This week's customer service lesson is about reacting quickly.  It is something that I am very passionate about, and all service providers should share the same passion. Customer service doesn't just happen to someone else; it's a very personal and intentional action that happens to each one of us daily. We have a personal connection to the service we are providing as well as receiving. Quick reaction and timely responses should be a part of every company's core standards because these two actions help support a positive customer experience.

We have built our world around speed, and because of this, any amount of waiting seems like a complete waste of time and an enormous frustration. We have drive-thru opportunities everywhere- banks, coffee shops, cleaners, and even restaurants will run your take-out to your car. With a quick click on google search any question has an instant answer. The responsibility and understanding this brings to all customer service providers is that asking customers to needlessly wait may be the difference between a positive or negative experience.

My husband recently had surgery. We were told the procedure would take an 1 1/2 hours. I commend the surgery floor waiting room staff for their sensitivity to the "waiting" process. The attendant told me when the surgery began and visited me again about 30 minutes later just to tell me things were going well. To my surprise, at the 1 1/2 hour mark she came back to me again and said the surgeon was only half way through the operation. She said the doctor was not worried, but more time was needed. The attendant saw my concern and worry as another 1 1/2 hours passed, and I only needed to look at the her so she would come running. What a positive impression she left on me. The waiting time was long and unexpected, but her care, concern, and quick responses are what made this a positive experience for me.

In order to provide this level of service and earn the same response, you must be customer focused. Fast service, depending on how it's delivered, is not the answer. We can all identify with a service experience where the provider was "fast," but lacked efficiency. This response is as disappointing as waiting. So "react quickly" will only have a successful delivery when you take the time to understand and connect with your customer's needs.

Another very important aspect of reacting quickly is the leverage it gives you through service recovery. When something goes wrong, a fast response, regardless if you have all the answers or not, will neutralize the emotion in the situation far quicker than waiting. Service recovery starts with prompt reactions to the problem.

The following 3 steps promote positive and memorable interactions:

1. Anticipate your customer's need ~ The reason why world class service providers are called "world class" is because they are trained to think about and plan for (anticipate) what steps in their service delivery will meet the need before the customer knows they have a need.
2. Respond to that need timely ~ Your response time to a customer's need is time sensitive. No reaction or a delayed reaction is what creates frustration and disappointment. All too often the decision is made to "fix" the need first, instead first responding to the customer.
3. Deliver the unexpected ~ You must clearly understand the customer's need and expectation in order to deliver more than they asked for. Service providers have such an open opportunity to deliver the unexpected if they would first truly understand needs through the customer's eyes and not their own.

As you "try on" this weeks customer service skill, the key is to plan to take your time to properly offer a fast reaction to your customer.  It's not a lesson learned overnight, but will need practice.  You can do it.