Attitude of Service

When conducting a training session about customer service, I always spend a fair amount of time talking about attitudes. After all, to be of service, you must develop an attitude of service.

It has recently come to mind that the attitude of service is not something you put on and take off when at work. It is something you carry with you throughout each day. Someone who truly has the attitude of service will always serve other people, no matter what the circumstances.

Let's take a look at a few of the more obvious ways of observing an attitude of service.

Have you ever had the occasion to approach a door at the same time another person is advancing toward it? I am frequently amazed that when the other person gets there, they barge through without any thought to me. I don't expect someone to wait five minutes for me to get there, but certainly, if we are reaching the door within seconds of one another, holding the door open would be a courteous gesture.

The reaction I get when I'm the first one to the door and I wait and hold the door open for the other person, is one of surprise. It is so rarely done, that they are more than delighted to have this consideration extended to them. I love the reaction I get. I notice it puts the other person in a better mood and they almost always smile at the gesture. Many times, if it is a double door, they will return the favor by holding the door open for me.

Other opportunities to practice an attitude of service is when driving on the road and someone is trying to pull out of a driveway. Stopping the car so the driver can safely navigate onto the road is almost always responded to with a honk and a wave. They always accompany it with a big smile.

Little things like always saying please and thank you show your respect for the other person. If you aren't saying this in everyday interactions, how will you remember to always do so with the customer?

When someone asks you a question, do you give them your full attention.

When you see someone struggling with their purchases, do you offer to help?

I was taking care of my two grandchildren earlier this year. One of them was 3 months old, the other was 17 months old. When I had to go shopping for necessities, it became a juggling act to get two babies into the store, into one carriage, and also place items in and around them.

The generosity of one woman while I was in line waiting to be checked out, was incredible. She offered to place my items on the conveyor belt for me. Then she spent a good deal of time distracting the older of the babies so I could pay for my purchase. Her kindness and thoughtfulness was so appreciated by me. I couldn't believe that someone who had nothing to gain was being so kind to a stranger.

It made me wonder what would happen if, those people whose job it is to do thoughtful things for customers did the same thing. Imagine how much more business would be attracted to that store.

Are you practicing your customer service skills, even when you aren't waiting on a customer? If not, you might want to begin. It will make it easier when you are face to face with the customer.

Margo Chevers, author of the book STOP the BS (bad service), has been providing sales and customer service seminars to a diverse cross-section of industries for the past 19 years. To receive her free 10 top tips for exceptional customer service, call (800) 858-0797 or email Margo@MargoChevers.com.

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Customer Service Information:

Related Articles

Whats For Lunch?
As an entrepreneur, I'm always intrigued by small businesses, home-based or not, that exceed the expectations of their customers in a big way.Let me tell you about one of them.
Sorry, No Customer Service After 4:00 P.M.
A few months ago, I wrote about ingenious styles of customer service that every business should know about, mostly because their employees were inflicting them on their customers.For instance, I warned about "in your face customer service" and "run for cover customer service", two equally effective opposites.
Automating Your Help Desk Workflow
Do you know you can open, answer, close and report help desk information without human intervention?Automation is a powerful feature provided by most enterprise level help desk products; however, most organizations rarely take advantage of these features. Based on a survey conducted by RightStar Systems, only 5% of the help desk managers interviewed were using automation to its fullest capacity.
Clients?Do You Really Need Them?
Running a successful business takes a lot of energy and there are so many areas that as a business owner you need to pay attention too.It's not enough to spend heaps of time, money and resources into getting buyers for your goods and services and then leaving those clients/customers to their own devices.
How To Use Your Current Customers
Jay instructed a customer of his to offer a rare coin collection to new customers for just $19. He was actually losing a couple of dollar on every sale! But .
Restaurant Scheduling for Success
- Excerpt from Richard Saporito's latest e-book "How to Improve Dining Room Service"This Tip will Help Maintain the Staff Schedule Keeping the Dining Room Service Staff Tight and Content which is Essential for Pleasing Paying Guests.Staff scheduling is closely tied to dining room customer service and crucial for keeping your staff tight, happy and well connected.
My Child Has Opie Eye!
7:00 a.m.
Doesnt Anybody Work Here? Nametags Impact Employee Communication
Walmart was the first business to require all its employees to wear nametags. (There's a surprise!) Sam Walton created this initiative because he wanted his customers to "get to know the people they bought from.
Ten Ways to Help You Improve Your Customer Service
1. Stay in contact with customers on a regular basis.
The Number 1 Rule for Businesses - Be Professional
Have you ever walked into a store and things looked sloppy? Stores should have nice neat displays, right? Normally, yes, but sometimes they get a bit messy on busy days and we all understand how that can happen.But what if you were to walk into a store as soon as it opened in the morning and the place looked liked it had been ransacked? What would you think?You'd probably think it wasn't very professional-looking.
And The Difference is... Attitude
I returned a rental car at an airport yesterday. As the person who was going to check me in approached, he smiled (which shocked me) and said, "Hello Mr.
Learn to Anticipate Your Customers Needs
This morning I was having breakfast with my good friend Diane at one of my favorite breakfast nooks. I enjoy the atmosphere there although I've been less than pleased with the customer service so far.
Renewing Customer Loyalty
Every business loses customers, but not many do much about getting them back. And that is a big mistake.
Treating the Customer Dissatisfaction Epidemic: How to Go Beyond Simply Masking the Symptoms
Corporations in every sector are spending more than ever before in an attempt to improve their customer service levels. Every year they pour hundreds of millions of dollars into new systems and training programs that promise them the ability to win customer loyalty.
Retail Store U-Scan Machines: Self-Serve or Voluntary Part Time Job?
Do many of us realize that we are working an unpaid part time job for the grocery stores and some home appliance stores? We are ringing up our own goods, are not getting any price discount for doing so and are saving these retailers money.Each self-serve lane contains two to three self-serve scanners.
Listen to Suggestions
If you are up to your ears in a stressful situation, it becomes difficult to think clearly. Sometimes, it is best to walk away from a problem, and think about it, rather than try to solve it with an instant solution.
Be the Customer: See Yourself as Your Customers Do
What do your customers experience when they interact with your business? As a mystery shopper, I help businesses see themselves through the eyes of their customers by posing as a typical customer and evaluating their service, quality and cleanliness. Was it easy to find what I needed? Were the employees polite and helpful? Was everything neat and clean? Was I thanked for my business? What happened when I made a return?Whether your business is an international retailer or a small one-person shop, what you don't know about your customers' perceptions of your quality and service can hurt you.
Client Appreciation - It Means Everything!
Want to know the secret for keeping your clients forever? And what if you could keep your revenue growing by 25 percent every year, because your clients loved the way you appreciated them? In this article, you will learn how easy it is to develop a powerful client appreciation program. Once in place, an appreciation program will forever change the way you operate and manage your business.
DONT Give Your Customers What They Want!
One of the mantras we hear repeatedly in business is "The customer is always right." I'm here to tell you that if you want to build a thriving business you need to forget that saying, and take note of Payne's Law #1 "The customer is always right- some of the time.
Transforming Disgruntled Customers into Your Biggest Advocates
"I am writing to complain about the widget I bought from your site the other day."Sell anything and eventually you will be on the receiving end of a sentence like this.