Perfect Customer Service…….
Doesn’t exist.
Yes, I know, no surprise here.
But trying your best each time to make a customer’s experience as good as it can possibly be…….. That’s admirable, and a worthwhile goal.
Try, learn from your attempts, get better, and try again.
A great way to approach Customer Service……. and so many other aspects of life !
On ‘Getting It’ and Customer Service
At first this may not read as ‘Positive’, but bear with me.
Many people won’t see my message in this post,
but this is for the few who will………..
I walked into my local neighbourhood copy/mail/business service store and walked over to use the photocopying machine.
I lifted the lid to the copier, and before I could put my original sheet on the glass, I heard a terse voice to my right…..
“Do you know what you’re doing there ?” A harsh male voice demanded.
I looked calmly and there he was, the small business owner of the establishment. A man in his middle (late middle….) years, who had put all of his life savings into this venture. A man who came to work with his wife, early in the morning until late in the day, every day, because the business couldn’t afford to hire employees.
A frustrated man who had admitted to me, on a previous visit, that he was struggling . A man who blamed the economy, angry customers, and poor profit margins on his ever growing struggle just to stay afloat in this turbulent time.
And here he was, standing in an aggressive manner, speaking harshly to me as if I were some street thug threatening to rob him, not seeing me as a customer who might need help. His question, body language and tone of voice made it clear that he percieved me as a nuisance who threatened to destroy his property. Remember that he had confided in me on a previous visit? His eyes showed no recognition at this moment.
“Yes,” I replied, “I do know what I’m doing, thanks.”
“Why?” he said gruffly. “Have you used this machine before?”
“Umm, yes I have.” I ignored him and made my copy. Then looked back at him.
“Oh, ok then. Do you want anything else today or is that it?”
I told him that was it for the day, went to the cash register, paid him his money, and left.
This exact scenario repeats itself every single time a customer walks into his establishment.
Is it just him? Oh no ! His wife repeats the same type of accosting as well. It’s almost as if they attended a training session on ‘how to make people uncomfortable in as little as 3 seconds.’
Imagine if he ‘Got It’ . What if he said something more pleasant instead. What if he viewed his customers as capable people and was actually glad to see them come into his store. Yes, sometimes they might only spend 30 cents on a photocopy….. but it all adds up,….. and this is his business….. and they could choose to spend that money elsewhere, but he is glad they came here to spend it.
But he doesn’t ‘Get It’. He goes home at the end of the day and talks with his wife about all the morons that came into the store. They don’t stop to think of all the people that come in once…. get the treatment they give, and then never, ever come back. Instead he sits and laments that his business is failing…. through no fault of his own.
One small change ( a pleasant, non-combative greeting) could go a long way to transforming his business. But the thought won’t occur to him. He will eventually go out of business, because of bad customer service.
And no one will be upset about it. Nor should they be.
Extreme Choices
So you won’t try the advice from yesterday.
That’s ok, most people will agree with you.
They will say it’s too difficult to not look at either/or choices.
Try this instead then ( a different road to get to the same destination)
- Make your second choice painful
File my taxes today…… or else I will go to jail !
Work out today…….. or I will die a painful death tomorrow!
Get up now…….. or I will be fired from my job !
Now at first glance you might say I’m being over dramatic. But when do most people submit their taxes? that’s right….. when a penalty is imminent.
I admit the second choice you present yourself with has to be extreme, because it needs to force you into action.
The real trick isn’t coming up with the extreme choice, it’s fooling your mind into believing the story you tell it !
Given the Choice…….
Given a choice, most everyone chooses the easy path.
- Work out now or work out later ? most say later.
- Get up now or sleep for another 10 minutes? most sleep.
- File my taxes now or wait until tomorrow ? most wait.
The list goes on and on……. the results are the same.
So how does a person avoid this trap?
Here’s one solution; Don’t give yourself choices.
Stop the either/or cycle.
Do this.
Do it now.
There is no later.
Treat your actions as a first impression…… you only get one chance to do it right.
Don’t Give Up
I met a gentleman yesterday. I had met him a week or two ago; but I got to know him a bit better yesterday. He came into my restaurant to sell us advertising space in a local coupon book. I began to ask him about his past …….I blinked, and an hour and a half had suddenly flown by.
This man was fascinating ! He’d done so much with his life, and his ability to retell these events held me captivated.
He also gave me hope, and recharged me.
It’s easy to get down, for all of us. Once you begin the downhill journey, it can be difficult to climb out of it. Most people get to a certain point and simply give up.
Imagine floating in the middle of the ocean with no hope of being rescued. Each person will tread water for a different length of time. Eventually every single person’s strength and determination will leave them, resulting in a slow sinking below the water surface.
What would happen if, at your darkest moment of despair, you saw another person floating slowly towards you? You would likely find a new reserve of strength and attempt to get close to the other survivor. Once the two of you got close enough, both of you would be re energized by each other.
You would survive a little longer.
This man who walked into my store the other day was a fellow survivor, wading through life and doing very well at it. I was getting tired of the wading…..
Thanks to Glenn, who will likely never read this blog.
