Customer Service, a friendly reminder 

Please indulge me for a moment and allow me to digress from my typically positive attitude about almost everything and voice a few observations about customer service.

 For those of us who sometimes forget, we are all in the customer service business. Yes believe-it-or-not every one of us who once every week or two receive that little bit of remuneration for services rendered is in the customer service business. We all have someone to answer to as part of that ritual we call a job. Be it a co-worker, a supervisor, a manager, a boss, an owner, a board of directors or the ultimate person we work hard to make happy – the customer, the client, the constituent. Even the person working on a production line producing a product to be sold and then used by someone, somewhere to accomplish something will, based on the quality of his/her work, be responsible in some part for customer service. So don’t think these comments are meant only for the local main street retail worker, this is for everyone.

 My basic message is simple, “keep a positive attitude”.

 Next time you go to the store stop for a moment and look around at the folks in there. I mean really look at their faces. It is scary. And then take a look at the people trying to buy things, not much better there either. At the store the other day I moved to a longer line just because the check out person in the short one frightened me. So, what if that person were being paid on a commission basis? They would have lost a few sales that day.

 On another day I had a few questions regarding a minor procedure and had to call a medical person’s office for clarification. Wow, how dare I call to display such stupidity and cast such a dark cloud on the person to whom I was speaking. And all the time I thought I was the sick one.

 Granted, this is a small town and our time here is short and my anecdotes are purposely vague in order to protect the guilty. The point again is simple “attitude”.

 Look at it this way. Any fool can deliver a product. Yea, there are hundreds maybe thousands of people ready, willing and able to do your job right now for less money and maybe even do it better. What is the one thing that makes you ultimately more qualified than those thousand or so in the queue waiting for your job? Your personality, your smile, your knowledge and training. Use those assets to the best of your ability. Refine them, sharpen them, expand them, nurture them, practice them, improve them. Be better today than you were yesterday. These are assets no one can take away (or tax away) from you. Use them to your benefit.

 If you are the boss and are responsible for employees, make sure your people are the best that there are at what they do. Give them the best information and the best training available. And more importantly make sure that your employee’s smile and their positive attitude show up for work each day. Every day… Oh, by the way, it all starts with you.

 Decades ago I was a do-it-all remodeling contractor. There were days I would show up to work in not such a good mood. Hard to imagine, I know. And there were days I would show up in a great mood. Being the perceptive individual I was I soon noticed the days I showed up in a good mood were the days my carpenters were at their most productive. I would go to the job sites and they would be whistling away, saw dust flying. In contrast, the bad mood days that my carpenter’s had the misfortune of being exposed to were reflected by their generally poor attitude and less than adequate productivity. A good attitude for the most part being a behavior of decision made the decisions became very simple for me. Be in a good mood!!!   It’s communicable. Trust me it works.

 Let me leave you with a few comments about being good at what you do.

 “Any fool can deliver a product”. Your ability to deliver superior service will keep you in a job and in business.

 Start your day with a smile then start someone else’s day with your smile.

 Listen to your customer and solve their problem with a positive attitude and sincerity.

 Whether or not you choose to believe it the truth is we are all in “this” together. Working together and getting along is the best way.

 As Captain Kangaroo would ask several times a day on his show, “OK Kids, What are the magic words?”  And we would answer in unison at the top of our lungs “ABBRA CADDABBRAA, PLEASE AND THANK YOU!”

 With a smile and sincerity please, use the magic words…….

Thank you.

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