Development for Tenacity
for the Service Success Profile

Tips | Tools | Websites | Courses | Books

Do not dismiss a problem as unsolvable if a solution doesn't quickly present itself. View your role as an investigator, sleuth, or puzzle solver and dig more deeply into the cause of the problem. Accept challenge as a learning experience and never give up too soon!

Each week call a customer who recently stopped doing business with you. Assure the person that you are not calling to pressure or sell to him/her. Rather, you are looking for insight into why the person chose another company. Was it the products? Service? Pricing? Figure out what you need to do to ensure that other customers are not lost for the same reason and whether there is a way to win this customer back.

Take ownership of issues that come up in your workgroup that have no established guidelines and seem ineffective. Get input from others and draft a standard that everyone on your team will follow.

Use problems as a way to strengthen your bonds with internal and external customers. Research shows that when you work hard to recover after customers have had problems, they will actually be more satisfied with your service than if the problems hadn't occurred in the first place.

Anytime you create or author something, it is a reflection on who you are and on the quality of your work. Although it's unhealthy to be an extreme perfectionist, ensure that what you sign your name to is indicative of the high quality work you are capable of doing.

Know that you don't have to have all the answers to every customer service problem yourself. If you do a good job of building a network and utilizing internal and external experts, you can solve problems even when you seem to have limited information at your immediate fingertips.

Many situations can seem overwhelming at first glance. Breaking down big problems into smaller, easier to handle pieces will help you get your arms around the situation. The bigger the problems you are able to solve, the greater value you can provide to your customers and to Wells Fargo.

Never check something off your planner or to-do list until you have followed up and verified that the situation was indeed resolved successfully. This tip is especially important to keep in mind when you refer a customer to someone else for help. Rather than assuming that your responsibility ends at that point, check back on how the problem was handled before putting it to rest.

Recognize the value in depth of knowledge as well as breadth of knowledge by mastering something in your work or personal life, such as playing the piano, using your word processing software, or learning another language.

Sometimes you may encounter situations where you do not know the answer. Instead of saying "I don't know" or guessing at the answer, say, "I'd be happy to find that out for you." Respond within 24 hours with a correct answer or status update.

Avoid using the statement, "That's not my job." Take it upon yourself to get the job done. Remember that the problem solving process does not end until after you follow up and ensure that the resolution was satisfactory.

Work to resolve problems with your customers. Ask questions which will involve customers in the problem solving process, such as "How would you like to see this problem resolved?" Persist in brainstorming solutions until you find one which is acceptable to everyone involved.

If you are stuck or burned out on a particular problem, talk to your manager about getting help. Don't assume that others will forget about the problem or finish resolving it for you.

Own the results of the decisions you make. Take responsibility for rectifying your mistakes and reworking solutions until the problems are truly solved.

Practice your ability to figure out problems by playing logic games and doing puzzle books. Resist the temptation to look back at the answers until you think you have discovered the solution!

Make the customer's problem your own even though the resolution may be outside of your area. Offer to make the necessary phone calls and identify where the problem should be handled. Provide the relevant information to the correct contact person. Follow up with the customer to ensure that his/her needs were met.

Look at all the options available to solve a problem instead of relying on what seems to be a quick fix.

When facing a task you don't want to do, set a time limit for how long you will do it, such as 45 or 60 minutes. Stop and switch to something more enjoyable when your time is up.

Be open-minded to new ways of solving old problems. Do brainstorming, ask others for their ideas, practice creative thinking, and don't automatically dismiss ideas simply because they seem unrealistic. The best ideas can often sound a bit off-the-wall the first time you consider them.

Learn problem solving techniques from others. Pinpoint the members of your team who are especially skilled at solving complex problems and ask them to explain their process. Go to them with tough issues of your own and ask them to step through how they would go about determining a solution.

Work with others on your team to solve challenging issues. Ask your manager about facilitating group brainstorming during team meetings. Get in the habit of circulating unusual customer questions matched with responses to other team members. Listen to the problems that your coworkers are facing and offer help and ideas.

Volunteer to work on a task force or special project team whose goal it is to solve a particular workplace challenge. Note the problem solving process of the group as you participate. What can you take back and apply on your own job?

Develop a follow-up routine that works for you. Whether it's on a computer program or sticky notes, make sure that you provide yourself with visible reminders of tasks you need to go back to and finish. Keep others updated if you are taking longer to resolve the problem than you initially anticipated.