Service Is What Your Job Is All About
No matter what your job you serve many people:
• Clients and customers
• Coworkers and colleagues
• Managers and supervisors
• Family and friends
• Anyone who needs your assistance or the knowledge and skills you can provide
• Anyone to whom you represent your company, section or department
The next time you are given a task or asked to help; when you answer the phone or respond to an email; when you have the chance to go above and beyond expectations: Think of it as providing customer service. Act as though this one customer is the most important one you will ever have. It may be true!
Don’t let “The customer is always right” be a barrier to your customer service philosophy. That’s a hackneyed line that never really made sense anyway. You don’t have to be obsequious and groveling or bowing to internal or external customers. Just be friendly, courteous and as helpful as you can be. When things don’t go smoothly–and they often will not–the customer service attitude will still be helpful and will keep you from making the cutting remark you’re thinking or will keep you from giving in when you should state your case. Instead, you will be open and honest about your feelings, but in an appropriate way.
What if everyone who helps you in a restaurant or store treated you like you treat others? Would they feel like a valued customer or as though they are stupid, a waste of time, an irritant, too demanding or someone of whom you are afraid?
While you’re thinking about that, reflect on this: Not only are you a service provider, you are a customer for everyone with whom you interact at work. What kind of customer service have you received lately?
Hello Tina, thanks for this thought. I agree that we’re all in the service industry one way or another. I know you don’t make a big deal of this, but I think women tend to grow up learning to serve others and men don’t do that as much. The other night my wife cooked and served a wonderful meal and served dessert later. She jumped up and down a dozen times doing things. Then, I went to the kitchen and got coffee and asked her if she wanted some. Our guests oohed and ahhed over how wonderful I was. I felt bad for my wife but she said later she understood why they reacted that way. I know you don’t write about those kind of things, but I thought it was quite a picture of our societal views.
Don
Comment by D.W.K. | August 5, 2008
Tina says: Thank you for the comment! I can picture the scenario you described, and think you may be correct that most (not all) women tend to “wait on” the people in their families. Sadly, some of the least helpful people I’ve known at work were women who apparently lost that lovin’ feeling when they got there!
That also says something about whose opinions we value. When we care about someone we are happy for an opportunity to be of service in some way. When we are wrapped up in ourselves it isn’t so easy.
In a work setting we may not find it easy to care anything about the attitudes of strangers, and we may have negative feelings about those with whom we work. So……..service is reserved for family and a few friends.
That’s why it’s good to keep in mind that we are paid to at least pretend we care–and if we pretend enough, I think we can turn it into sincere willingness to serve.
Thanks again for commenting!
Comment by TLR | August 5, 2008