CUSTOMER SERVICE CORNER: Get past the afternoon slump

It hits at the same time every day: that moment when you just can’t focus any more and all you want to do is put your head down and nap.

CUSTOMER SERVICE CORNER: Understand an angry customer’s point of view

Thinking about where your customer is coming from will help you to get to the root of his problem, and thus to the solution, sooner.

MANAGEMENT MINUTE: Give feedback that gets results

Providing employees with meaningful feedback will help them improve their performance. Yet fewer than half of employers use feedback effectively, according to a New York University poll.

MICROSOFT OFFICE TUTOR: Change paragraph alignment from the keyboard

To change the alignment of a paragraph, you can click the Align Left, Center, Align Right, or Justify buttons on the Formatting toolbar (the Home tab’s Paragraph group in Word 2007). You can also select Format | Paragraph, click on the Indents And Spacing tab, and choose the desired setting from the Alignment dropdown list. But, when you’re typing up the paragraph you need to align, where are your hands? They’re on the keyboard, of course. Instead of breaking the flow by moving to the mouse to apply alignment settings, you can keep your fingers on the keyboard using the helpful alignment shortcut keys.

CUSTOMER SERVICE CORNER: Find your selling opportunities

Although you probably think of your job in terms of helping customers when they come to you with requests or problems, another key way you can be of service is to sell them products and services that meet their needs. Be aware of the following opportunities to make a sale: