Dear Earthling,
Be careful what you wish for.
Six words we’ve loathed ever since we first heard them, at the tender age of six, when our parents told us not to wish away our youth.
I bet Kaitlyn Johnson wishes she had heeded this warning when she wrote to makers of Cards Against Humanity, a party game for horrible people.
It all started in June 2018, Pride Month. To celebrate, CAH released a “Pride Pack,” with an optional glitter add-on. However, by the time Johnson went to order hers, the sparkle particle party was over, the glitter long out of stock.
She emailed customer support, asking if they could send her loads of glitter.
Their response: “Kaitlyn, Two things. 1. Be careful what you wish for. 2. Check your mailbox in about a week. XOXO, Maria.”
Kaitlyn Johnson got so much glitter delivered to her door that she could barely see the floor for days. She spent weeks trying to get rid of the stuff, but she loved every minute of it.
Most companies don’t have this card (against humanity) up their sleeves.
Humor in customer service is tricky. While it can help us connect with others, and build and strengthen relationships, it can also be a very slippery slope. What if your customers don’t find your jokes funny? What if they feel you’re not taking them seriously?
This week, we bring you an interesting article about the role of humor in customer service. Rafaela Cortez tells us why we need some CS LOLz and the most respectful way to elicit laughter.
Keep glistening,
Maria
P.S.: We’d like to invite you to our webinar with our friends from Helpshift on how to leverage AI to build lean, productive teams in customer service. Learn more about this.
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In customer service, a little LOL goes a long way, but the path to lighthearted support interactions can be dangerous. What if a joke doesn't land? What if your customer thinks you're making light of their experience?
This week, Rafaela Cortez gives us the lowdown on all things jocular, from laughter's medicinal properties to the role of humor in Customer Service.
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Cards Against Humanity is a party game that claims to be made for horrible people. Behind the awesome card game, that’s creating roars at parties, is an awesome support team led by Jenn Bane. She’s the Community Director at Cards Against Humanity and has a team of 8 helping with customer support. They predominantly offer support through email but also have a fake customer service number that leads nowhere.
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In our daily jobs, we spend a lot of time thinking about “management” and not enough time thinking about “leadership.” We all have things to get done so the immediate focus often turns to the tasks at hand and how we’re going to best complete them. So what's the difference?
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The process of acquiring a second language might be one we dedicate a lot of time and effort to, at school for example, but in some cases it happens naturally (picking up French after moving to Paris, for instance). So how can it be that this process, regardless of how it takes place, has such a big impact on the brain?
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How do you rate this sentence? Please give a number between one and five where one is “I’ve stopped reading already” and five is “give this columnist a Pulitzer prize.” If this rings a bell, you are probably one of the millions of workers who have undertaken an employee-engagement survey.
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💡 Speaking words of wisdom
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Businesses underestimate how well customers can take a joke.
— Jenn Bane, Community Director at Cards Against Humanity
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