Customer Service - Its About Actions and Attitudes

Customer Service is common sense. We are all customers in our everyday life and we all know what constitutes good and bad service. So why is it so difficult? Why do we all commiserate with each about bad service that we seemingly receive on a daily basis? It all comes down to two simple words - Actions and Attitudes. Every employee's customer service training should include training on these two simple words.

Let's start with attitude because that is where it all begins. You can't be truly good at anything without a positive attitude. The world is full of failures that occur because of a bad attitude. Life is stressful and difficult and many times employees bring this life stress into the workplace. They are thinking about everything except for their job and when it comes time to deliver excellent service, they let their own personal travails get in the way of their job.

When you step in the door and clock into the job the first and most important step is to leave your baggage at the door as well. Your customers don't care about your problems. They simply wish to have a positive experience and get what they need from your business.

No one expects you to be happy and positive when you are not, but it's easy to fake and essential to the job. Practice smiling and having a positive tone to your voice even when it's not in your heart. This will keep your job safe, your customers happy and your career progressing.

The next step to great service is Action. Your actions are the backbone of great service. A positive attitude is the ladder to action, but action is the key to putting your service in the "great" category. Actions are the actual physical steps you take to wow your customers.

It starts with a "welcome" and smile and ends with a "thank you" and smile, but in between is the greatest opportunity of your job. If you work in a retail store it might be actually taking your customer right to the product they are looking for rather than just telling them the isle. If you work in a restaurant it might be getting their beverage refills the second they are needed or getting the order 100% correct every time. If you work in a call center it might be calling your customer back with the information they requested within an hour. Wherever it is that you work there are countless ways to turn good service into great service.

In customer service you need to constantly think of ways to "wow" the customer. Impress the customer in every encounter. Sometimes you may be limited by your companies specific policies, however the key to being a standout in service is to work within your limitations and find the best way to provide service in your situation.

Actions and Attitudes are two of the most important words you will ever hear in reference to customer service. First get your positive attitude straight and leave all of your personal baggage at the door. Next, find the positive actions that will impress your customers. Your job success depends on it.