In one day, I had three disturbing customer service exchanges that left me wondering ~ why are some businesses making this harder than it has to be?  Three different businesses: a bank, a retail business, and an airline. One very clear take away, I felt invisible. Each exchange was smothered in handling the process and moving things to closure, vs. recognizing the person in front of them in need of help. 

Business is acquired through quality customer service and sales, which builds a memorable customer experience. And, this business is kept through having a great product/service that is supported by both of these. How do your skills measure up? How do those of others within your company align with them?

(Originally posted on 11/5/13. Refreshed and enhanced in order to further capitalize on the popularity of the info.)

A key ingredient to creating a "wow" customer service experience is your ability to be attentive and to actively engage through the use of strong listening skills.  We have to be attentive during every interaction with the customer, otherwise there will be a disconnect between what the customer is saying, both verbally and nonverbally, and what you are doing.  We must give our customers our complete attention so we can truly understand what is being said; simply listening to and hearing what customers say is not enough.  The words being spoken are just the beginning.  You must pay attention to all of the extra, little things. 

How many times after a service exchange do you say, "That would have felt so much better if they just would have said or done...." In many cases it would only take small changes to make a big difference. If we agree that customer satisfaction is a leading factor to the success of any business, then understanding how your business can turn a good customer experience into a great customer experience begs attention.

There are no new and/or improved methods that I am going to unveil to make all your customer service challenges go away. Instead, we are going to revisit and refocus on what we already know. Let's re-energize our efforts regarding some very basic tips on how to provide great service. 

 Some of you may recall when we introduced this concept nearly a year ago, and we are re-introducing it due to some great love for it and since we want you all to have the freebie that we are including. 

So you ask: what does KISSing have to do with customer service? A LOT!  For those of you who don't know, K.I.S.S. stands for "Keep it simple, stupid."  Implementing good, basic customer service practices is not hard (in fact, it's rather simple!), and for many people, it comes naturally once they are given a gentle nudge to embrace these skills.  What simple (K.I.S.S.) customer service standards and practices should we all embrace, no matter what business we are in?  Just nail these 4 skills...