by Marlin Bressi

Created on: January 27, 2009   Last Updated: January 07, 2012

It is perhaps strange that when it comes to customer service, so many of us have no clue what it means to provide a customer with a pleasant experience. After all, who among us has never been a customer? Whether we are small-town businessmen or kings of Wall Street, we have all been customers. In order to provide great customer service, it is imperative to become an observer; even if you can't define good customer service, you will know it when you see it. Here are ten observations I have made which embody good customer service:

1. Empathy. There have been many times when I have been a dissatisfied customer. I have found that employees who empathize with my complaint usually earn my respect more than those who merely follow standard customer complaint procedures. Rectifying a complaint and getting the customer to return are two different issues. Empathy is a good way to tackle both at the same time.

2. Say what you mean, and do what you say. Everyone admires a straight-shooter.

3. Never make excuses for an employee's poor performance. A customer doesn't want to hear, "Oh, Fred's just having a bad day." A customer wants results, not excuses.

4. Promise big and deliver big. Never make a promise to a customer that you can't keep.

5. Go the extra mile. When everyone else does the minimum amount of work required, those who go the extra mile will stand out.

6. Enjoy what you do, and surround yourself with others who enjoy their work. Not only will the workplace be more pleasant, but your customer's experience will be more pleasant.

7. Leave your problems at home. Even the best of us sometimes allow problems at home to carry over into our working lives. As important as a problem seems to you, it does not make any difference to a customer or client. Having an out of control child or falling behind on your cay payment is not a justification for providing inferior customer service.

8. Present a professional appearance. There used to be a time when everyone dressed up for work: shoe salesmen, pharmacists, even soda jerks. In a world where professional attire has been replaced with casual attire, dressing the part of a professional surely won't hurt customer service. If you haven't done so already, establish a dress code and enforce it.

9. Practice. The only way to get better at something is through practice, and customer service is no different. When time allows, enlist the help of a friend to pose as a difficult customer, and then observe how your employees handle the situation.

10. Smile. A smile can work wonders. Smile and the world smiles with you.

As you can see, these ten tips are things that most of us already know; however, they are all-too-often forgotten. These tips will serve as reminders as ways to ensure good customer service in any type of business.

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