Three things you can do to offer good customer service when service doesn’t come naturally to you.
Although years have gone by since I experienced one of my most all time memorable stinky customer service moments, it’s still worth telling. I needed a 24 x 30 color poster and the color copiers at my local Kinko’s, now FedEx Office, were all out of order. A clearly irritated clerk told me that a service tech was coming in to fix them, so he wasn’t sure when I could get the poster done. I needed the poster in three days so I inquired, “Do you have a ballpark idea for when I might be able to get the poster produced? I would love to get a guarantee that you can do this for me within the next 48 hours. Is that possible?” Dripping with sarcasm, the clerk responded, “Is anything in life guaranteed?”
There’s no need to finish the story. I’m sure you get the idea that the Kinko’s clerk wasn’t talented at providing customer service. In fact, I feel there are some people who are truly “gifted” at offering great customer service–it comes naturally to them. And there are many who shouldn’t be dealing with people at all. Unfortunately, employers don’t always have the luxury to pick and choose their employees, and most jobs place you in front of customers at some point.
According to The Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) and Anderson Analytics, marketing executives are going “back to the basics” in 2009 by keeping customer satisfaction and retention high up on the list (second annual survey of Top Marketing Trends for 2009). With customer service being a priority this year and the stresses of the economy looming over us, you need to make sure that you are giving your best when dealing with customers.
If you don’t consider yourself to be the perfect person for providing star customer service, but you still have to deal with customers at work, here are three things you can execute immediately to increase the likelihood that you won’t do any harm:
Get a good night’s sleep.
This sounds simple, but sleep is very important. In his best-selling book, Brain Rules, molecular biologist John Medina makes “Sleep Well, Think Well” one of his “12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School.” Specifically, a lack of sleep can affect your attention, memory, mood, quantitative skills, reasoning skills and even your motor dexterity. Dealing with customers can be challenging because many of them are demanding and needy (as they should be). Facing your next customer will be easier to tackle if your brain is rested.
It would be nice if employees could take naps at work to rejuvenate their minds. William Anthony, a researcher in the Boston area, established National Napping Day. He reports that an astonishing 70 percent of Americans take naps during the work day, but they have to do so in secret, like the back seat of their car on lunch breaks. In Japan, hotels with “nap salons” have popped up all over. There’s even a company, MetroNaps, whose engineers created a Sleep Pod-a portable jazzed up recliner that can fit in the office, sporting light-canceling visors, noise-canceling earphones and more! It’s a stretch to say that employers all over will adopt a pro-nap environment, but there’s no reason why you can’t make an effort to come to work better rested.
Don’t go to work hungry.
A month ago I was waiting in line somewhere and I overheard the clerk tell the customer in front of me that she couldn’t help him because she had to get something to eat and that her lunch break was already an hour off her schedule. First of all, the clerk should have never mentioned this issue to a customer (but this is another article), and second, the clerk should not be thinking more about eating than dealing with the customer.
According to an expert at Fitness Management, hunger is a cue informing your body that it needs calories and nutrients. When you feel hungry, you place finding a meal at the top of your priority list. Trying to work while you are hungry can make you tired, distracted and very cranky. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner time, be sure to get a solid meal before your next shift. Such a mundane and simple practice can make the world of difference in how you deal with people. If your schedule is crazy, get in the routine of packing granola bars, fruit or other easy to transport snacks for those moments when you are ravished.
Smile.
The act of smiling can affect your mood. You don’t have to be happy to smile. If you physically smile several times in a row, your mood will change and it will change the mood of those around you. If someone smiles at you, you tend to smile back and visa versa. Author of The No Asshole Rule, Dr. Bob Sutton has conducted a lot of research on the expression of emotion and he often writes about the long-established finding that if people see you smiling, they are more likely to think you are a warm and kind person. In addition, they are more likely to respond to your requests and listen to your suggestions.
Your customers don’t care about what’s going on in your life, and they don’t need to be bothered with what might be “eating” you either. All they care about is what they came to you for…great and efficient service. Even if you aren’t the happiest person out there, smile at all your customers. You’ll find over time that it will make a difference in your service, and you won’t have to physically force it.