I recently went to Kroger (a grocery store chain in Texas) to buy a tenderloin to grill. It was a cold day, and their meat department was closed. I asked one of the associates if he could help me. He came to the meat department but said he was not sure he could get me what I wanted since the meat department was closed. As he was telling me this, I noticed he was removing his blue apron, which employees wear.
I answered him, “No problem. Would you please get a manager I can ask, since I know exactly what I need?”
By this time he had put his blue apron to the side and now looked like he was in non-work attire. He answered, “I am sorry. I am now off the clock.”
The situation was so bad that it made me chuckle on the inside. The next person I asked went above and beyond to get me the tenderloin. Kroger is a good company. I’m not sharing this to give them a bad reputation, as it’s just a one-off incident. But it reminded how companies need to stay on top of training their people.
There are many programs out there, and many ways to show your people how to give the best service possible. Below is a new three-step model that encompasses many principles we know. I like three steps because it keeps things simple. I submit this standard of brilliant customer service for your consideration to use with your team.
Grateful. Gratefulness is an internal attitude. If your customer service doesn’t convey this positive attitude, then performing actions to please customers and clients will be just that: a performance. Your actions will come across as fake and short-lived. This principle is about how we show up to work. There are three areas I encourage you to be grateful for as you come to work.
- Grateful to have a job
- Grateful the client chose us
- Grateful to make an impact on this person standing before me
Personal. People connect with people, not a business or organization. Before you handle a customer’s problem, connect with them as a human being, not a client, not a patient, and not a parishioner.
- Make a human connection by asking a question or two about the person and engaging them in a natural, warm dialogue. Please do more than ask, “How is your day going?” That’s a mediocre attempt, but what can you say to connect on a human level with the person you are serving? This step has nothing to do with the customer’s concern. Be appropriate and make sure you attend to the urgency of the situation, but can you share a personal fact of your own?
- Show kindness through your body language. Smile often. Keep your arms uncrossed. Remain open. Don’t physically tower over people.
Remarkable. People can get your product or service somewhere else. What you offer is not why you will succeed. It is how you offer it. Here are three steps to giving remarkable customer service.
- Insist to know all the customer’s concerns. As a family doctor, this has been key to people wanting to come back to see me. I may not be able to address all of their concerns, but I want to hear them all. I want them to feel assured that I know everything that is worrying them, and that we will then make plan for what we will address today. This is the same in any kind of work.
- Meet each need they present.
- Exceed expectations in at least one area.
Leaders, we must continue to refresh ourselves and our employees on the value of customer service. May we model our own gratefulness, personal connection, and remarkable moments to our employees so their service to our customers is a natural extension of ourselves.
How can I support you more as a Christian leader and entrepreneur?
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