Lori Jo Vest, co-author of "Who's Your Gladys?"
In my twenty year career, I’ve spent most of my time in sales or other high-client-contact positions. My career path has provided excellent lessons (some learned painfully) in how to have successful relationships with people of all kinds. After all, no matter what type of customer you have – older than you, extremely liberal or conservative, of a different ethnicity, the possibilities for variance are endless – if you’re in customer service, it’s your job to make them happy so they keep coming back.
One of the most important ways you can “be” – to ensure that you build strong customer relationships – is consistently gracious. What does gracious mean? On dictionary.com, it’s defined as “pleasantly kind, benevolent, and courteous.” I know, you’re wondering, “why would you want to be any other way with a customer?” It may seem obvious, but there are days when it’s not. Here are a few suggestions that will help you be consistenly gracious:
Practice email etiquette: ALWAYS put a greeting (Dear Customer), a close (Best regards) and your contact information (at least a phone number) in every email. Sprinkle in “please” and “thank you” wherever appropriate. If your customer is being short and perhaps sending along one and two word answers, don’t follow suit. NEVER send an email to a customer that’s anything but polite.
ALWAYS allow a minute or two in every conversation for some small talk: Something like “Hi Brad, How was your weekend?” or “Happy Monday!” adds a personal touch that furthers your relationship with that customer. You may feel rushed or busy, but the small amount of time it takes to personalize the conversation is worth the effort.
When things go wrong, keep your eye on the big picture: When something bad happens, a mistake is made, or the client is angry, it can be difficult to be gracious. If someone is being demanding or bossy, keep your eye on the big picture. Rather than seeing just the immediate happening, focus on how you want the interaction resolved. When the dust settles, you want the customer to remember how calm, polite and helpful you were when things got tough. Act with your desired end result (a happy customer) in mind and you’ll naturally manage it appropriately.
Always say please and thank you. It may seem routine, but in our busy work lives, it’s easy to forget the basic niceties. Frequent use of “please” and “thank you” in conversation and in emails sends a positive message. And don’t forget to send thank you notes for business brought your way and favors granted. It’s a nice touch that will be remembered.
If you are in customer service, a big part of your job description is proper management of the customer relationship. Being gracious makes that much much easier. And don’t forget, it’s not just the customer that deserves your most polite behavior. Your vendors and co-workers should be treated well, too. When you’re consistently kind and helpful TO EVERYONE, people will respond positively and all of your working relationships will benefit.
What do you think? Are you considered gracious? What could you do to become more polite and helpful to your customers, your co-workers and anyone else with whom you interact regularly?
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These ideas seem so obvious, but we often forget them in our hetic everyday life! Thanks for the reminder!