I am not sure why, but I have always been relatively polite. Even at 55 years old, I still use sir and ma'am when addressing folks, even when they are younger than me.
I'm not English or Canadian, but New York "born and bred." Yes, I'm a God-fearing, pizza-loving walking/talking stereotype. I can be found wandering around the car park, muttering obscenities, absolutely obsessed with getting the best parking spot at any given time.
I like to think of it as less self-centered and more just plain competitive…
I digress. The article here is about customer service, and so far, I don't exactly sound like the poster boy. Surprisingly, I do consider myself an expert on the matter.
I have been providing technology to the masses for some 35 years. While electronics has been a passion, I now see that my true calling has been service. I don't believe all of my roles have been directly customer-facing, yet they have all involved communication and representation of my brand. Straight out of school, I started as a television service technician and took my love of audio (specifically loud audio) into the hospitality industry, building clubs and restaurants. I soon found my way into one of the top AV companies in the country and learned the trade from the ground up. I went from being a simple installer pulling cable to a lead installer, to a team leader, a project manager, a department head, and eventually a General Manager. I specialize in high-end residential and have had the privilege of developing an extensive celebrity portfolio.
I could name-drop, but this isn't about me but service. I have been putting technology into the hands of influential, intelligent people for most of my adult life. Two simple truths I can share with you are that intelligent people don't know tech, and they know people (genuine people). Additionally, smart people don't want their expensive tech to make them feel stupid. I can safely say every customer interaction matters. I am additionally a programmer who has agonized over UI development and includes simplicity/purpose in every touch point.
In the spirit of keeping things simple, here are a few other pearls of wisdom I picked up along the way…
Customer Service can't be turned on and off; it's cultural and needs to be lived.
Culture is the collection of values, beliefs, and behaviors that define a group of people or society. The values of a culture are passed down from leadership by example. Demonstrating care, respect, and concern for our fellow humans should get us out of bed in the morning. There is no more tremendous success in my everyday life than knowing I made someone else's day just a little better.
Every customer is entitled to the star treatment.
You need to put yourself in their shoes. The most straightforward way to illustrate this point is to describe the inverse behavior. While I am way more amenable when being treated with respect and common courtesy, nothing pisses me off more than dealing with a company that makes me feel like they are doing me a favor. I am a nice guy with that NY attitude in his back pocket; I can only liken it to a sledgehammer when needed. It's not usually the place folks want to go with me. Professionalism starts with respect; every interaction with our clients should be a positive one.
Having a customer-centric approach is more than good communication and expectation management. The true foundation of good customer service is empathy and respect.
People are smart; they are not the subject matter experts of your products or services. They need to believe in you and trust in you. I learned early on that when turning over a system to a client, it required to be 100%. If you give clients a broken system and find it independently, they will forever think it's broken (feeling like they missed something). "Empathy and Respect"; how would you think? Respect for the client means understanding these fundamental truths and treating them with the utmost importance. No one is perfect, and we are all entitled to some goodwill. Our customers are capable of great compassion when they feel like you are an ally and not an adversary.
When applying these philosophies, some common sense is needed. One of my first bosses would say, "No one likes a dead hero." Another reminded me that "falling on your sword was not always the best option." We can't repeatedly help others succeed at our own expense; there needs to be some balance. My approach is that great products make for great customers. I have never just sold boxes or software; the experience makes our product unique…
We may provide an array of technology tools, but our ultimate success is predicated on customer satisfaction. Every client interaction is an opportunity to win!
- "I liked him; he was professional, courteous, and on time".
- "She cared about me and was willing to go the extra mile to meet my needs."
- "We may not have solved all the issues, but I feel the team is actively engaged and working on a resolution path."
I don't judge my career by the numbers. It's not the amount of sales or the number of installations that matters, but rather the needs met, expectations exceeded, and people helped. When I focus on quality, the numbers seem to handle themselves.
