We’ve all had those experiences:
- a retail clerk that cannot put their cell phone down long enough to answer your question.
- a customer service rep on the other end of the phone who says they can’t help you, so they transfer you to someone else who also can’t help you…and then hangs up on you when they try to transfer you again.
- the waitperson that clearly is not happy to be there, or to take your order, or to bring your food. They exude the “why are you bothering me” vibe.
And we all know good customer service when we see it, right? Positive customer service experiences, like so many other positive human experiences, come down to strong communications and feeling like we have been seen and heard. Validate me, that’s all we ask.
Some examples:
– Our innkeeper at the charming seaside inn while on vacation recently was masterful. She used our names during check-in, was warm, but not overbearing, supplied us with useful information about the area, and then left us blissfully alone. Happiness.
– The Capitol One service rep that not only cheerfully solved my problem, she actually apologized for putting me on hold in order to solve my problem and then waived a fee on my account that I didn’t even know I had. Big score..
– The waiter in a restaurant that sensed my anguish over the tiny glass of water and brought me, without being asked, a pitcher of ice water and kept it full all during dinner. Contentment.
What do all of these have in common? Each person providing a service made the effort to observe. They observedwho I was and what I needed…and they supplied it. And then they did a little extra. Amazing.
Good customer service is about making the customer feel seen and heard.
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