12. Customer Service Practice

After you have watched the video and read the customer service article  by Nancy Stampahar, and the quote by Ghandi, please click on "Take the Quiz" and answer the questions below.  Some questions have multiple answers.

Customer Service Quote:

"A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption on work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider to our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favor by serving him...He is doing us a favor by giving us the opportunity to do it." --Mahatma Gandhi

Customer Service Article

Written by Nancy Stampahar of Silver Lining Solutions 

Everyone is a customer.  We tend to think that the people who purchase our products and services are our only customers. However, the employees within our organizations who create, produce, support and sell our products and services are our customers. The people in our personal lives are our customers too.  Does each person get treated with the same amount of professionalism, maturity and respect?  

People want to do business, work and interact with people they like and trust.  It is up to you to take the lead and maintain the competitive advantage by creating a pleasant, respectful experience for people.  Excellence in customer service requires excellent interpersonal skills. No skill is more important than a sincere willingness and interest in helping others.

People Complain and Leave When:

•    No one is willing to take responsibility for a situation.

•    They are treated with disrespect and rudeness.

•    No one is listening, responding or validating their thoughts and feelings.

•    They are being inconvenienced by wasting their time, energy and money.

•    Promises and commitments are not followed through.

•    They are not told the truth.

•    The person or organization is not easy to interact or do business with.

While it is possible to have businesses and relationships exist without providing exceptional customer service, it is not possible to have truly satisfied customers and relationships without the extra effort.  The interactions become transactions and situations that are needed for survival but they may not be gratifying.  Wouldn't your workplace and personal worlds be more productive, positively responsive, healthier and happier with greater customer and personal satisfaction?  Individually and organizationally you can bring greater satisfaction.

Interacting with people is very challenging, especially in our current fast-paced, multi-tasking society. Developing people skills is complex and possible.  It is easier for many people to become great task masters.  Great task masters do produce results.  Excellent customer service does build loyalty, deeper relationships and increases sales.  Think about this...what do you value more, your tasks or your customers?