The lost art of customer service

This isn't a cliche, good customer service is a lost art. I'm going to go even further and say that simply treating each other RIGHT is lost in this country.

When did this happen? Well, I have memories of prevalence of good customer service and treatment of folks in general during the 70's. The 80's were when things seemed to get a little weird. I think that the era of materialism that was the 80's encouraged a selfish atmosphere in which awareness of kind and fair treatment of mankind got flushed down the crapper. That cultural shift pushed into the 90's and now pervades what I call "America- The Lost Culture" as we now sit squarely ten years into the 21st century.

So, what can we do to RECLAIM what has been pushed aside? Well, it won't be easy. Even if we return to the core principles that I'll discuss in a moment, a lot of what has been lost is found in the the talents and attributes of the person- such that if people don't return to an awareness and level of critical thinking, even the most sound principles will be lost before the race begins.

What are the core principles of good customer service? I think there are a few fundamental components in the delivery of consistent, good-quality, engaged customer service:

1. Setting clear expecations regarding your product and/or service. If we don't communicate WHAT/HOW/WHEN to a customer, the customer will surely create their own concept of WHAT/HOW/WHEN. And, to a most deleterious effect, the customers conceptions will generally be far outside of the scope of what will be realized. The result- pissed off customers! So, we must be clear and honest in setting expectations upfront.

2. Creat positive perceptions: Through the application of the organization's core principles, quality, and POSITIVE engagement of the customer, positive perceptions will be forged. The key component is to align the actions with the core principles (e.g. if company XYZ promotes it's "Superior Service," well, service better not be perceived as totally pitiful!). Another essential element in this component is to ENGAGE the customer-- explain what's going on, why, and for what purpose. And make sure you are engaging the customer in a positive way. Indifference and detachment will cause you to lose points here even if you are "communicating what's going on." BE ENGAGED!

3. Acknowledge Inconvenience: If a customer is inconvenienced, don't ignore it! Customers don't appreciate that you've not set expectations, trampled on theirs, and then didn't provide any support! Be supportive, provide options, be empathetic.