Customer Care Tips . Info (tm) - Isn't That What Customer Service is All About?

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Customer Service in Your Home Based Business - It Can Make or Break You
Have you ever been shopping and the salesperson ignored you? How did it make you feel to receive such poor customer service? Most people would say that they would never return to the store. Poor customer service can cost you more than clients, but it can cost...Continue

Customer Service: Stop Sabotaging Your Customer Relationships
If you've called for customer service recently you're familiar with this recorded message "This call may be recorded or monitored for quality purposes." I immediately think to myself, "Oh great, here comes the game of 20 questions." Now don't get me...Continue

Good Customer Service - Would you like fries with that?
We all like to be treated with good customer service -- respect and kindness -- when receiving services or purchasing products, but how many of us are conscious of our own attitude and body language when the roles are reversed and we are the...Continue

Outstanding Indian Call Center Customer Services: The Key To Success
India is a well-known country in the field of call center industry than its counterpart elsewhere in the world. In fact it is noted by the industry association Nasscom that Indian call centers employ as much as 160,000 call center professionals and many...Continue

Retail Customer Service: Tips For Improving Your Level Of Service
Today I witnessed a customer service miracle in action. I took my son to our local fast food restaurant, so he could have some lunch and play in the indoor playground. While I was waiting for our food to be ready, a woman approached the counter with a...Continue

What's The Customer Service Buzz About Your Business?
Small Business Q&A with Tim Knox If you're a regular reader of this column you know that my number one pet peeve is bad customer service. Nothing chaps my backside more than paying hard-earned money for a product or service only to have the provider of said...Continue

Isn't That What Customer Service is All About?

Last week I went to a local pharmacy to have a prescription filled. As I approached the prescription counter I noticed a sign beside the cash register that said, " Let's Talk." Considering it an invitation I said in a friendly, cheery voice, " OK let's talk." and proceeded to say " How are you today?" The woman waiting on me was not amused. She looked at me in frigid, non-responsive silence and finally said cooly, " Can I help you?"

It didn't take a degree in nuclear physics to figure out that she was totally ignoring my humble attempt to be friendly so I too immediately responded to her icy tone with one of my own. I gave her the information regarding my prescription and was told curtly that I was at the wrong counter. I was at the "PRESCRIPTION OUT" counter when I should be at the " PRESCRIPTION IN " counter. How silly of me to make such a mistake. Maybe that's why she was so unfriendly to me. I had committed a huge unforgivable sin in Pharmacy Land.

As I approached the proper counter I once again saw the sign, " Let's Talk." and decided to give the place a second chance. I looked at the lady waiting on me and said once again in an upbeat and friendly tone, " The other woman who waited on me wasn't really in the mood to talk so I came down here. So "Let's talk."

Again stone cold, icy silence followed by " Can I help you?" If you can't beat them, join them so I too became cool, abrupt, assertive and said, " Mike Moore/ Doctor Quinn/ asthma medication/ repeat required please. She checked the computer and found that I did have 4 repeats left. I told her that I would be in at 10:00 a.m. the next day to pick it up and I left. I know I shouldn't have responded in kind but I was ticked off at the way a paying customer was being treated.

I wanted to hand the woman my card and tell her that I spoke to companies and organizations on customer relations and would be more that happy to conduct a seminar for their employees on the topic. But I didn't.

I'm not saying that dealing with the public is easy. It isn't. In fact it can be very stressful but you can neutralize the stress with a simple smile and a bit of humor. All these people needed to do when I responded to their invitation to talk was smile and say in a friendly tone, "OK. Let's talk. What can I do for you?"

Simple, easy, effective and it leaves your customer wanting to return to do business with you. Isn't that what customer service is all about?

About the author:

Mike Moore is a speaker/humorist who speaks on " Humor and Stress" Humor in the Workplace" and "Customer Relations" http://motivationalplus.com/cgi/a/t.cgi?motplusarticles