Delivering Good Customer Service: Important Tips

A recent trip to McDonald's in my neighborhood got me to thinking about customer service and the need to improve it.

Here I am, with my daughter, waiting to have my order taken. There was no one in line in front of me and a few waiting to the side for their orders. Someone from the kitchen says something that I could not hear well enough to understand. The manager behind the counter, who looked at me when I walked in but failed to greet or acknowledge me, turns in a snap and yells back to the kitchen personnel. She tells them, "You need to learn to just chill out!"

I thought seriously for a moment about turning and leaving this store. Wondering if this is the kind of attitude this manager has towards customer service, what kind of attitude does she have towards delivering safe and quality food to her patrons? I stayed only to not break my promise to my daughter for lunch together at McDonald's.

This manager obviously cares none about customer service. After her comment to the kitchen she shoots a disgusted look at everyone waiting. I look around at all the faces to see their reactions. Everyone looks to be annoyed or disappointed with the customer service at this place. This incident reminds me of several other recent occasions when I have experienced poor customer service. Poor customer service seems to happen much more than most of us would like.

All of us have suffered the experience of poor customer service more than once in our lifetimes. We have even given poor customer service despite the fact that many of us strive to give the best customer service. We must remember that everything we say and do, no matter what industry we are in, affects others perceptions of ourselves and the companies we represent. We all must keep customer service a top priority no matter what it is we do.

I work in local government. In my job I handle complaints on a daily basis. I also tell people things that often times they don't want to hear. I deal with upset and angry citizens. It can be very difficult to give good customer service. It is even more difficult on a busy day or a day that I am not feeling my best. Still good customer service is essential. Good customer service is what keeps my department in positive light to the public that we serve.

Here are some things that I have learned over the years about customer service. Take these suggestions and think about how you can apply them to your job. Practice these tips and see what impact they have on the people you deal with daily.

First and foremost, when someone brings a problem or complaint to you, know how to react to the situation. You must remember that no matter how trivial a problem may seem to you it is the most important thing in that persons perception. They would not bother to complain if it was not very important to them. Take time to listen to the person making the complaint. Make plenty of eye contact with them and let them know you are listening. When you respond to their problem, briefly restate their complaint so they know you have listened and understood. If you do not have a solution at that time let them know you will follow up with them within a reasonable period of time. Make sure you do follow up. Make a note of the problem with the complainants name and phone number. Jot down a time or day that you will call them with a response and call them when you said you would.

Today's technology gives us so many ways to communicate. This can be a blessing but it can also be an opportunity to completely blow customer service. When you have someone standing before you and the phone rings, let it ring. Do not put this person off just to answer the phone. If you do answer the phone you have just told that person that whatever they are talking about is not as important to you as the phone conversation. I am sure that we all have some sort of voice messaging or answering service. Let the technology work for you. Allow the caller to leave a message if no one else can answer the phone. Just make sure that you return the call as soon as possible. If the caller is upset that you did not answer the phone, apologize and explain that you had someone in your office at the time. Thank them for leaving a message and allowing you to call them back.

E-mail is another opportunity to give good customer service or blow it. Most of us are very accustomed to using email for both personal and business needs. You must remember to keep a professional appearance when using email for our business needs. I have many times received email from a business associate that looked like my 16 year old daughter wrote it. This does not display good customer service, nor does it impart any impression of professionalism. It is acceptable when writing friends and family to keep the tone casual. It is not acceptable to do this when dealing with people in a business environment. Keep away from the cute abbreviations and smileys. Keep the email short and to the point. Use a business like format. Make sure your signature line is appropriate, this is not the place to advertise your myspace page.

Think about the way you handle customer service. Give yourself an honest self review and even ask co-workers what their perception is of how you handle complaints and problems. Think about how you can implement these simple tips in your own job. You will be surprised how easily you can defuse a problem and calm people down. Take some occasional customer service training, this reminds of us of things we may have forgotten. Most importantly, put yourself in your customers shoes. Think about how you would like to be treated if you were on the other side of the desk. Treat your customers the way you would want to be treated and you will have much more success.