Shep Hyken, contributing for Forbes, has a great article titled The Ten Commandments of Superior Customer Service. Hyken cites Dr. Willie Jolley as the developer of these commandments, which he summarizes in this piece.
Let’s do a deeper dive on the first one: “Thou Shalt Serve with a Smile”. As Hyken explains, “The best people in customer service take joy in helping others. They serve with a smile.” There’s a critical component to understanding this idea: he’s not saying that an employee should simply wear a smile, even if it’s fake—though we all sometimes have to do that when we’re having bad days. Instead, he’s stressing the idea that this smile should be genuine because the employee should honestly want to help your customers.
No matter how great an actor someone might be, he’s never going to come off as authentic when compared to someone who actually cares—he’s never going to approach sales with the right amount of enthusiasm and attention. After all, the salesperson who really cares about customers is the one who’s going to listen to what the customer is saying and make sure he offers the right products and add-ons that make sense for each situation. Customers notice these things, and they remember when it comes time to buy again.
Hyken adds a quote from Dr. Jolley that encapsulates the right kind of attitude you should look for in your staff: “It makes my day to be able to help make your day.” Happier employees will result in happier customers, which will all lead to better profit and loyalty for your business.
Measuring those smiles is hard for a manager to do: you need an unbiased, customer-level opinion to gauge the level of friendliness your staff exudes. What you need is mystery shopping—The Brandt Group only uses real, local consumers who are going to give you honest feedback. Reach out to us today to learn more.
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