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Get Organized to be Responsive

Organized people are usually more productive, but organization is also a key to excellent customer service.  If you’re organized, you can more quickly find information and respond.   Get organized.

I.D. Co-workers who are Customers

Write down the names of 5 co-workers who rely on your decisions, your information, your services.  These co-workers are your customers.  So we need to treat them as customers.

Defuse with Empathy

To defuse the upset customer or co-worker, empathize with them.  This shows you’re more concerned with being understanding than with arguing and being right.

Convey You Care

To convey you care, be attentive, focused, patient, empathetic, respectful, have an ownership attitude, be solution-oriented, and be responsive.

Help Your Customers Remember

To manage expectations, have standard documents conveying next steps or responsibilities of you and the customer; send summary e-mails after planning meetings; have intranet-based documents to which to refer others.

When Making Decisions, Ask…

Providing consistently high levels of customer service isn’t easy.  It requires you to constantly be thinking of others first.  Constantly ask yourself “what’s best for the customer?”

Stay Composed During Telephone Complaints

When hearing a complaint on the phone, write down what they say.  You will get focused on the facts instead of the emotion; that will help you keep your composure.

Treat Co-workers as Customers

Every customer service technique, philosophy, or principle you’ve ever learned applies to your co-worker just like it does to your customer.  Treat co-workers as internal customers.

Show You’re Focused on Them

When listening to someone, get in the habit of making good eye contact and periodically nodding when you agree with something.  It shows you’re focused, you’re open, and you care.

Have the Will

Those great at customer service have the will to be great, the will to care, the will to think about others first.  Do you have the will?