Customer Service
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I read something interesting today: "Customer service is not a department - it's an attitude". Just a thought.
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Very true !! Nice thought for the day !
DEPENDING on how many cups of coffee had in the morning... it sure is!
A few years back, there was a story circulating about a little old lady who brought a tire into a large department store, demanding her money back because the tire wasn't "right." The person at the "returns" desk told her they couldn't take it because she hadn't bought the tire at their store and didn't have a receipt to prove it. She was adamant that she had purchased it there, and demanded to see the manager.
The manager cherrily took the tire and gave her the money. After she left, the sales clerk asked the manager why he had done that - it was clear she didn't buy the tire there because they didn't sell tires at all.
The manager replied that what really mattered was the customer's perception of service. In her mind, she HAD purchased the tire at that store. He took the tire and gave her the money to make her happy, knowing that the "customer service" he provided would leave her with a good impression, and that she would come back and spend her money at that store in the future.
I don't know if the story is true, but it does underpin the "customer service is an attitude" concept.
Thanks for this thread, Duane!
Linda, this is actually a true story, in a slightly different story. In my years with training at Kmart we used the story many times. The little old lady was a man who was having the argument with a customer service representative. The manager was none other than John Nordstrom, one of the grandsons of the company's founder, in 1966. He was visiting the store at the time, just two years before he would take over as the company's President.
He understood that the customer is always right, even when wrong. He knew if he did not do the refund the customer would have told his friends and family that Nordstrom did not stand behind their produccts -- without mentioning the actual product. The customer's friends would have believed him and Nordstrom stood to lose not only this customer but his friends as well.
Thanks for the clarification Rick!
Here's another thought: "Knowledge is power, but enthusiasm pulls the switch".
In the past 10 or so years, I've become really, really sensitive to customer service. So many people and companies talk about it, but don't walk the walk. And that makes it even worse, because I now have an expectation of being served well.
I have a client whose tag line includes something about customer service, and yet it's missing in so many ways. Customer service isn't just in that department. It's in how you listen to the client, in how you respond to their requests, in how you keep your promises to them, in how you make sure they are being kept updated on your progress (or lack thereof), in the lack of mistakes in the product you give them, and much more.
Customer service is also present in how employees treat each other. Do you treat your co-worker as though they are a customer, deserving of your very best care? You should! Because attitude is everything, everywhere and everyWHEN. If you're not behaving that way with your fellow employees, you can bet that you're not with your customers - and while you're probably blind to it, they definitely aren't.