Good Customer Service - It's All About Choice

You shouldn't be surprised to learn that poor customer service is ranked as the number one reason why customers switch service providers. It's created a window of opportunity for a host of self-proclaimed experts promising to keep your business on top if you'll just spend a rash of cash on their "system." They'll even give you a fancy name as part of the package: it's no longer referred to simply as customer service; now it's Customer Relations Management (CRM).

The trouble is, customers are being turned off by the CRM approach that forces them to deal with automated phone systems. This past week I found myself dealing with two of those patronizing voice recognition systems that force you to answer them out loud. There is something very dehumanizing when a machine commands you to "speak up, I can't hear you," or tells you to make another selection. Most people want to talk to a real person, preferably someone pleasant who can help solve a problem.

Businesses that excel in service accept that good customer service isn't about the technology; it's about the people. Forrester Research found a lot of dissatisfaction from companies that had invested in the pricey software-driven systems. They concluded that the only measurable gains were made when firms offered employees incentives to improve customer service.

Companies don't help customers, people do, which is why the happy employee is such a valuable commodity. Great customer service starts with a smile, and smiles flow freely when people are having fun at work. It makes you wonder why the suggestion that "work made fun gets done" is so foreign to some bosses.

Fun is not just an activity; it's a state of mind that is strongly influenced by your environment. At the Scotiabank branch in Simcoe, Ontario the predominantly female staff has a fun way of starting their day. They include their only male colleague in their morning huddle and follow the lead of a musically inclined teddy bear in a lively rendition of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun." It sets a happy tone for the day. In a different environment, Alison has found a great way to inject fun to change the atmosphere in her office when things get stressful. She calls for all work to stop, cranks up the stereo and leads staff in a 5-minute Barry White music break. It's a powerful mood lifter.

Part of the well-renowned approach at the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle suggests that if you want to make customers happy, you need to choose your attitude. Think of the co-worker who warns you not to speak to them until they've finished their second cup of coffee, or the cashier who fails to make eye contact with you and carries on a phone conversation as if you weren't even there. They have made a choice to focus on themselves, an entirely different approach from the Pike Place fishmongers who toss fish around and engage the customers at their market.

Whether you choose to sing, dance, throw fish or laugh out loud is not the issue. It's about making the right choice, and it comes much easier in a happy working environment.