People Are Your Most Valuable Asset

Customer service is key to running a successful business. Employees need to be enthusiastic about their job and treat customers with respect. I like to use experiences from my own life so I will use an example of excellent customer service I encountered the other day and contrast it with a bad experience.

From time to time I like to eat lunch at Lin's grocery store in Cedar City. There is a lady in the deli that helps me nearly every time I am there. She is always genuinely kind and cares for each customer. It is easy to see that she loves her job and always treats customers with the utmost respect. She made sure my every need was met without requiring me to ask for everything. I thanked her for her help and enjoyed my meal while observing her help other customers from a nearby table. It was the same way with each customer. The woman helped each customer and went above and beyond to make sure each was satisfied. I can assure you that she treats people outside of her job in the same manner because she has spent every day treating people like that.

On the other hand, there is a local place my friends and I like to eat at. I will not mention the name of this place I will just refer to it as "The Forever Diner" which is what my friends and I call it. We like to eat there, but only if we have a few hours to sit down. The food is good, but the service is terrible. Drinks are rarely refilled without having first asked for a refill. It takes a long time to have a waitress come take your order even when there is no one else in the restaurant. By the time your food finally arrives, you have nearly forgotten that you were at a restaurant. The only reason we continue to return is because we enjoy the food and even though the service is slow and inefficient, the workers are always kind.

These two instances demonstrate great customer service and poor customer service. There will be times when no matter what you do, someone will not be satisfied, but it is your job to be sure you do all you possibly can to restore the customer as close to his or her previous level as you can. Difficult customers are always going to be dissatisfied no matter what you do, but patience is a virtue. Remember that without customers you have no business. Try to put yourself in the situation the customer is in and ask yourself what you would need to feel whole again. Recall instances when you were dissatisfied and how it changed your view of the business and then recall an instance when someone gave you better service than you expected. Treat your customers with the same level of customer service you would expect and even better customer service than you would expect to keep them loyal to your company. The trivial golden rule of treating people the way you wish to be treated works in business as well. Once a customer is lost, it is nearly impossible to get them to return, so do everything in your power to satisfy every customer you can. They will appreciate the services they receive, keep coming back, and tell their friends. By keeping one customer happy, you keep their business and gain new business as well.