Chip Bell

Consultant, speaker, and author

Chip Bell has helped companies dramatically enhance their bottom lines and marketplace reputation through innovative customer-centric strategies. For the sixth year in a row, Global Gurus in 2020 ranked Bell as one of the top three keynote speakers in the world on customer service. Bell has authored 24 books; seven are international best sellers. His latest book, Inside Your Customer’s Imagination: 5 Secrets for Creating Breakthrough Products, Services, and Solutions (Berrett-Koehler, 2020), shows how co-creation partnerships enable you to tap into the treasure trove of ideas, ingenuity, and genius-in-the-raw within every customer.

Wed, 02/18/2026 - 12:22
Do Your Customer Experiences Feature Unicorns? Making customer service memorable
Tue, 05/16/2023 - 12:02
‘I write children’s books because there are no unicorns in adult literature, and today’s world needs unicorns.” The quote came from renowned children’s book author Jackson Pearce at a weekend writers retreat sponsored by Georgia Writers Museum. The…
Refocusing Your Customer-Facing Associates We need a concerted leadership effort to refocus on the ‘served’ instead of the ‘server’
Mon, 01/31/2022 - 12:02
It all started when we drove up to the speaker menu at a quick-service restaurant. “Can I take your order?” the attendant coldly barked. When my wife, on hearing the deep voice of the attendant, politely said, “Thank you, sir,” she got back a sharp…
Give Your Customers ‘The Knife’ It’s a recommendation to walk with your customer on the wild side
Wed, 12/08/2021 - 12:02
One of my favorite Halloween memories was decorating the annual giant pumpkin with my son when he was young. As a toddler, he was primarily an observer as he watched me sculpt the face of the pumpkin with a scrimp knife. However, his commitment to…
Necessity Is the Mother of Customer Co-Creation You will need all the half-baked, slightly wild ideas you can get
Tue, 09/28/2021 - 12:02
Necessity is the mother of invention. And few things are more necessary to the success of an organization than customers. Leave that thought on the page, and we will return to it shortly. Napoleon knew that a military force’s success directly…
What Leaders Can Learn From Crazy Horse, Part 2 Leaders boldly take initiative, not out of duty or response to command, but from a strong sense of purpose
Tue, 07/06/2021 - 12:02
When you played cowboys and Indians as a kid, did you want to be the cowboy or the Indian? I wanted to be the Indian. All the ones I saw in comic books had super-cool moccasins and could move around with their bow and arrows without making a sound.…
What Leaders Can Learn From Crazy Horse, Part 1 Great leaders do not reflect but rather radiate energetic passion
Mon, 06/07/2021 - 12:02
We live in an era of statue removal. Meanwhile the largest mountain carving in the world is under construction in the Black Hills of South Dakota just 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. The final carving will be 640 feet long and more than 50 stories…
How Do You Get the CEO to Care About Customers? Is there a method you’ve missed?
Wed, 04/28/2021 - 12:01
Iam often asked by customer service leaders how to get the CEO to care about customers. They are convinced there is a missed tactic that, if implemented, would have the C-suite camping out in the contact center and inviting customers to board…
Customers Want ‘The Second Shot!’ A pattern of great service is the start of a relationship
Wed, 03/10/2021 - 12:02
I was fortunate enough yesterday to get my second Covid-19 vaccine. It was a giant relief, one that more than compensated for 24 hours of arm soreness. It was the peace of mind that, despite vaccine shortage or administrative challenges, I am now…
The Season of Customer Imagination When customers release their imagination to resolve a problem, everyone benefits
Wed, 01/20/2021 - 12:02
All my life, I thought leaves departed trees in the fall because they got too old to hang onto the branch and gravity bested their grasp. It does not work that way. Trees literally release their leaves from the limb. Here is how a leaf becomes the…
How to Get Really Great Customer Service The first 10 seconds are vital to shaping the reception you are likely to get
Wed, 12/16/2020 - 12:01
Ever notice how some people always get the best table, the upgraded room, or the best cut of meat at the market? Great customer service is not an accident. Those who are served well follow a recipe that turns even a cold initial encounter into a…