It may sound cliche, but good customer service is really a lost art. You may see reviews or hear from friends about subpar customer service interactions.
My definition of customer service may be a little different from the Wikipedia version. If you search for “What is the definition of customer service,” you’ll find phrases such as: taking care of the customer’s needs, delivering professional service, and meeting the job requirements. These are all certainly true and required, but true customer service, or shall I say high quality customer service to me requires other intangibles.
My definition of customer service is as follows:
- Genuinely love your job. Your passion will reflect positively to customers.
- Must be a people-person. Over-communication is a must.
- Must enjoy helping others. This is why I got into business. Fixing computers brings smiles to customers’ faces. I get a kick out of that!
- Must know your craft. Yes, you must help customers and answer questions. If you don’t know your industry and about your company, well, then, you’re not helping.
- Go above and beyond. Don’t just do the job requested. Give pointers, take-aways, or freebies. Good surprises are always welcome.
- Satisfaction guaranteed. Do whatever it takes to ensure the customer is happy. You’ll have unwarranted complaints, but don’t judge and turn smiles out of frowns.
- Warranty your customer, not your job. This is tough to understand, but it will keep your doors open when you satisfy your customer, not your dates of warranty.
So, if your outlook has been one of the 9-5 variety or the “what assignments do I a have today” boredom, either change up your attitude, get a new job, or do some serious soul searching. Good customer service is a genuine warmth and care that is show out of the goodness of your heart. It is the honest need to help others as best as you can.