourage it,” said Representative Tim Bishop.
Another reason for its development was a recent report on the prevalence of data security issues at call centers in other countries, putting Americans at risk for identity theft. According to this report, released by the Communications Workers of America, call center employees in centers overseas have been caught stealing credit card numbers, mortgage information, and medical records.
According to the CWA, “Action by legislators at the state and federal level is essential because the consequences of offshoring are destructive in many ways, devastating individuals, communities, and the nation.” The “Press One for America” bill would take decisive action against companies that outsource contact center jobs to other countries. What are your thoughts on this proposed piece of legislation?
Teamwork is an important part of the workings of any contact center. The individual performance of each agent is, of course, vital to an organization’s success, but each individual should never lose sight of the fact that they are a member of a larger unit and that their interactions within that team have a very real impact on their team’s performance as a whole.
If you have a team in your contact center that is underperforming, it can be hard to know how to help them improve their teamwork. It’s one thing to train and coach an individual on their call center skills. It’s quite another to help an entire group of people learn to work together effectively.
To help, we’ve compiled a list of tips to assist you in getting any underperforming team back on track and moving forward again, together.
You already know which results are not being achieved and which goals are not being met – what you need to do now is identify the actual behavior causing these lackluster results. Is your team not working to build rapport with customers? Are they not communicating important information to each other? Maybe they’re not asking customers about their further needs? Diagnosing the problem behavior is a vital first step in improving performance. To do so, sit down with each team member and have a one-on-one conversation regarding their performance, the team’s performance, and the individual’s view on what the issues are. Then, identify points of consensus among the team and discuss these points in an all-team meeting. Have them be part of the creative process in improving their performance. It will work better if they are involved!
When you say teamwork, you may mean individuals working together closely in a coordinated way, like an orchestra or even a football team. If your team members think of teamwork as individuals simply providing moral support for each other as they all work separately, this is an issue and this disconnect will cause problems. Let your team know exactly what you expect them to do as a team so everyone is on the same page. It may help to conduct a teambuilding exercise to show each member that they need each other to achieve a specific goal, and that they need the strengths/talents of each other team member to succeed.
Effective teams have certain methods of interacting with each other that produce the desired results. Where is your team missing the mark? Do they all get involved in the decision-making process? Do they all feel a sense of shared responsibility for the team’s results? Do they understand why the team exists? Are they willing to try new things? Do they discuss issues early on before they become real problems? Finding out where things are breaking down will allow you to lead your team towards improvement in that area. Again, it is important to get your team involved in this process. As an outsider, you may have an idea of what’s missing, but the individual members have a first-hand point of view. Their feedback is crucial when it comes to making changes.
Discussions of ideas and opinions are important to the function of a team, but the way each person’s ideas are treated will affect participation and morale. Do holders of the majority opinion shut down the minority’s comments disrespectfully? Rather than bringing about consensus, this leads to resentment and a lack of commitment to the team’s goals. Help your team learn to hear everyone out, by taking every comment seriously, giving it the consideration it deserves, and never allowing disagreements to become personal. If you find that discussion alone does not help, there may be more under the surface that is causing these issues and it could be time to call in a third party to assist in handling the situation.
Every little step in the right direction is a milestone that should be recognized. It can take time for groups to learn to work together effectively, especially if they have a history of dysfunction. Be sure to celebrate every single accomplishment on the way to your final goal, to keep your team motivated and moving forward together. These recognitions don’t have to be grand; a simple “Thank you!” goes a long way in boosting and maintaining the morale of a team. When a team overcomes a hurdle or meets an important goal, consider a bigger celebration such as a catered lunch.
When it comes to managing an underperforming contact center team, the worst action you can make is to place blame and attempt to correct the problem on your own. Dissect the issue at hand by getting feedback from the team and their view on why the team is underperforming. They can provide insight you don’t have and help come up with a plan to improve. If they participate in making the changes, it will be more likely to stick.
Ensuring that the team managers in your contact center are performing at high levels is essential to the success of your entire operation. Team managers work in close contact with your agents, so strong leadership skills are vital in inspiring them to do their best as well. Unfortunately, agents often cite incompatibility with team managers as a reason for high turnover rates.
