Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Perhaps you’ve heard this story. Imagine you’re sitting in a college class. It’s one of those big classrooms, with tiered seating, able to accommodate hundreds of students. The class is assembled in eager expectation; what will the professor do today? At exactly 8 o’clock, he strides in and without acknowledging […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Growing up, I heard a radio commercial with the tag line, “Service sold it.” Even as a young child I was able to grasp the concept that providing quality service was a great way to close more sales and gain new business. Over the years, I have heard this mantra […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD A few days ago, I casually entered the conversation with some friends; they were talking about chess. One gave me a sideways glance, “You play?” It was stated as a question, but an underlying astonishment was imbedded. I nodded affirmatively. “Any good?” came the follow-up query. Good is a relative […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD In my office is an evocative black and white aerial photo of my grandfather’s chicken farm, circa 1960. Grandpa and Dad ran the farm, along with a revolving assortment of hired help. The farm consisted of five barns, in two interconnected groups. Together they accommodated 15,000 hens. Four buildings housed […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. In retail, the term shrinkage is euphemistically used to reference stock which “disappears” before it can be sold. In essence, it is a product that the retailer bought, but can’t sell. To be direct, shrinkage is theft. While some of this is due to shoplifting, it also results from employees, […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It was an emotional moment for me. After proudly carrying and using a Shell gasoline credit card for more than 20 years, I canceled it and was in the process of cutting it up. Not that I was angry or upset with Shell, but it no longer made sense to carry […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD As I contemplated my publishing business, I was struck with the realization that I had structured it as a virtual company. This wasn’t intentional; it just worked out that way. Not only am I the only one working in the “corporate office,” there are no local vendors either. Indeed everyone who […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Does your organization make customer service a priority? I expect that it does. In fact, I suspect that the phrase “customer service” is found somewhere in your mission or vision statement, etched on a wall plaque, proclaimed in your marketing material, and oft orated by upper management. However, as is […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I’ve come to the realization that I tend to put off buying things. It’s not because I procrastinate (at least not too much), or because I am adverse to making decisions, or even because it is a money issue. Sadly, the reason that I often avoid purchasing things I want […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. In the years between high school graduation and my first real job, I took on a variety of part-time work while being a full-time student. During one such vocational transition, the placement advisor at school knew of an immediate opening for an audio engineer at a TV station. I arrived […]