Did you know that customer service is the #1 factor that influences how much a customer trusts your company?  Yes, this is true- according to a customer service survey conducted by Zendesk.  Good service = increased trust and loyalty = higher sales.  The reverse of this is definitely scary; poor customer service can result in your company going down like a sinking ship.  If you have not been focusing on delivering good customer service, there's no need for a life raft just yet.  Let's plug up those holes and give your company some customer service buoyancy by starting with the biggest leak (biggest opportunity), which is the first impression.

Learning how to deliver a memorable first impression is critical because if you don't excel at this, you have little opportunity to later earn your customer's business and trust.  Your very first chance to make an impression on your customers is in your greeting.  Good and bad examples of the first impression:

FIRST EXAMPLE

You: XYZ Company. This is Jane.

Customer: Hi, I would like to upgrade my high speed internet.

You: Ok. Please hold while I transfer you to the right department. (Customer is on hold for 5 minutes.)

SECOND EXAMPLE

You: Good afternoon! Thank you for calling XYZ Company. This is Jane. How may I assist you?"

Customer: Hi, I would like to upgrade my high speed internet.

You: Great!  We look forward to assisting you with this upgrade.  We have some great, affordable packages, and our sales department will tell you all about them.  May I place you on a brief hold while I transfer you?" (Max hold is 1 minute and then a "thank you for holding" and an update is provided on status of the transfer.)

The 2nd example takes very little additional effort on your part, while the positive impact it has is significant.  Giving an:

• opening pleasantry
• with a genuine "thank you,"
• introducing yourself and your company,
• and offering to assist

should be the standard way that ALL calls/interactions are handled.  Everyone in your company should deliver their opening greetings in the same consistent way, and all should do so using a positive, upbeat, and confident tone.  Tone is 86% of the impact when speaking by phone, so it's imperative that you and your team use a genune "phone smile" when speaking with customers. 

What are your next steps in making the delivery of memorable first impressions a priority?

1. Set the standard by creating a script of the greeting.
2. Practice and role play first impression scenarios.  Get and give feedback on how they sound.
3. Measure performance through a mystery shopping quality assurance program so you have ongoing feedback and training. 

We applaud you for taking the initiative to focus on your first impressions.  As you know (or now know), these initial exchanges set the tone for the customer relationship, and you don't want to leave these to chance.  And once you master the first impression, don't stop there with your customer service initiative.  Learning and also applying the skills outlined in our free FOCUS customer service training resource is a good next step and will have you smooth sailing to a horizon of higher revenue.