Of our seven principles of good customer service, this one is more geared toward the provider of good customer service (and less toward the recipient).
Principle number four of good customer service has to do with your presence. Being present.
To reference one of our favorite customer service books by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People, “Wherever you are, be all there.”
Being present means (to us) freeing yourself from distractions and showing the customer you are engaged and invested in their concerns by giving them your full attention.
Some easy ways to be present and provide good customer service are:
- Separate yourself from the crowd
In personal interactions, offer to help a customer in another area of your shop or store. On the phone, this may include stepping into another room, or even going outside to speak with the customer. - Disable your phone’s ringer
Everyone has a smartphone, but there are times when you need to turn it off or silence the ringer. A perfect time to do this is when you’re trying to provide a customer with good customer service. - Focus only on the task at hand
When you focus entirely on a single task, you become more effective at addressing the task and taking care of it – saving you and the customer time and frustration.
Regardless of what the customer is doing (e.g. playing on their phone, talking with friends, or trying to keep their kids in line) you should give them you full and undivided attention. Show the customer you care enough to be present and give them your full attention, and you’re one step closer to giving them superior customer service.