Customer Service Tips

Customer Service Training:
Memorable Encounters - Every Time!

Think about how many people you come into contact with on a daily basis.

Now think about how many of them will remember you later in a favorable light. A few? Lots? All? This may be something you don't think about often, but wouldn't you like for everyone you encounter every single day to have positive thoughts about you later? I sure do! For those of us in business our interactions with people can lead to good or bad publicity, so remember these four simple steps to make each encounter an enjoyable one.

Smile!
When we meet someone for the first time or the fiftieth time - smile. A smile conveys that we're happy to see them. A smile is an unspoken form of encouragement (which we all crave) and smiles are contagious. They help people relax from whatever stresses they might be experiencing, at least for a few moments, and that by itself will make you memorable.

Learn the person’s name and remember it
Our names are valuable and unique to each of us, so it stands to reason it makes people feel important when we address them by name, whether it's from memory or just reading it from their name badge. Don't mispronounce a person's name because on some level they will take it as a personal insult. Ask them to repeat it (or spell it) if it's unusual. The more difficult the name is, the more reason we should say it correctly.

Compliment people
Be sincere and make a positive statement about something they are wearing or working on or proud of or interested in. It makes people smile and feel good about themselves. Doing this also shows that you have taken notice of them and are interested in them and this too makes people feel important.

Listen
Paying attention to someone as they speak is akin to giving them a high compliment. It says we are interested in them and what they are saying. Ask questions that they will enjoy answering. If we show a genuine interest in a person they will automatically like us on some level.

The goal here isn't to actually "make more friends" but when other people enjoy encounters with us we are making friends. And we all know "One can never have too many friends!"