Customer Service

How do you measure good customer service? Does it depend on the type of service? For instance, if you go to McDonalds are you just looking for a friendly cashier and the right order? Or if you go do a mechanic, are you hoping for a quick visit and knowledge?

Customer service should be about a friendly face, a knowledgeable experience, and a resolution in the fastest way possible. Let's face it, in todays environment, those are hard things to pull together all at once. In the job market, the desire to serve people and work hard is waning. It is increasingly difficult to hire good people in a competitive market. And this post isn't about hiring people, although that is what it would seem like, it is really about what to strive for.

I work in a high stress environment that is all about serving people. Mustering a cheerful disposition for our customers is sometimes asking the impossible. Especially when the customer comes to you already frustrated. The important thing to remember is that we all struggle on both sides of the counter so to speak. We all have families, jobs, bills, events to get to and we all stress about it. Creating an environment to work in that is as relaxing as it can be is key. Maybe that is the way the office looks or maybe it is the people you work with. If you can pull a sense of calm into how you deal with people, the customer in turn will feel that, at least a little.

Not knowing what to do for a customer can be a huge road block in how the interaction goes. Stay calm, and know where to look for the resolution. You may not have the answer, but you probably know where to find it if you dig deep. And of course, know as much as you possibly can. This will make for a better interaction all around. But be honest, be transparent. If you have to research, make sure they know that and give them a good estimate on when you will have an answer.

Meet the customer where they are at. Some people like to do all business behind a computer screen. Some people love the phone. And some people still love to make that human connection, face to face. It is important to not force one way of business. It leads to frustration which can affect all the other parts of customer service. If you put all your eggs in one basket and a hole is in that basket, no more eggs.

In the business world we tend to focus on the bottom line number. But often in customer service, in public service especially, it is the quality of the work that speaks the most. What feels like and is a job day in and out, affects peoples lives and ultimately affects yours. Strive for good quality service in whatever you do. It will provide good returns.