How good is yours?

How good is my "what"?

Customer Service?

No matter what job you are doing, no matter where you are working, you are working in the customer service industry. Surprised? Thought it was the realm of check out chicks, cafe's and hotels?

We all know where we can find "bad" customer service, the sales rep who won't stop talking about his / her weekend long enough to serve you. The bored tone of the person on the other end of the telephone. The person who chews gum whilst talking to you. Those people who never acknowledge your presence when you walk in the door, or you offer feedback and they never respond. Everyone has a chance to make a difference to the way your experience turns out and most people don't bother.

Think about it, no matter where you are on the organisational hierarchy you have the power to make or break the organisation you work for. Wondering why you never get repeat business, check the attitude of the person answering the telephone, or the person on front line - are they happy to be at work, or are they going through the motions?

You can tell you know.

But what really amazes me is not the bad customer service, because to be honest that's what I have come to expect... but the superb customer service - because when you see it, it is seamless. Case in point - my washing machine died a few weeks ago, I ordered a new one from an online company - and the very next working day a representative was on the line asking me if I really meant the 11th April for delivery, they could deliver much sooner. I explained that due to my schedule I couldn't get an earlier date. She asked that if that changed, could I give her a ring and she would re-arrange delivery. Anyway, my circumstances did change and delivery was scheduled for today. My daughter promised to be awake - just in case we got an early time slot and promptly slept through the alarm. When I got a call from "Andy" this morning - he was so bright, breezy and said "not a problem" when I said, please let me call my daughter and wake her up... silly muppet. He set it all up and was away in a few minutes taking the old one I had 360'd out of the laundry door (that WAS the only way I could get it out of the way).

So I SMS's him to say thank you - you'd think I'd given him the moon ...

I am going to follow that up tomorrow with a handwritten but formal letter of thanks to his company and to the online company who made it so easy to do business with them. Believe me, it was a pleasure to do business with a company that cared.

* Do you?
* Does your company?
* How can you make a difference today to the people you meet?

With many thoughts

Elle