To deliver great customer service face-to-face, you must think like a customer

To deliver the best Face-to-Face customer service you must put yourself in the customer's shoes and think how you would feel being served by you.

Remember to think about how you are perceived by others. You are your own personal brand, and your body language, tone of voice and overall manner will have an effect on how others see you and react to you.

·      Who is the audience? Is it a group, someone you know, a single person?

·      What is your objective from any interaction with a customer? Is it to provide information or to deliver a service? Are you expected to raise awareness of something or to assist someone with a problem?

When interacting with someone face-to-face don’t underestimate the impact of your body language or your voice.

The importance of body language

·      Do you come across as bored and disinterested?

·      Be aware of your facial expressions and/or any physical habits (we all have them)

·      Does the customer look unhappy or confused? Or angry?

·      Are you making eye contact with the people you are talking to?

·      Are you coming across as friendly? Think about the power of a smile

·      Think about how you perceive people in different situations based on how they appear and act

·      You also need to be able to read other people’s body language so you can react accordingly.

It isn’t just what you say, it’s how you say it

Remember to be articulate. The words and phrases that are crucial to the information you need to convey must be spoken clearly

·      You need to add light and shade to your voice to sound interested and engaged

·      Think about accentuating key words to help you communicate more effectively

·      Use an upward inflection at the end of a sentence from time to time

·      Think about the importance of breathing from your diaphragm if you are nervous about approaching people and talking to them

It is also important to be a good listener so you take on board what the customer is saying and can offer the correct service. Sometimes we can be so focused on what we have to say that we do not actively listen.

Dealing with complaints

If you are asked difficult questions or someone is complaining remember to remain calm and truthful. Authenticity, empathy and a willingness to help will go a long way.

·      By sympathetic that a problem has occurred. This is not admitting fault (unless this is obviously the case) but accepting that there has been some inconvenience for the customer

·      Explain why something went wrong. Why was the food cold/late? Why was their room not ready? Why are you out of stock? Why was there a delay in the service being offered? Basically, what happened?

·      Inform them of how you have responded. What changes have you implemented. What has happened to solve the problem and (hopefully) ensure it won’t happen again

Other important factors to great customer service includes welcoming people and serving them with a smile, knowing your subject, being proactive and able to demonstrate adaptability and patience.

Hendrix Training has an interactive Face-to-Face Customer Service workshop delivered by experienced trainers and professional actors to bring it to life through fascinating theory and powerful role plays.

For more information: email [email protected] tel: + 44 (0) 1892 519504. www.hendrixtraining.com