To the rest of you…… don’t give up. Look on the horizon and find someone to help you.
No one can do it alone.
Good customer service…… from the customer!
“Thank you so much for the great service!”
I’m the customer.” I said to the cashier. ” Why are you thanking me for great service?”
The grocery store cashier grinned. “I ask every single customer the following questions. Do you have a frequent buyers reward card? Do you have your own bags today or would you like plastic bags for 5 cents each? Would you like cash back since you’re paying with your debit card?”
“After an eight hour shift I have asked those questions so many times I want to scream.” The cashier said. “It’s such a treat to have a customer walk up to me and be smiling. It’s also rare for the customer to say, ‘Here’s my frequent buyers card, I would like to buy plastic bags today, and I don’t need any cash back with my debit purchase, thanks.’”
“Really?” I asked. “I would have guessed everyone knows what’s coming and tries to help you out.”
“No way,” the cashier shook her head. “I can count people like you on one hand during each shift. I appreciate good service when I see it. Thanks again, Sir.”
“It was my pleasure,” I said. (and it was !)
Customers can deliver good customer service also.
Everyone’s my customer. Do you feel the same way ?
It really is that simple.
We love to complicate things. Maybe because, from an uninformed perspective, things look really complicated.
We hate to appear stupid. Rather than admit our short comings…… we console ourselves by saying topics and skills are so complicated, that only an expert can understand .
What am I talking about specifically? Pick a topic. Love, how to play the guitar, the stock market, real estate, customer service, marketing, tooth decay, ,,,,,, anything.
Everyone shrugs.
The novice who quits, shrugs and claims it’s too complicated.
The master shrugs and says things are so simple.
Who’s right?
They both are.
Everything is complicated when you first see it. Do you want to spend enough time and effort to understand your topic ? If do, then things will change from complicated…… to simple.
It’s magic……yet it works every time.
If you’re content to see things as complicated; then you will remain frustrated and a novice.
If you continuously struggle to see things as simple; you will be on your way to becoming a master.
the life long novice accomplishes nothing.
Great Summer Activity for your Kids !
My kids are too young for any real job, but we wanted to give them a chance to make a little bit of money while keeping their school skills honed over the sumer.
Here’s what we came up with…. Helped them make a Blog and each day that they post to it they can earn 2 dollars. Not a lot of money, but also not a ton of work for them to do.
The benefit to them – they get a bit of money that can add up over a couple months. They also earn it, so they are a bit more discerning about how they spend it.
The benefit to the parents ( and to the kids to but they don’t consider it a benefit) - They keep their writing and reading and creative skills in practice. Already after just a couple days they are doing very well and slamming out their blog entry in very little time.
Blogs are serious business in the world today, My kids are getting introduced to them and seeing that they can be used to make money.
It works for Seth Godin and many others…… it could work for them someday soon! If it doesn’t at least a couple of the 3 r’s are still being practiced.
Here are their blogs if you want to take a look;
If you do check them out please leave a comment, I know they would be thrilled to hear from you !
How Everyone Can Improve at Customer Service
A fan had the chance to meet a world famous pianist after a concert. The fan was in awe as he said to the piano genius.
“You played incredibly! I’ve never seen or heard anyone play the piano with such skill, such feeling. You are utterly brilliant!”
The Pianist smiled politely and said, “Thank you for your kind praise.”
“Kind has nothing to do with it,” the fan exclaimed. “I’d give my life to be able to play the piano like you do.”
“That’s what I did,” The Pianist replied matter of factly. “I gave my life to be able to play like this.”
I heard that story from a seminar years ago. The speaker was talking about the importance of commitment and practice.
Here’s how you can improve at providing customer service. Practice. Then practice some more. Then learn from what you have experienced …… and practice some more.
No one is good at something the first, or 5 th time we try it.
Careful, though. Don’t do something 5 or 6 times and make the mistake of thinking you just practiced 5 or 6 times. Follow these simple steps to get more out of your practicing.
1. Be aware that you are practicing.
2. Critique your effort.
3. Identify what went well, and where you could have done better.
4. Pick an action to improve during the next practice attempt.
5. Keep written notes of how/what you have improved on.
6. Don’t identify or try to change more than one detail on a practice run.
7. Accept that you won’t be perfect …… ever. But also accept that you can get better each time you practice.
A little improvement each try adds up to big changes in quality much quicker than you would guess.
Tiger Woods still needs to practice to get better. We all do.
“The Unspoken Question” of Customer Service……..
Every person wants to be important. They want recognition from their peers. They want to be cared about.
“Do You Care About Me?” is a question that everyone subconsciously asks during their interaction with others.
If the answer is “Yes!”, the two people usually get along well together. The foundation for a good relationship is in place.
If the answer to this question is “No”, then it’s unlikely the people will ever really “hit it off”
The answer you receive to the subconscious question “Do You Care About Me”, determines the difference between customer service success, or failure.
Be careful ……I’m not saying “Pretend to care about someone”
I’m saying truly care. If you do, then it will come through in your questions, attention given, and a myriad of other ways.
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