How a Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author and a Snow Leopard Can Help You Nail Customer Service

In service, people often talk about the power of the first impression you make on others. Stand up straight. Style your hair neatly.? Tuck in your shirt.? Polish your shoes.? But in a world where interactions aren't always face to face and people can't always see you, does it really matter whether you look the part?? It absolutely does.? But it's got nothing to do with what other people think of your shirt or your hair.??

Years ago, I was working for a film company in Washington D.C. Often I worked from home. This was long before WebEx and Zoom. So, my meetings with clients and colleagues were on the phone. No one could see me. But I had a ritual. My bedroom was on the lower floor of my house and my office was on the upper floor. So, I made the stairs my "commute." And the rule was that I couldn't go up the stairs in my pyjamas. My husband used to make fun of me!? But, for me, exchanging pyjamas for tailored pants was a ritual that marked the transition from resting to working.

Later I learned that Robert Caro - a Pulitzer Prize winning biographer - has a similar ritual.? He works from home in his New York apartment.? And he puts on a suit and tie before entering his writing room where he then sits, ALONE, all day.? As he explains, he uses this ritual to show his profound respect for the craft of writing.?

In a world where most people race from one thing to the next, totally unaware of how they are showing up, rituals are a simple, powerful way of making mindful transitions.

Now think about your last customer service interaction for a moment. If you were in service, did you slow down, take a breath, relax your face, and transition mindfully from one customer to the next? Or did you rush, totally unaware of your expression, body language, and energy? If you were on the receiving end of customer service, did you feel like you were special and that your experience really mattered? Or did you feel like just another transaction?

Dressing up for meetings where no one sees you isn't about the clothes. It's about consciously preparing to meet the moment.? When you take greater care with how you start your day or how you begin a conversation,? it sets you up to take greater care with everything that follows.? It sets you up to pause and notice the details.? Everyone you interact through your day with can feel that care. It's magical. But that magic is missing in many service moments.? And that's a massive, missed opportunity! But what if you and your team could use mindful transitions to consistently deliver that "magic" level of care? How many more customers could you connect with or build longer-term relationships with?

The great thing about mindful transitions is that they can be personal and customisable.? They just have to set you up to show great care for whatever you are about to do.

Here are a few rituals you can try:

• Take a moment between Zoom meetings to adjust the light in your room, open a window, or use an essential oil to consciously create a "feeling" in your workspace that will energise you or help you focus.
• Between meetings or conversations, clean your desk, water a plant, or perform some other act of care for the space that you are in.
• Slow your breathing down for just a few cycles of breath between tasks or conversations. Or listen to the sound of water or watch the clouds move across the sky. Connect to these motions and rhythms to reset your own inner rhythm.
• Pause between challenging conversations or focussed tasks to notice the colour of the sky, a piece of art, or an architectural detail. Remind yourself that you are part of a big, beautiful, interconnected, creative world.
• Tell a silly joke to the person next to you - or ask them to tell you one.
• Consciously chose a desktop image that inspires you. Mine is a beautiful snow leopard staring straight down the lens of the camera. I call her my "writing partner." When I want to fidget, break focus, or pick up a distraction I look in her eyes, see her unwavering stare, and get back to work!

And if you have other great ideas for mindful transition rituals, let us know in the comments below.