Radiating Customer Service: Projecting a Customer-Centric Attitude

The fourth article in the Radiating Customer Services Series.

One of the key ingredients to Radiating Customer Service is to project a positive customer attitude. Our attitude is not something that can be bought. It’s ours and how we project it makes all the difference in our relationship with our customers. This article focuses on two things: 1) claiming the importance of your work as customer service representative, and 2) managing your attitude.

The importance of your work, a positive image, and personal self-esteem coupled with personal knowledge, skills, abilities, experience, values, attitudes and habits (KSAE’VAH), bring the “I” factor to customer service.
 
The importance of my work

The ‘I’ factor is really you at your core self. How the “I” aligns with your work is critically important to your success.  Alignment with work really comes about when you see yourself fully alive in mind, body, and spirit and steer yourself with a personal focus (purpose), a sense of discipline and sound interpersonal relationships.  You then can have a sense of passion about yourself and your work and contribute to the organization’s strategies, structure, culture and values.  (Based on the work of Stephen Covey)


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Once your “I” recognizes the “power” you have within yourself, which comes from a deep spiritual connection to a spiritual source, and how that connects with what you do, then purpose, passion and values become truly alive for us in our everyday action.  When this occurs, you can then move from just “doing the job,” to being “fully alive in my job.”

The sense of pride and accomplishment comes from doing the best work you can do – no matter what the job happens to be.  A sense of confidence comes from having product knowledge and the skills to do the job.  

We are who we are because of our KSAE’VAHs all of which may be strengthened or weakened by what we do, who we associate with and what we say. Studies show that people respond positively when they encounter a positive attitude, respect and self-regard. To become a “star” in customer service we need to be knowledgeable and skilled in our work and to err on the side of positive values, attitudes and habits. 

My Image

Our feelings make a difference in the customer service profession and the quality of our work. Sometimes we are reluctant to talk about our feelings and the significance they have in our daily activities.  We need to understand that our feelings are easily telegraphed to others, just as we pick up the attitudes and moods of others. We really can’t hide them. 

We all have bad days and they affect the way we approach our day. When we are in a bad mood sometimes we have a tendency to try to hide it and not tell others what is bothering us. The reality is that the way we feel is often telegraphed to others through our demeanor and body language. We think we are camouflaging them, but we are not. People often see through the façade. 

Bad moods don’t go away automatically we have to work on them. We can talk to a trusting person about them and garner their support as we work through difficult moments. Other times we may need expert help. Don’t be afraid to seek ‘help’. Other times, we can deal with them ourselves by facing them head on and reinforcing our own mood behavior. The first step towards dealing with mood swings is viewing ourselves as ok. 

First, Feel good about yourself. 

Our success in dealing with others comes from our success in dealing with ourselves.  We can give positive vibes if we feel good about receiving positive vibes ourselves.  We can compliment people if we can handle them ourselves.  The reverse is true as well if we are uncomfortable receiving compliments we will be uncomfortable giving compliments.  Take the time to:

• Compliment yourself
• Savor the good things that happen to us. Everyday there are positive moments – we receive positive gifts from others – savor them
• Reward yourself when something goes well

Second: Add a Smile

A smile is a simple thing to do. It doesn’t cost us much yet enriches those who receive it. A smile takes a moment to give and nourishes relationships in business and in friendships. Often customer service personnel meet people who are weary, seem discouraged, sad or troubled. They can recognize this because of the customer’s body language or from their tone of voice. A warm smile brings those people comfort and a bit of cheer. The customer service representative can give away a smile freely and adds value to the person receiving it. 

Sometimes our customers are too tired to give us a smile, give them one of yours. Sometimes we are too tired to give a smile, turn to a colleague and receive a smile from them. 


                “A smile of welcome calms a worried or harassed customer.
                 A smile reassures customers that a problem can be solved.
                 A smile leaves a pleasurable glow when people take their leave”
                                                                                                            Anon

Third: Present a Professional Image

How we present ourselves relates to our self-confidence, attitude and feelings of self-worth. Simply put, how we project ourselves outwardly reflects who we want to become inwardly. If we have a sense of low self-worth we project ourselves accordingly; if we have a high regard of self, we project that demeanor. Customers want to deal with customer representatives who project themselves as knowledgeable, positive and helpful. Here are seven hints to presenting yourself appropriately: 

• Dress smart, if you wear a uniform make sure it’s clean, pressed and presentable
• Keep hair neat and clean
• Watch the use of perfumes and keep body odor in check
• Use personal names whenever possible
• Always be courteous
• Always be honest and sincere
• Make people feel important 

Remember: It’s not your customers job to remember you, but your job to make sure they don’t have a chance to forget you.

Pilot to co-pilot please run down the check list before we take off!
Before a pilot takes off down the runway, he confers with his co-pilot who runs down a check list to assess whether everything is in order before take off. Here is your check list before you pick up the telephone or step in front of a customer.

• Do I claim the importance of my work?
• Do I present a confident and positive attitude most of the time?
• Do I feel good about myself?
• Do I smile even when I feel ‘down’?
• Do I dress appropriately and neatly?
• Do I use heavy perfumes or deodorant?
• Do I use names?
• Am I honest and sincere when I’m dealing with others?
• Do I make people feel important?

Thanks for reading,
Richard P. Fontanie

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