Customer Care with Love

Until we treat the customer like another human being, then there won't be a customer

The Experience is Everything.

At Brightmind, we provide customer experience training and keys that span the entire customer lifecycle. And it’s our job to be allow service people to be   great at it.

A few days ago, I walked into a clothing and shoe store which carries international brands. I was hesitant at first, which most times, I am not. I walked in and browsed around for some high-tops for my daughter. What I did not understand was that during the 8 minutes that I spent in the store, no attendant came to my assistance. Now, sometimes you walk into establishments and the salespeople would hound you down, I guess just because it is a requirement of management or they are commission paid.   But at this particular name brand store, I did not see any smiles from the young salespeople, the store patrons were very few, even though they had quite a number of items on  sale. I was not sure if I should have been upset or happy, happy because I was left alone to browse or sad because no one paid attention to my presence or that of the other customers.

And then as I walked out of the mall, I realized that so many businesses were closed down, while the existing ones had the BOGO (Buy One Get One FREE sign, while others were offering as much as 60% off items. Was that due to a struggling economy, or was it because most customers choosing to shop on line or  travel overseas to do their shopping. Did the bad service or poor product contribute to the closing of a number of restaurants in the same area? 

The last time I checked, the word “CARE” meant giving serious attention or consideration to the needs of others, the feel of concern and the provision to the needs of others. And of course “CUSTOMER” means a person or company that receives, consumes or buys a product or service and can choose between different goods and suppliers.

Last week, I had a client who had a  bad experience with a Caribbean bank. It was relating to a money transfer that I had to place a tracer on after a 5-day delay. On day 5, the same bank tells me that I should revert to the client, their customer who is on the same island where the transaction was derived. Now, in my opinion, had I been the supervisor at the bank, I would have called my customer and notify them of the bank’s error in failing to get my account number. Again, the failure to provide proper customer care.

What bothers me though, is these businesses and institutions have persons working who are just doing that, working for a paycheck. No dedication to the customer who helps to pay their salaries.

During everyone of my meetings with Board of Directors of establishments and Owners of businesses, I always remind them of the importance of training, not only for the staff, but for members at the top of the ladder. It is very imperative that we link the importance of Customer Care with actions of love and respect, from both sides of the spectrum.  Unhappy customers will not patronize a business that is not concerned about their welfare, regardless to whether it is a clothing store, restaurant or bank. No business is too big or too large or too corporate for one to decline using their services, consuming or purchasing their goods.

As a writer, I know that every great story has a “moment” depicting  that exact place and time when a customer has that great experience, especially coming from a stranger.  Customers don’t only fall in love with brands or locations, they fall in love with the exceptional customer support interaction. Support is very essential in everyday life. But with support, there must be that love. Love for what one does, love towards the recipient of the service, preparation of the product or the meal. Customer service has to be great enough to swipe the consumer or customer off their feet and leave them satisfied. Give them reasons to want to experience the feeling over and over. But one must remember that great Customer Service is dependent on the person providing the service or the product. That person must know that what ever they do is important to the sustainability of the business or the company. They must be trained to understand that the customer is their bread giver. Therefore, there must be empathy as part of the ingredients to make it a true Customer Friendly experience. Compassion becomes the key, because the server now has to place his / herself in the shoes of the consumer / customer. That feeling must trickle down, from the Board of Directors in their planning to the management team who then shares the knowledge through action and respect to the employees.  An empathetic person plays a great role in building customer relationships more than the CEO or the Marketing team. That person is the face of the company or business.

There are two things I hate, and that is waiting in long lines and listening to a voice recording. I believe in these modern times; companies focus more on profits and less on giving respect to the customer’s time. I dislike going to the bank during my lunch time and finding lines of persons and less tellers. That could be most annoying and uncomfortable for a person who only has a few minutes during lunch to transact their business or deal with an emergency. This practice  is very apparent in the Caribbean.

Regardless to our position on the ladder, we must always remember “What we do makes lives better” every step of the way.

Being  responsive is the key.

I learnt also that Customers are soothed by my voice. Never knew that a voice made a difference, but it certainly does. They say that the tone plays a big part in building their confidence or calming their nerves. I believe it is all dependent on approach. No one likes a rude or obnoxious customer service attendant. They want to deal with a person that is patient, understanding and caring enough to want to make something positive out of any  situation.

Now, as professional as one can be, there must be that level of kindness that would come from a kind soul. So, it pays to be polite and thoughtful during the entire process. Kindness is the real BRAND. Not the name on a billboard or a signage. Kindness goes further than any marketing campaign that is implemented. Kindness stands above loyalty, because it helps build loyalty.

One of my attributes is laughter. In fact, laughter calms me down before I face a room of workshop participants or deliver a speech at a function. I look in the mirror every time and laugh to myself. While manners does  matter, a smiling face will melt almost every problem.  It helps take away stress from both parties, especially when the customer service person can crack a joke over a situation. Humor is a great part of the act of Customer Service par Excellence.

Over the years that I worked in the hospitality and tourism industry in management, my experience taught me that customers simply want to feel understood, cared for and treated like a fellow human being, regardless to their ethnic background or status in life. Creators of training programs, members of the Board of Directors of companies must always remember that effective customer care and the love for people can help increase customer gratitude and loyalty. It is the interaction that counts, not the billboards or the branding.

At our company, Brightmind Advisors, we know that the key to good customer service is building good relationships with your customers. Thanking the customer and promoting a positive, helpful and friendly environment will ensure they leave with a great impression. A happy customer will return often and is likely to spend more. But it all begins with our team, the core that makes it happen. The development of good communication skills and learning practical sales techniques.

To ensure our team and our trainees  provide the best customer service, we remind them that they should:

• know what your customers consider to be good customer service
• take the time to find out customers' expectations
• follow up on both positive and negative feedback you receive
• ensure that you consider customer service in all aspects of your business
• continuously look for ways to improve the level of customer service you deliver.

We remind them always to:

• greet customers and approach them in a way that is natural and fits the individual situation
• show customers that you understand what their needs are
• accept that some people won't want your products and concentrate on building relationships with those who do
• help people - even just letting a customer know about an event that you know they're personally interested in is helpful
• continue to keep customers aware of what's in it for them to do business with you.

To be effective in any area of work, one must always Know their  products - where everything is located, brand names, place of manufacture and price. In a restaurant, know at least some of the ingredients that are used to create a popular dish and how the food is prepared or where the wines come from.

Obviously, the more you know, the more confidence you can build in the customer. Confidence is another great attribute that one needs  to be able to provide Customer Care Par Excellence.

The main aspect of our services at Brightmind Advisors is to assist our clients in keeping the doors open so that they can continue to provide excellent service. 

Joseph E. Doway – Business Restructuring Specialist

Brightmind Advisors 2020