twelve solutions

Many people are unaware of the importance of customer service in attaining success. Organisations never stop to ask what type of service are we offering our customers or how do our customers see us? When we get into brainstorming sessions on how to increase our revenue, we should think along the lines of implementing a customer service culture.

Singapore Airlines is one company known for its high customer service standards. They remain one of the most profitable airlines to date and a lot of analysts feel that their superior customer service culture has been the primary reason for this success. Its management team has always given maximum attention to establishing and maintaining a good customer service culture. They believe its the simple and most cost effective way to remain profitable even in a recession.

Let’s think about it this way, its one thing for a waiter to serve food at a restaurant without being rude. Its another thing for the waiter to serve with a smile. Customers definitely don’t want rude attendants but the experience will last longer in our memory if the attendant has a pleasant disposition. We will also be more attuned to talking about it and definitely be happy to return again.

But just to sound a note of caution, for a customer service culture to succeed, everyone in the organisation must be involved. Its not enough for management to provide the funds and expect magic to happen. We all learn better from our elders/superiors. So if you want your staff to truly embrace a new culture why not start with yourself. How you treat them becomes a reflection of how they will treat your customers.

I read a post online and noted the writers surprise to find a top executive of one of the major courier companies on a ride with the truck driver handling deliveries to their customers. He asked the executive why he would put himself through such a tough task when he didn’t need to. The executive laughed and told him he enjoyed it and often made these trips. He said he wasn’t about to stop either. This top executive knows that without the customers being served with delight the organisation will not exist. He knows exactly what they are serving because he’s serving too.

The question we need to ask ourselves is what are we serving our customers?

When last did you walk into a store and receive a very warm greeting that made you smile? For me its been a while and it happens so little and far between that I’m startled when it does happen.

A warm greeting when you receive a client makes a world of difference. Its sets the stage for a pleasant transaction, may even convert a window shopper into an actual buyer, and it definitely costs nothing to offer a warm greeting.

So how should we welcome our customers? If you really love your job or are making any effort at trying to enjoy it then this shouldn’t be hard to figure out. A smile, eye contact, maybe a handshake, will definitely make our customers take a second look at us and diffuse any hostility. Our culture sometimes requires our genuflecting when greeting elders in the society. If the customer is really advanced in age and tends to communicate with you in your local dialect then I guess it won’t hurt for you to genuflect while greeting him.

Is this customer a regular at your service point? Then you should know his/her name, ask about the family, initiate a bit of small talk. The customer will surely feel happy, because you’ve shown him/her that you care. Its common sight for mothers to move around with their kids to informal environments, know their names too so you can ask about them when the mother comes in alone.

Its important that we learn to enjoy our jobs as CSR’s because its only then that we can incorporate a winning attitude.