What can be done to improve the leadership skills of your contact center’s team managers? We’ve put together a list of several ideas that can help.
1. Show respect. When an entire organization has a culture of mutual respect, it shows. If you make a point of being courteous to your team managers and everyone else you come in contact with, they will treat their teams the same way. When people are made to feel important and treated with respect – whether agent or team manager – they are more likely to take real pride in their duties and achievements.
2. Match personalities. If at all possible, try to custom-build each team to mesh well with its team manager. By observing your managers’ personalities, as well as their strengths and weaknesses, and then matching those to the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of your agents, you should be able to create teams destined to work well together from the start.
3. Offer help. Team managers may be unwilling to ask for help when they need it, to avoid appearing incompetent or weak. Be sure that team managers understand that your door is always open, and that your contact center values communication. The more comfortable they feel reaching out to you in tough situations, the more they’ll be able to learn, and the better they’ll perform.
4. Reward good performance. Just as agent motivation can be increased by offering prizes, so can team managers’ performance be improved through some sort of tangible reward. Whether that’s some sort of public recognition, like a certificate presented during a meeting or the team manager’s picture on the wall, or a gift, like a mug or even a small bonus, attaching good leadership skills to prizes will really make them something to strive for.
5. Stay positive. Even if there’s bad news to be shared, staying positive will not only help your team managers to keep up their own morale, but it will give them the ability to spread that positivity among your agents, as well. Nothing can be gained from negativity, so setting a good example for your team managers is the best course of action.
6. Provide them with the right technology. Even the best team managers can’t do their job well without the right tools. Make sure that yours have access to workforce management solutions that allow them to easily schedule, train, and monitor their agents. KOVA offers a fully integrated, completely customizable software solution that will give them the ability to do just that. Whether you’re looking to analyze customer interactions, improve workforce performance, or optimize service processes, our Impact360 Workforce Management solution will provide you and your team managers with the right tools to get the job done. Contact KOVA today for more information!
Many contact centers treat all customers equally, whether they’re brand new customers who’ve just spent their first $5 with the company, or die-hard, loyal fans who’ve spent thousands with them over the years.
While everyone who calls in to your contact center certainly deserves the same level of customer service in terms of the polite, respectful handling of their call, it just makes good business sense to give special benefits and perks to the customers who make up the lifeblood of your company.
There are several ways this can be accomplished, but one of the easiest - and most appreciated by high-spending customers - is simply to move them to the front of the line when they call in. Contact centers have different options for implementing this change, but each has its pros and cons.
1. Provide a VIP phone number. Rather than requiring your high-value customers to call the same number as everyone else when they need assistance, give them their own special hotline, staffed by members of your contact center workforce who are trained to handle their calls as swiftly as possible, while at the same time deepening the relationship with each customer. Even if they never need to call in, simply knowing that help is only seconds away is a significant perk for many.
The benefits of establishing a VIP phone line include its ease of installation, the fact that only a few of your agents will be needed to staff it, thus keeping any disruption of regular contact center activities to a minimum, and the fact that it is an effective way to provide superior customer service to your best customers.
There are some drawbacks, however, as well. You’ll need to be very clear as to which customers will have access to the new number, establishing strict limits for its use, or it will soon be just as busy as your normal number. It is also vital to consider carefully how you’ll give out this special number – posting it on your website, for example, is an open invitation to anyone to call. And finally, if someone posts the number online or shares it with their friends and family, your contact center workforce will once again have no way of differentiating between the actual high-value customers and everyone else.
2. Route customer calls via IVR. By adding an extra option to your IVR system, callers will identify themselves as high-value before they ever reach your contact center workforce. You could, for example, ask them to press 1 if they are new customers, and 2 if they are repeat customers.
While there is still a margin for error here, since a customer could push the wrong number, there is no danger of a special hotline number becoming public. But one drawback is the fact that there’s no way of knowing whether a repeat customer who spends $1000 a week with you is waiting behind one who only spends $100 a week at your establishment. Tweaking the message to determine the best way to divide customers will take some time and effort, but rewarding customer loyalty by giving them faster service is an effective tool in retaining your best customers.
