RESOURCE CENTRE

Excellent Service Recognized

Who Is Providing Excellent Service?

Perception is reality! Providing excellent service is about meeting the expectations of your customers in a way that makes them leave feeling “wowed” and wanting to return. If you consider the concept of a “customer report card” this is service that rates A+! Every encounter a customer has can alter their perception and sway your rating. Are you consistently scoring high grades?
Customer Service Works believes service that is making the grade deserves to be recognized and shared with others. Unfortunately, not all service stories end up positively and we endeavour to use these as experiences in learning.
Here are some of the ways service scores high (or low) in our books…

High Scores

• Friendly, knowledgeable staff able to solve problems, make decisions, provide solutions and meet (or exceed) my needs at the first point of contact.
• Ability to effectively communicate, actively listen to what is being said.
• Answering the telephone with energy, their first name and the impression that mine is the first call of the day.
• Clean and comfortable surroundings.
• Recognition that I have arrived in their establishment, even when busy servicing a client over the phone.
• Ability to predict what I might need without my asking first. This holds especially true in restaurants with free drink refills.

Low Scores

• Signage that is not welcoming. Some examples of signage that will score you lower points are “no shirt, no shoes, no service”, “no change provided here”.
• Asking for the same information twice.
• Talking on the phone while I (and others) wait in line, or continuing to do tasks (i.e., stocking shelves, paperwork) while the line at the counter grows.
• Personal calls or personal discussions with friends and co-workers in my presence.
• Anytime “I’m sorry, that’s our policy” or “I will have to check with my supervisor first – I don’t have the authority to do that” is heard, our rating drops to a “D”. Policies are internal guidelines and shouldn’t be thrown at customers. Supervisors need to empower staff to make frontline decisions (especially common ones like store credits or returns).
• Saying “no”. Trained customer service ambassadors know how to work with the customer to find win-win solutions. If the answer has to be “no”, say it in a way that doesn’t leave the customer feeling like a door has slammed in their face.