Chris Lynam - The Choreography of Customer Service: High Touch Service in a Touch Free World

Advance Praise for
The Choreography of Custom er Ser vice

A detailed and doable playbook for delighting customers where it countsin the real world. Highly recommended!

Jay Baer, co-author of Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Wor d of M outh

The best business leaders understand that brands which stand the test of time are all ultimately focused on one thing: people. This book is a must read for anyone wanting to unlock the secrets of more meaningful customer interactions, growth, and lasting success.

Brent Gleeson, bestselling author of Taking Point and Embrac e the Suck

Chris has a spirit of excellence in all he does. As the sages of our industry have passed the torch, I am personally proud to be a witness to his continued truth and integrity in action.

Claudia Marshall

author, trainer, franchisee, and former International Training Director for Arthur Murray

A POST HILL PRESS BOOK

ISBN: 978-1-63758-216-9

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-63758-217-6

The Choreography of Customer Service:

High Touch Service in a Touch Free World

2022 by Chris Lynam

All Rights Reserved

Cover Design by Matthew Revert

Although every effort has been made to ensure that the personal and professional advice present within this book is useful and appropriate, the author and publisher do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any person, business, or organization choosing to employ the guidance offered in this book.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author and publisher.

Post Hill Press

New York Nashville

posthillpress.com

Published in the United States of America

Mom, you taught me that running a business and a family was possible and I am so grateful.

Dad, you taught me that storytelling can make more connections than hard facts ever will.

To Christian, Olivia, Violet, Evelyn, and Ava Rose -You are five miraculous treasures in my lifes quest.

To Daisey, my everything partner. This book would still be an idea I would have talked about writing someday if it werent for you. You have the unique ability to transform a someday into a today.

Contents

In my years of speaking and training professionals to be more effective in the workplace, there is a constant: It is a forever battle between sharing what people want versus what they need. There are those who see training as a threat, like someone offering them an endless indefinite walk through a desert. Then there are others who see training as an outstanding opportunity to grow. If you can discover the blend of information, writing style, and storytelling, a breakthrough can occur.

I first met Chris after noticing his posts online about my book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question . When I sent him a note of gratitude, he shared how much QBQ! helped his business and offered to write a review of QBQ! Minutes later, there was a beautifully written five-star review online that blew my socks off.

Over time, Chris and I kept in touch. When I joined him for an interview on his podcast, I remember thinking he is the kind of person Id want in the front row of my own speaking engagements. Simply put, Chris is a learner who demonstrates a positive attitude mixed with gratitude as he engages in meaningful conversation.

So, here we are now with a book authored by Chris, the learner. Im grateful to have played a part in his business, book writing, and personal development. More importantly, his message of Customer Service has never been more essential than it is today. Through critical information, delightful storytelling, and a relatable style of writing, this book can be the tool youre looking for to become even more effective tomorrow than you are today!

So get started right nowand enjoy!

John G. Miller

Author of QBQ!

QBQ.com

Denver, Colorado USA

I was paralyzed. My hands were frozen to the steering wheel, and the exhaust of my old Mustang was the only reminder to my brain that I wasnt completely catatonic. I wanted desperately to get out, but I couldnt. Had there been smartphones in 1999 or dashboard cameras in 1968 Mustangs, they would have seen me in the drivers seat, my body language as if I were being held at gunpoint by someone hiding in the back. But there was no gun, and there was no one else in the carI was being held captive by my nerves.

From the outside, you would have just seen an old Mustang with the headlights off and the engine running, but inside was a guy who desperately wanted to start a new life and find an identityand was already five minutes late for an interview that was only ten feet away.

What I wanted, to interview for a job as a dance teacher, was stifled by what I wasnt willing to do: get out of my car.

So, with every fiber of my heart screaming for me to snap out of it, to walk in, face my fear, and interview for the job, I made up my mind: I decided to drive home. My nervous brain went to work trying to soothe my poor choice with its own version of pop-up banner ads for me to click on to rationalize my stupidity. They probably didnt really want you to interview tonight anyway , one would say, or it was probably just a scam, you saved yourself the trouble . Each one of these thoughts was part of a greatest-hits playlist I had collected over the years to rationalize my poor effort, performance, or decision-making. If there was a recipe for regret, then I was a master chef.

The regret stung for a while, but eventually, retreating from that interview was something that shifted further into the back of my mind, like a new best friend you meet at a week-long summer camp that youll never see again. In a way, this story is no different from so many customers in any industry in the world.

At some point, the customers youve seen (or never met) have reached the perimeter of their comfort zonealone. Maybe they arent sitting in an old Mustang, but they certainly let old behavior override a new adventureno matter how wonderful and life-changing that adventure may be.

Think of how much our civilization has changed in a field like medicine. The brainpower, technology, and research dedicated to extending or saving someones life is dramatically different from generation to generation. But when it comes to saving the lifespan of a customer, too many businesses are experiencing too many losses.

In the case of my job interview, I got home, slapped myself in the face, screamed in the mirror, and scraped together the courage to show up the following day for an interview I was now a day late for. In the case of our customers, we dont often get a second chance like that.

In a business landscape that has gone through drastic changes around the world, we cant afford to rely on second chances. We cant allow our customer-saving tools to be dirty or our ability to diagnose communication breakdowns to be numb. A Civil War doctor could still be called a doctor regardless of their mortality rate, just like a customer service representative can still be called a professional regardless of the service they provide.

That can change when we invest our brainpower, technology, and research into customer service. This can be your start. The beginning of a mission to acquire the skills to save a single customer that would have otherwise abandoned their shopping cart, discontinued using your product, or chosen to retreat to their comfort zone.