<p>Among the many things are customers expect from us is responsiveness.</p>
<p>This is the willingness to respond to customer needs by answering their phone or email requests quickly, by acknowledging them quickly in-person, and being willing to do what it takes to respond effectively to a service request.</p>
<p>Responsiveness is adopting a can-do attitude, and a willingness to go the extra mile for the customer. There is an increasing large body of research suggesting that soft skills (such as listening, empathy, courtesy and creating rapport) are more important than technical skills in your success in business. Certainly, you must have adequate technical skills to meet your customers needs, but it's your "soft skills" that will allow you to develop lasting relationships with your customers.</p>
<p>A positive attitude is the first step in building good soft skills. You have control over your attitude. Just like you can choose what clothes to wear in the morning, you can also choose what attitude to assume every day. You can choose to see the glass as half-full, or half-empty. Cliche perhaps, but true nonetheless. Your approach, or attitude, toward life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If your attitude is “Every experience is an opportunity!”, then you will interpret everything that happens to you as an interesting journey. On the other hand, if you approach your business and your life in a less than positive way, every bump in the road will seem like a huge obstacle.</p>
<p>Who is that in the mirror? As a professional speaker and trainer, I spend a lot of time on the road. Things usually go very well for me on the road and on those rare occasions when things "hiccup", they're usually minor. One week, however, I dealt with a problem that had the potential to cause a major disruption in my business. Now, as I look back on what happened, I can see the entire situation with new clarity. I made several mistakes. The first mistake was in making assumptions about what a vendor would do. I could have spent more time at their website and learned more about their policies and procedures. Instead, I spent a brief time skimming over their services and made assumptions about how to order a particular service and whether it was the right service for me. The second mistake I made was in not contacting this vendor earlier to discuss how best to use their services (and whether they were even the right vendor for this job). The third mistake I made was in trying to deal with this vendor while I was hurrying to catch a train. In other words, I was in a state of stress which undoubtedly came through in my voice (even though I don't think I was rude, demanding, or abusive). As I dealt with this vendor in trying to resolve several problems, I received brusk (almost rude) customer service. I don't believe there is ever a reason to treat any customer in a manner that is anything other than cheerful, pleasant, respectful, and empathetic, but I wonder if there were subtle messages that I was sending that caused me to receive less than exemplary customer service. As I look back at my experiences with other people, I also need to look in the mirror. Am I doing everything I can to have a positive effect on everyone I meet? Have I gone out of my way to touch people in a positive way? When the world doesn't go my way, do I take a moment to stop and regroup or do I complain to everyone around me so they can feel bad, too? I know I can't control other people, but I certainly can control how I appear when they look in my direction.</p>
<p>So, what are the lessons I learned and how do they relate to you in customer service?</p>
<p>Lesson one: Start early. When you have plenty of time, you're more relaxed and things just seem to go better. Arrive at your desk early. Give yourself 15 or 20 minutes before your shift starts to gather your thoughts and organize your workspace. Then later, when the day starts to get frantic, you’ll find you’re more in control of things.</p>
<p>Lesson two: Do enough research. As a business person, do you subscribe to news feeds and blogs about the your products and your industry? Do you spend time each day reading articles and books related to your business? Do you read articles about successful businesses outside your industry? Knowledge is power and the more knowledge you have, the more you’ll be empowered to delight your customers with great experiences.</p>
<p>Lesson three: Focus on the task at hand instead of multi-tasking. This means, when dealing with your customer, you focus exclusively on them and nothing else.</p>
<p>Lesson four: When the world is crashing around you, before you do anything else, look in the mirror. Maybe you can’t control the rest of the world, but you are in complete control over how you view the world and what’s happening in it.</p>
<p>As a business operator, take a moment to ask yourself the following questions:</p>
<ol>
<li>Do I put myself in the customer's shoes?</li>
<li>Do I take ownership of a problem and see it through to completion?</li>
<li>Am I willing to help both customers and co-workers?</li>
<li>Do I consciously assume a positive outlook with my customers and co-workers?</li>
<li>Am I respectful and courteous to the customer?</li>
<li>Do I treat everyone with respect and courtesy?</li>
<li>Do I speak and conduct myself confidently with customers?</li>
</ol>
<p>If you answered yes to at least five, you are on the right track to creating a positive position from which to serve your customers for the best results. If you answered yes to fewer than five, your attitude might be keeping you from doing your best to create the proper environment for success in your business.</p>
2009-07-23T18:05:58Z
2009-07-24T15:48:32Z
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customer-service-responsiveness-and-the-person-in-the-mirror
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2009-07-24T08:48:13Z
2009-07-24T15:48:32Z
Great customer service is about many things including our responsiveness to customer needs and wants. It's also about looking in the mirror when things go wrong.
Customer Service: Responsiveness and the Person in the Mirror
1
2009-07-24T15:48:32Z