Shift Your Perspective on Customer Service

My hope is that in reading this, your perspective on customer service will be changed, or at the very least expanded.

Traditionally, I’ve found the general thought surrounding customer service to be limited to the wonderful people that serve in office support roles. You know the receptionist, secretaries, admins, or my personal favorite – our super heroes!

Those that function in support roles are expected to be the ones to smile when customers enter the office, say hello, and honestly, just be pleasant. I would agree, front office staff should do these things, certainly, the first point of contact is important. However, I would challenge each of you to not limit customer service to the front office staff’s “responsibility”.

I challenge you to consider how much more of an impact your interaction could have if you considered everyone your customer? How would your environment change if you greeted your fellow co-workers with a smile, a hello, a how’s your day going today? What if you smiled at the parents that are in your building or parking lot, and made them feel welcome on your property? What if you treated students like a front office staff member treats customers? What if you asked, what do you need from me today, or how can I make your day awesome?

Generally speaking, we all have our favorite something. At my local grocery store, I have a favorite cashier. I don’t care how long his line is, I will wait patiently for him to ring me up just because he is so pleasant. I know that he won’t give me an attitude if  I question the price on something, he’s patient with me when I’m trying to get my funds together, he always smiles and genuinely wants to make sure my shopping experience is pleasant, and  I love that! This one person being kind, being pleasant, having exceptional customer service is enough to make me revisit this store again and again.

Likewise, I challenge you to create an awesome customer experience for whoever graces your presence. You can leave such a good impression of your company, your school, and yourself that parents, students, or staff will want to revisit your establishment. Parents will want to enroll their kids at your building; potential employees will want to work for you. How awesome would that be?

I will leave you with this last thought. I came across this photo one day (see above).  I think of it often. Be kind. Everyone you come into contact with deserves your best customer service.