The Phone Lady's Blog

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customer loyalty

Making the Move from Nice to Kind

By Mary Jane Copps | January 30, 2021
home delivery with care

In the past 12 months, I’ve experienced a substantial increase in requests for customized reception and customer service training. And I say “yes” as quickly and as often as possible. My interest in phone communication was sparked early in childhood, by the major role the … Read more

Three Easy Ways to Improve Your Customers’ Experience

By Mary Jane Copps | October 24, 2020
reception desk

This past week I’ve had two customer experiences that left me frustrated, sad and … briefly considering taking my business elsewhere. One was with my optician. This past August marked my 23rd year as their customer. In person, all of the staff are energetic. They … Read more

Remorse, Realizations and Reality

By Mary Jane Copps | March 24, 2019

My post of March 10 created feedback and debate, not only here on my website but on social platforms. Similar to most creators of a regular blog, I was thrilled this happened. Not only that, I learned a lot from the ensuing discussion that will … Read more

Two Phrases That Kill Your Business

By Mary Jane Copps | March 10, 2019

Living on the East Coast means winter is always a mix of snow, rain and ice. The order in which this precipitation appears, combined with the amount that arrives and whether the temperature stays above or below zero, can create incredible challenges for pedestrians, drivers … Read more

Customer Service By The Numbers

By Mary Jane Copps | December 1, 2018

When it comes to creating a great experience for our customers, we need to ask the question, “What do our customers want?” Delivering service based on their expectations is key to our success. Fortunately, there are companies out there crunching the numbers for us and … Read more

When We Follow Procedure …

By Mary Jane Copps | November 25, 2018

Two years ago a Toronto-based client introduced me to their downtown hotel of choice. I deeply appreciated both the atmosphere and the service I received. Since then, whether in the city for work or personal reasons, I’ve stayed at this hotel. So I was very … Read more

Two Ways To Immediately Increase Customer Service Excellence

By Mary Jane Copps | October 14, 2018

Years ago, one of my most loyal clients asked me to deliver a workshop on a topic with which I had minimal expertise. When I declined, they asked me to find the right facilitator. And I did. She is Denise Williams, owner of Customer Service … Read more

What I’m Thinking About: Loyalty

By Mary Jane Copps | September 30, 2018

The word “loyalty” has become strongly associated with marketing activities. There are loyalty cards and programs. There are special offers and prizes. Loyalty is something businesses strive to capture, yet, as illustrated in a recent post, don’t always know how to retain. Perhaps that’s because … Read more

What’s the Value of Loyalty?

By Mary Jane Copps | September 14, 2018

In 1988 my oldest stepdaughter was attending university, paying rent, working part-time and pursuing a singing career. Money was tight, to say the least, and it was definitely time for her to have her first credit card. My advice? The same card I was using … Read more

What I’m Thinking About: Customer Service

By Mary Jane Copps | July 22, 2018

I have a bill on my desk that is twice what I expected. It arrived from my accounting software company several months ago. Because I have this company set up for monthly auto payments, this large bill has already been paid … even though I … Read more

When You Abandon Your Brand

By Mary Jane Copps | October 22, 2017

While there are many things about business travel that are a bit tedious,  I do enjoy staying in a lovely hotel room; I put effort into making wise choices. But recent visits to a much-cherished hotel delivered some unexpected surprises and a powerful reminder of the importance of staying on … Read more

You Need To Make This Call!

By Mary Jane Copps | July 29, 2017

To learn more about her target market and to better understand an existing customer, one of my coaching clients took a deep breath, picked up the phone and inspired an amazing conversation by asking, “Why do you continue to work with me?” What response did … Read more

Creating Customer Loyalty … By Phone!

By Mary Jane Copps | June 25, 2017

One of the biggest shifts in phone communication is that we are all accepting calls less often. While this does help us avoid inappropriate and pushy sales pitches, it also means we miss out on some amazing opportunities and excellent service. Take for example a … Read more

What Do Cakes and Phone Calls Have in Common?

By Mary Jane Copps | May 6, 2017

Last week I baked a cake to celebrate a friend’s 90th birthday. While I was decorating it, I realized that my ability to create a CHOCOLATE PECAN TORTE recipe and my phone skills have something in common, something simple that anyone can do to give themselves … Read more

When We Have the Opportunity, Do We Take It?

By Mary Jane Copps | November 27, 2016

On one of my recent business trips, I had limited choices for flights back to Halifax and I ended up choosing a very early morning flight – 5:40 am to be exact.  Yikes! Several people familiar with this flight assured me that a one-hour window … Read more

Time to Go Retro!

By Mary Jane Copps | October 27, 2013

Telephone communication – the how and why we reach and speak to each other – has changed. Even in the past year subtle shifts have taken place that we must embrace or … we’re going to miss out on opportunities – and so will our … Read more

Radio New Zealand logo
How to tackle your telephone hang-ups. People with bad cases of telephone anxiety can experience nausea, increased heart rate and shortness of breath at the sound of a ringtone. Listen in...

Phone Phobia Hits the News

Phone phobia, or telephobia, has been getting a lot of attention in the news recently. See what Mary Jane has to say about it...
Margins of Error with Harry Enten
CNN's Harry Enten asks why we’re avoiding phone calls and whether we can be coached through our telephone-related nerves in this Margins of Error podcast featuring Mary Jane.
This Hour Has 22 Minutes
22 Minutes correspondent, Brandon Hackett, figures out which end is up on this thing called a telephone, with help from The Phone Lady. Watch Telephone Lessons for Millennials.
The Wall Street Journal.
Banks Curtail Employee Use of Voice Mail: Voice mail is viewed as an expensive vestige of a bygone era. See what The Phone Lady has to say.