Refreshing!

It was absolutely refreshing to be checked out of a store last night, by a young woman who was smiling!  I actually commented to her that I noticed how she was smiling.  She seemed pleased that I had noticed and mentioned that she had been smiling all evening, but it seemed that no one else had noticed.  I told her that I had noticed and it was good to see her smiling.  Seems that little customer service tip is lost on a lot of people.

In a former job, I used to do a lot of training, much of which involved interpersonal skills as well as customer service coaching and training. One of the points I would attempt to convey is that customer service or any job that involved interacting with people, is made less difficult by kindness.  Dealing with people is easier when we have a pleasant disposition, even in spite of how the person we are dealing with is behaving.  Certainly, there are those people who can be difficult.  But I would wager that in a good number of instances,the difficult behavior is because there is an expectation they are not going to be treated with kindness and respect.  So they start out the interaction with an "attitude."  And very often, the reaction on the part of the second party is to respond in kind, to also "get an attitude."  Occasionally, before you know it, a heated disagreement happens and the resultant, usually negative, consequences follow.

It was such a pleasant and refreshing encounter at the store.  I want to offer an encouragement to customer service personnel, or anyone involved in a people profession.  Your professionalism is demonstrated in your kindness.  Your smile shows your own self-confidence, it says to your clients and customers, "You can trust me because I know what I am doing."  It will make your job a lot easier and also help to promote good will on the part of your organization. And even when mistakes are made, the problem is less intense because of kindness. Offer a refreshing smile to your customers!

In celebration of smiles--
R. Fitch