Positive Responses: A Game for Improving Customer Service

Customer service is the biggest part of running any business. Customers need to be treated with dignity and respect. Employees being the biggest asset to any company need to know how to deliver genuine personalized service. I've been working at a company that is very customer service oriented. We work in small groups on a weekly basis to further develop our customer service skills. Below is a game that has become a good tool for practicing good customer service. I encourage you to use this game to help develop your company's customer service skills.

How to play:

Below are the beginning of several statements. Print this article and cut out the different statements. Fold the paper strips and place them into a hat, cup, or any other container. Pass around the container and have each employee pull out one slip of paper. You then need to tell them to think about how they could, if they were in the individual's shoes, offer positve customer service. Give them time to think and then go around the room and have each employee read and finish the statement they received with their response. If you have extra time you can have them give a negative response and then redo it with a positive response. This will show how we are all capable of choosing to give good customer service with a positive response rather than give a negative response which will equal bad customer service. It is best to have a small discussion about how the different responses will affect the customer. What would you do if you were the person on the receiving end of the service?

Good luck!

Statements:

After a 20 minute wait in line with 3 items at the grocery store, the cashier...

You just got done signing the papers for a brand new car. The manager of the dealership...

You received some other concoction than what you ordered at the coffee shop. You complain to the associate at the counter. The associate says ...

I arrived at the dentist office 15 minutes early. When I walked in the receptionist said...

After missing my flight because I was stuck in a traffic jam, the woman working the airline ticket counter suggested ...

My new puppy ran away from home last week. The day after, Love Your Pet Veterinary called and said they found him. When we went in to pick him up the store clerk...

You called your wireless carrier's customer service 800 # to find out how many minutes you have. The representative you reach...

When I picked up my new $300 sweater from the drycleaners I noticed a small spot on it that wasn't there when I dropped it off. When the associate working the counter said there was nothing he could do, the manager walked over and said ...

I decided to go shopping in a brand new high-end department store. I walked into the store and the greeter ...

I arrived at the bank at 5:02 pm. I tried to walk in as the branch manager was about to lock the door. When he saw me approach the door, he said ...

Your wallet is unknowingly removed from your purse by a fellow shopper (aka a very sneaky thief). Once you notice it missing you approach a mall security officer in a panic and he/she suggests...

When I crashed my car into a tree because of extreme weather conditions, the police officer doing the accident report ...

You are the manager of a grocery store. It is 7:00 pm on Christmas Eve and you are eager to get customers out of the store so you can close and go home to your family. Customers are franticly trying to grab their last minute items. You decide to stand near the registers of the store and tell the customers .....

After a long stressful day at work you run to a department store to finish up your last minute shopping. You flag down a sales associate to ask questions between two very large screened TVs. As you are having a hard time making up your mind between the two you see the associate getting impatient with you. He soon tells you that ...

After receiving a letter in the mail from my mortgage company saying that I have not paid my last month's mortgage payment I called to tell them that it was mailed in two weeks ago. The representative on the phone told me that...

While waiting in line to pay for my fuel purchase I watched as a hard of hearing gentlemen tried to get directions to his daughter's new house from the attendant. The attendant.....