Most people are quick to tell a story of a bad customer service experience. It’s human nature to want to vent and to want to hear affirmation from others that you were right in being upset/offended/etc. It definitely gives us something to bond over.
But what about the good customer service experiences?
How about the great customer service experiences?
We may tell a person about the experience here or there, but we don’t seem to go on and on about it. It’s not a story that comes up over dinner with friends, or at the next football game. I will go into that another time!
However, it does leave you feeling good, if not great from the experience. Today I experienced great customer service as I checked in to have some tests run. As I sat in the waiting room between tests, I thought about what made it great. It was so simple.
- The clerk stopped what she was doing when I walked up and greeted me with a smile. The waiting room was full, so I’m sure she had plenty to do.
- She couldn’t find my name right away, but then when I spelled it she remembered seeing it somewhere. That made me feel less like a number and that they were waiting to see me, not just check me off the list.
- My husband was with me. She took the time to tell us when he would be able to join me.
- She then stopped and told a co-worker and myself a funny story. It was the co-worker’s birthday and there were signs and balloons all over. She told him a story about her birthday at another place she worked and INCLUDED me in the conversation. It was a short, cute story that made me giggle before I went to my first test.
- After the first test, she explained what would happen next very nicely. It was great that she was able to take the edge off my nerves.
That is a very simple yet great customer service experience. Since she took the time to connect with me, I was much more relaxed, felt comfortable with all the people I had to talk to, and didn’t mind being there a few hours. The best part for the facility is I would recommend them to a friend because of the experience.
How can you provide great customer service?
Whether you are client facing, or your customers are internal to the organization, great customer service is crucial to success. Following the experience I had, here are a few simple things you can incorporate into your day to provide great customer service!
- Smile
- Stop what you are doing when someone is talking to you.
- Explain what is going on, what you are doing while you are typing, anything to make sure the other person isn’t wondering.
- Seek an opportunity to connect and humanize the moment. Yes you have a job to do and procedures to follow, but there is a person on either side of it.
If you start to incorporate these simple steps into each interaction with your client, you will see success! I can almost guarantee that YOU will be happier too! Providing great customer service feels good to both you and the customer!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great customer service can often arise by doing basic things well.
It’s the small things, the details that make such a big difference. Good service is important to me and it is the difference between successful and unsuccessful businesses.