3 Customer Service Habits You Can Change Right Now
The concept of replacing bad habits with good habits is nothing new. It works for things like eating, exercise, and even sleeping. Many people have a customer service obligation at work, even though they may not always realize it. What customer service habits can you change right now?
Regardless of your workplace role chances are good you can improve teamwork, make others jobs and life easier, and make your organization more efficient and profitable with a few simple habits.
Customer Service Habits
Here are three easy ones:
- Assuming needs. Priding yourself on knowing exactly what the customer wants can make both you and the customer feel pretty good. Getting it wrong can be painful and costly. Ask more questions, listen better, and give the customer an opportunity to discuss what the end result should look like. Assume less, inquire more.
- Meeting needs. Many people get conditioned to finish the task. It seems that sometimes we lose sight of why we are doing the task and instead only focus on finishing it. Finishing is important but we need to be sure we are meeting the needs of those involved. Sometimes patience and spending time is just as important as finishing.
- Open door. You should leave the door open for future opportunities. How you close a conversation or a transaction often has something to do with when you’ll get the next opportunity. You want to ensure the door is open. Consider that, “Have a nice day.” is different from, “See you tomorrow.”
Change Now
It’s easy for even the most business minded people to slip into bad habits. We’re often a product of how we subconsciously move about during our day.
Customer service habits are for everyone. Treat every interaction and opportunity with the intention to help.
You know what to do. Replace worn out habits with fresh ones.
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a four-time author and some of his work includes, Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce and Pivot and Accelerate, The Next Move Is Yours! Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
