20 May 2022
Earth cut in half with the core glowing against space

What does it take to not just survive but truly thrive in a frontline customer service role? Working in customer service is no walk in the park. It involves managing increasingly high expectations and handling difficult customers daily. However, when you have the right mindset and skills, this role…

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14 Apr 2022
Staff member with a mobile device in a place of work giving good customer service

If you want to deliver brilliant customer experiences, start by understanding what really matters to your customers. Matt Watkinson’s bestselling book The Ten Principles Behind Great Customer Experiences is a great place to begin. At Understood, we believe in turning great ideas into real-world impact. These ten principles underpin…

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25 Mar 2022
White flower taken from below with a blue sky and clouds above

If you want to change your life, start by changing your behaviour. If you want to transform your organisation’s culture, focus on changing your employees’ behaviour. So how do you create the right conditions for the right behaviours to take root—and stick? In last month’s blog, we explored why…

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21 Feb 2022
A footprint in the sand.

We’re all trying to change behaviour. Whether it’s sticking to a New Year’s resolution or encouraging employees to adopt the right behaviours at work, the challenge remains the same: how do we make change stick? James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, reminds us that meaningful behaviour change starts with…

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10 Dec 2021
A strip of paper on a pin board saying if you change nothing, nothing will change

In our last two blog posts, we explored the powerful role that habits play in shaping our behaviour and influencing organisational culture. We unpacked why we’re such creatures of habit and highlighted how these automatic behaviours can define the emotional climate of a workplace. We also examined Charles Duhigg’s…

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20 Nov 2021
A slate next to an apple. The words on the slate say we are what we repeatedly do. Aristotle.

Crises as catalysts for change The global pandemic threw organisations into chaos, disrupting routines and straining resources. While this period has tested our limits, it also offers a powerful opportunity: crises can act as springboards for positive, lasting change. Rahm Emanuel, then Chief of Staff to President Obama during…

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27 Oct 2021
A dog reclining on a sofa in comfy lounge wear with a television remote control

‘All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits.’ – William James, 1892 Habits shape our lives – often more than we realise. In uncertain or fast-changing times, understanding these automatic behaviours becomes even more important. Charles Duhigg, in The Power of…

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08 Sep 2021
Person with a mask on to protect from viruses standing in front of a bus in a city

During the first coronavirus lockdown last year, the government spent millions urging people to avoid public bus transport. Unsurprisingly, people stayed home and stopped travelling on our buses and trains. Now, as we emerge from the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, how do we reverse that message? How do we…

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09 Aug 2021
Person standing on a platform as a train and people pass by, giving a sense of isolation amongst busy places.

Long before we understood what a “lockdown” meant, loneliness had already taken hold. In 2019, before the global pandemic disrupted our lives, experts had already identified a loneliness epidemic due to a lack of connection. A YouGov survey revealed that nearly half of UK adults felt lonely at least…

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03 Aug 2021
A used car salesman pointing at the camera and making cringy gestures to represent an inauthentic sales experience

What’s the first word that pops into your head when you hear “sales”? If your answer sounds like “pushy”, “smarmy”, or just plain “ugh”, you’re not alone. Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human, asked people the same question—and most responded with negative emotions. No surprise there. For…

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