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Customer Service
Article
Check Yourself for
Outstanding Customer Service
By Ed Sykes © All Rights Reserved
Recently, a business
associate, Mike, mentioned that he was doing a show at a local university and
stopped by the faculty dining hall to get lunch. He said that, while waiting on
line, the service was poor. The line moved slowly, the counterperson was
disinterested in what she was doing…and it showed. It was not a pleasant
customer service experience.
It was Mike’s turn to
order and the counterperson continued to show her disinterest…no eye contact,
moving like it pained her, and no enthusiasm in her voice. Then when she
finally looked up to give Mike his food, she noticed his nametag with his name
and company. She realized that Mike worked for a bank where she just opened an
account. Well, she turned into another person. She was excited when telling
Mike about her excellent experience at
his bank. In an instant she was vibrant, alert, smiling, and alive!
The question is,
“Why couldn’t she behave that way whenever she interacts with a customer?” We
can ask this question whenever we interact with people in customer service
situations. In many situations, the persons
serving us act like they are auditioning for
the role of a
zombie in the movie, “Dawn of the Dead.” Whereas they can use less energy
being lively and produce a great experience for
everyone involved.
The reason this happens is
because the customer service persons do not
“check themselves” for outstanding customer service. When you “check yourself”
before serving the customer, you prep yourself to
give your best for the customer. When you “check yourself,”
you are prepared for any customer
service situation. When you “check yourself,”
you make the situation positive for the customer and yourself.
The
following are three
ways to “check yourself” to give outstanding customer service:
1.
Check your Customer Service Attitude
Make your attitude
say, “I can help you today.” This means that
you want to help, you want to take responsibility for the solution, and you are
proactive in creating solutions for the customer. Make sure your attitude is
positive for outstanding results. Keep a mirror by your desk and look into the
mirror before you start a customer transaction and say the following:
§
“I will help
someone today.”
§
“I have a
great attitude.”
§
“I am
solution-oriented.”
§
“I will make
a difference today.”
2.
Check your Customer Service Body Language
Make your body language
show that you are eager to listen to the
customer. This means standing or sitting erectly
if communicating face-to-face. Sitting erect in your seat is especially
important when communicating over the telephone because the customer can “hear”
your apathy over the phone. Check yourself to make sure you are smiling. Check
yourself to make sure your body language is showing
that you want to listen. This means
direct eye contact, arms uncrossed, a slight nod of
acknowledgment, and, most importantly,
your body facing the customer to show that you are completely “engaged” in the
conversation.
3.
Check your Customer Service Voice
Make sure your voice is
energized and positive. This means that you do not sound monotone and your
voice has vocal variety (see my article “Cat
in the Hat”). Check your voice to make sure your have a
lively pace without cutting off the customers
before they finish their thoughts.
By just applying these
customer service three
techniques, you will produce happy customers,
increase customer satisfaction, master customer retention,
and make your job as a customer service expert so much easier.
Suggested Reading:
Bad Customer Service Is Not So Funny: Five Secrets to
Giving Outstanding Customer Service
Five
Secrets to Showing Your Customers You Really Care: Creating Empathy
Leave Your
"Buts" Behind for Great Customer Service
Ten Customer Service Secrets to Win Back Customers
Getting Back to
Basics: A Customer Service Tale
Show Your Customers You Care
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