In keeping with the hope that the holiday season provides the platform for lots of laughter, I decided to get some real perspective on Customer Service.

Anyone who has children in their life can attest to the joy that the innocence of a child can bring. Some of my favorite memories with my girls was when their words would simply ground me. In their little minds, whatever the situation, it wasn't the complicated mess I felt or created. Aw, simplification- just the best! 

So for your enjoyment this week, when we asked a group of Kindergarteners (5 and 6 year olds) questions on customer service, we received some great insightful answers. Their views on what good and bad customer service looks like comes from a very non-complicated place of understanding. For them, it's about feeling good, getting what you want, people being nice, and using friendly voices. What could be any easier than that? Perhaps there are real lessons here about simplifying the customer experience through these basic understandings. 

While we are, at our heart, a customer service and training blog and we will always be giving you tips about thanking your customers or your team, there is a bigger message and meaning to Thanksgiving. It is the power of thanking someone who has truly made an impact on your life.

So this week of Thanksgiving, after you have thanked your customers and thanked your colleagues, watch this beautiful video by Barbara Glanz, and think about giving thanks to someone who has touched your life deeply.  

Honesty is so refreshing, isn't it? I was recently at a restaurant with my daughter, and we had something so interesting happen that it's worth sharing. While looking over the menu items, we both wanted to order meals on the healthier side. When the server stopped to take our order, she quickly deducted, by our conversation and menu orders, that we were trying to be healthy. She mentioned to us, very confidently, that if we want a lower calorie and lower fat meal, the turkey burger is not a good choice. She told us that she found out that it is injected with fat for flavor, which triples the calories and puts the fat content at a very high percentage. How refreshing to know the truth!  And, how she did this was in a caring and informative manner and not in a way to slam the restaurant. 

The idea that prompted this week's topic is the onset of our company retreat. Our company's executive team consists of individuals living in five different states, as well as four additional locations within one state. We are a team that works virtually. Getting together face-to-face is so important for not only our morale, but also for team building to ensure that our purpose aligns with our personal wants and needs, individually, and as a team. 

Over the years, we have worked with many teams where there was not a clear purpose, focus, or mission. These are the key ingredients or characteristics that will sustain high levels of team motivation, which translates into a unified and rewarding team experience.

Qualifying is the blueprint of the sale and the foundation of the sales process. A seasoned sales person knows it is the most critical part of a sales conversation. Qualifying not only gives the sales person the chance to determine the basic details of the sale, it helps define which services and amenities are most important to sell. Most importantly, qualifying uncovers customer expectations, which, when met or exceeded, will lead to customer loyalty. The myth for inexperienced sales people is the feeling that qualifying takes a lot more time to ask all the questions when the customer just wants costs. When in actuality, qualifying keeps the conversation efficient, streamlined, and focused on what is most important to the customer. It will actually save you time! 

In the service industry, awareness is a must. You have to be fully aware and fully present to give the level of service that makes people take notice and want more.  Walt Disney ~ "Do what you do SO WELL that they will want to see it again and BRING THEIR FRIENDS." Chances are your customers are doing business with some of the world's finest service organizations, and because of that, your company's service experiences will be compared. So you need to ask yourself, how do we measure up in comparison?