Hello, let me introduce myself, I'm a customer

Over the weekend, I went to the dentist and was surprised by the customer services that was delivered. I walked right in, and was taken right in for my cleaning. When I was done and it was time to talk about a random bill that I was getting, and they couldn't explain that amount I was getting charged, they took care of it. It was amazing. Out of all the places I would have guessed that I would receive good customer service, it wouldn't have been at the dentist. If the dentist can do it, why can't others. Perhaps, I am getting older or it's just something that I notice, but customer service is harder to come by these days. 

We've all been there. We walk up to the counter looking to check out, and Chatty Cathy 1 and Chatty Cathy 2 are talking about their weekends. You stand there starring at them, and the conversation just keeps going. You stand there a little longer. Maybe you pull out your credit card to help them see that you are looking to check out, alas no movement. Perhaps, a little clearing of the throat, "Ehhh...Hhhmmm." Nope. Still not working. Hmmm... you take on another strategy...knock something over...knock into something. Yep, that does it. 

Having worked for a five star hotel for a couple of years, customer service takes so little effort, and it's so nice when it is done. 

The following are just a few things businesses could do to make their customers happy:  

1. Answer the phone - it's so nice to get a real person on the phone. 

2. Listen to your customers - it's nice when the old adage, "The customer is always right," comes into play (even if they aren't right). At least make the customer feel heard, by saying, "I understand," or, "how can I help fix this," and many more simple sentences.  

3. Deal with complaints, don't fight them. People seem to be focused on saying, "Oh well, you can't please everyone," but you can certainly try. Your business might reap the rewards by trying to be understanding.

4. Help a person out. If someone is looking to solve a solution and you help them out, it might help you in the future. It could be as simple as helping them with directions. 

5. Follow through. If you say something is going to be done by a certain time, be sure that it's done by that certain time. Nothing pisses a customer off more than their expectations not being met when someone tells them something is going to be done by certain time. 

6. Train your employees. Make sure your employees know what you expect from them, when it comes to customer service. 

7. Take the extra step. If someone is looking for something, help them find it. Maybe even go with them to find it. People LOVE that kind of customer service. 

8. My very favorite customer service idea is when a little something extra is thrown in to mix. Who doesn't love a freebie. It doesn't need to be done every time, but when the situation calls for it. Why not? 

Why is all this important? No one likes an oblivious customer service person.