“Amp Up” your Customer Service Attitude

“Amping up” your customer service attitude will make miserable Monday mornings a thing of the past!

Let us share a secret that nobody wants to acknowledge, at least publicly, and especially in the presence of one’s boss: Not everyone arrives to work in a happy-go-lucky mood.

I know. You’re shocked. Because you always arrive to work, even on Mondays — including Monday mornings following a long weekend or a relaxing vacation — in a happy-go-lucky mood. So, just for the record, we’re talking about other people, perhaps some friends or colleagues you know, but definitely not you. 🙂

Is there any hope for your friends or colleagues who exhibit miserable Monday morning moods? Yes, which makes this post especially appropriate for sharing.

Before we reveal some strategies you can use to “amp up” your customer service attitude, it’s important to know why an “amped up” attitude is necessary in the first place. The reason arises out of a fundamental law of human physics:

• We judge our own behavior based on our intent.

• Others judge our behavior based on our actions.

Think about the last time that someone questioned your behavior. If you responded, “Yes, but that wasn’t my intent,” the foregoing fundamental law of human physics is at play: you judged your own behavior based on your intent, while the other person judged your behavior based on your actions. Yes, actions speak louder than intent.

Here’s the bottom line: Because others are not privy to our intent, we must ensure that our actions clearly and unambiguously reflect our intent.

How does this apply to customer service? Remember that customer service involves continuous interaction with customers through a variety of means, including face-to-face, telephone, email, snail mail, facsimile, and live chat, among others. When interacting with customers, our actions must clearly and unambiguously reflect a genuine intent to serve customers, regardless of the medium we use. Said differently, customer service interactions must minimize any risk that customers could misconstrue or misunderstand our actions, which is why we “amp up” our customer service attitude.

Here are three simple strategies you can use to “amp up” your customer service attitude, even on Monday mornings.

• First, treat each customer as if he or she is a long-lost friend you haven’t seen in 10 years. Let your delight and enthusiasm convey a warm and inviting customer service attitude!

• Second, watch a funny video right before work. In fact, consider bookmarking humorous videos that can be used to “amp up” your customer service attitude. Two of my personal favorites include a video clip of a Johnny Carson episode and a video of Ron Shock, one of my favorite standup comedians. Either video immediately places a smile on my face, which translates to happy customers.

• Third, if possible and feasible, listen to invigorating music between customer service interactions. Music is a powerful medium that composers use to elicit a broad range of emotions. Leverage the power of uplifting music to “amp up” your customer service attitude. At the top of my personal list is the “Main Theme” from Star Wars. Who isn’t “charged up” after hearing Jon Williams’ iconic score?

By embedding these strategies into your workday, you’ll cultivate customer loyalty and referrals, and miserable Monday mornings will become a relic of the past.

As always, have a “customerific” week!

Mark