Lets walk the small talk!

I have been championing ‘Customer Service’ for well over 20 years now, across varied industries and disciplines. I love the challenge and engagement of serving ‘beyond’ the customers need and creating a memorable experience. That first and lasting impression are key factors but so is everything else in-between; personal engagement, genuine interest, the non-verbal communication and a positive attitude can all make a significant impact on the way in which we manage Customer Service.

I have always maintained that ‘Customer Service’ is not rocket science, it can be taught and learnt and that it’s as easy as A B and C - Attitude, Behaviour and Culture. Furthermore my own personal belief is to recruit for Attitude and train the skills!

Attitude for me is someone who displays a positive 'can do' feeling as it is an essential element to our own well-being, happiness, joy and journey to success in life. Being around people with a positive and vibrant attitude brings hope, excitement, enthusiasm and light to others that surround them, for happiness and joy can certainly be infectious!

Having just returned back from overseas travel, I was determined to pen my thoughts, observations and reflections on comparing ‘Customer Service’ delivery between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.

I felt ‘alive’ again by the daily interactions of strangers and servers across the hospitality and retail industries in the UK. Simple welcomes with a broad smile; 'Morning, do let me know if I can assist you in anyway', 'Hi there, give me a shout if you need anything', 'What can I get you today?' were some of the common phrases, all delivered with a vibrant and happy facial expression, supported by positive non-verbal cues (gestures). The greetings were natural, personal and engaging. Even at the point of payment at larger supermarkets staff were engaging, asking me 'did you find everything you are looking for today?', 'can I assist you with packing?', I even had one lovely lady suggest a food product to accompany the one I was buying! I was exhilarated and elated by the many service interactions over my 14-day visit to the UK.

I have come across some great ‘Customer Service’ champions in Sri Lanka, but in honesty they are few and far-between. So what holds us back as a nation to adapt the same service principles? To offer the ‘wow’ factor, to exhilarate and excite our customers? To create a culture of excellence? Our priority should be to look at our people’s attitudes, help them change from a negative 'can’t do' to a positive 'can do' attitude. Allow them to find what excites, encourages and motivates them to success. Teach them the use of non-verbal communication techniques and how it can add significant value to their overall engagement, and lastly to help empower them to make decisions and act in the interest of the organization.

If you know me, then you will appreciate my honesty, passion and commitment to transforming ‘Customer Service’ levels in Sri Lanka. It has been much of my life's passion to help individuals grow in skills and attitude, to help organization's transform their cultures to support and deliver excellence and above all to help Sri Lanka hospitality and retail sectors offer the best ‘Customer Service’ the world has ever seen. Sadly, I cannot do it alone! It’s up to our Business Leaders and Organizations to want to help make a difference, alone I can do a lot but collectively we can do so much more!

I am here to serve, do get in contact if you require a no obligation chat!