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Don’t Wait! Commit to Customer Service today!

SPEAKING OF SERVICE - by Jeff Kasper

The other day I walked into a small local business and waited in line for over five minutes and no one even acknowledged my existence. No one said hello, no one dipped their head, and no one even flinched at my existence. When I got to the counter, the clerk looked at me and without saying a word, tilted his head slightly downward, and raised his eyebrows above the rim of his glasses and just stared…waiting for me to make the first move.

I decided that this time, I was going to wait however long it took, to make them speak first since I was their customer. An eternity went by before I saw the first sign of life, but wait, it was only a repositioning of the head, now tilting his head to the other side, and his lips became tightly closed. No words were spoken, so I told the clerk that I would come back some other lifetime when they wanted to assist me as a customer. I watched the next customer approach…. the customer spoke first.

GREET YOUR CUSTOMERS!
There’s no excuse for not greeting your customers, and, if you are sitting down, stand up when you do it. Put a smile on your face and show your customers that you want to help them.

LET THEM HEAR THE SMILE IN YOUR VOICE!
When you and your staff answer the phone, put a smile on your face before you say a word! It’s hard to be rude or come across offensively when you do this.

TREAT COMPLAINTS AND QUESTIONS AS GOLDEN OPPORTUNITIES!
If your customers are complaining about something, they are giving you time out of their lives. It’s up to you to respond to their satisfaction, or lack of it, by giving them your full and undivided attention. Acknowledge and understand their concern, make some sort of commitment to them, and thank them for telling you about it.

THANK YOUR CUSTOMERS!
If your customers bought something from you, showed an interest, or just looked inside your business, they have given you time out of their precious lives. You owe them a “thank you for coming in!” By giving them a sincere thank you, even if they came in to return something, they will remember the courtesy and will reward you with their return business when the time is right. Don’t miss the opportunity.

TELL YOUR CUSTOMERS HOW TO COMPLAIN!
Not the right way to complain, but tell them who, on duty, has the authority to solve problems now. Also, make your name (as the business owner or manager) visible so your customers and employees can see it, and include your phone number. I can’t tell you how many times I decided not to pursue a complaint that would probably have been appreciated by the business owner, but because the clerk in the store wouldn’t give me their name, and there was no easy way to obtain it, I decided to take my business elsewhere without giving the owner a chance to fix the problem.

REWARD YOUR EMPLOYEES!
If your employees are doing a good job and you witness it, make it worth their while and promote it to the other employees and the customers. Many people think that recognition is “old hat,” and unnecessary. The truth is, however, that recognition accomplishes several less apparent things. First of all, it encourages the employee to keep on doing the right things. Second, it tells the other employees what it is that they need to do. And finally, when you promote it to your customers, it lets them know that service is an important element in your business.

Jeff Kasper is the president & chief innovation officer of ServiceQuality.US, a customer loyalty, measurement, training and consulting firm, based in Concord, CA. Questions and comments can be sent to jk@servicequality.us or visit www.ServiceQuality.US ©2008 Customer Loyalty Builders, Inc.

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