Acknowledge People. Such acknowledgement begins with using the customer’s name. As you listen to your customers, notice what is especially important to them. In your conversations, include sincere comments to acknowledge their priorities. If a customer is helpful, be sure to acknowledge it. We teach people how to treat us. 

Relate to People. As you are able to see situations from the customer’s perspective, empathy comes more naturally. I call it “crossing the line” to see things from the other side of the street. Here’s how it shows up in our behaviors. Instead of saying, “Our standard shipping takes 3-5 days and should reach you by the end of this week,” consider this: “It’s Monday and I know you need this item for your national sales meeting next week, would you like 2-day express delivery or the standard 3-5 day shipping?” Study the subtle difference between these two statements.

See “Difficult” Situations as “Interesting.” Being a world-class problem solver is to be as Sherlock Holmes solving a mystery. All humans experience frustration and can demonstrate behaviors that are unpleasant. When a customer comes to you with a negative attitude, resist the natural tendency to judge the person in your mind as “weird” or “dumb” or “difficult.” Instead, say to yourself: “This situation is certainly interesting.” Human problems are interesting and intriguing. There is always some problem puzzle to solve and fascinating insight to be gained about human nature.

We all appreciate genuine customer care. Others appreciate you when you give it.

A Smile.  Next time you’re walking through the mall or down the hall at work, notice how many people are smiling or not. As I see others, I have come to ask myself if I am smiling or frowning. I catch myself and turn the corners of my mouth upward to smile. I begin to enjoy my stroll down the hall much more. What starts on the inside spreads to the outside. Put a mirror inside your office cubicle so you can greet yourself with a smile each time the phone rings.  

A Purpose.  One of my clients said it so well: “My Core Purpose gets me on the phone with a smile every day. It empowers me to have a REASON for helping people. I enjoy my paycheck, but the purpose is so much more. It’s my own personal foundation for each decision I make and every action I take. It’s a lighthouse that shines on the toughest day at work that I can turn to for self-guidance and motivation to keep the customer ‘first’.” What is your sense of purpose? Think about it? Talk about it with your teammates.

As for sales clerks…these days, we do buy many things online. There are Kindles and iPads that let you download and read books. And, online banking has beome the norm for a large percentage of our population. 

As our high-tech society evolved and we began to assess our high-tech gadgets and our high-tech jobs, there was also a discussion of the need to balance “high-tech” with “high-touch,” which is the human touch–the need for human involvement in our day-to-day business and social pursuits. Is such a balance still needed? 

In recent years, I have been working with professionals in the auto insurance industry. We all know you can go to the Internet to get a quote on your auto insurance. You can even process your application there. This is very convenient and efficient. My experience has been that there comes a time when we all want a local insurance agent backed by a trustworthy insurance company to be available as a “friend of the family” to help us address the more challenging insurance needs that arise. These needs range from helping us navigate the legalities, technicalities, worries, and frustrations of an auto accident to counseling teenage drivers on the importance of safe driving and good grades in keeping our insurance rates affordable. 

Insurance is just one of many industries where we seek the balance of high-tech and the human touch. I remember reading about a cellular phone company that had poor customer service ratings. The biggest complaint from their customers was that, when they needed an actual person on the phone, that’s exactly what they needed: an actual person on the phone. Customers were merely getting automated voice responses without the human sensitivity that was expected.  

They say that computers won’t take over the world until they can write poetry. Why poetry? First of all, poetry represents a tricky form of logic combined with various artistic elements. It’s tough to write great poetry. Furthermore, we humans often find that poetry provides a soothing and uplifting experience. This is something humans do better for each other than computers manage to do. 

Indeed, it turns out that there are two HT factors. As much as we appreciate the efficiency of high-tech, I think we will always need and appreciate the “high-touch” that competent and empathetic humans bring to the everyday transactions of our lives. If you’re in business, don’t just build a Website, sit back, and figure that customers will come and the money will flow. You must continue to “be there” for customers in ways that a plastic box with a colorful display, friendly-looking icons, and cool software just can’t be.

A – Acknowledge: Genuinely thank the customer for calling on you. Listen carefully. Acknowledge the customer’s needs and concerns.

C – Circumstances: Discuss these. Listen and let the customer fully explain his or her circumstances. Also discuss those factors that will influence your response. Use phrases such as, “I understand that your situation is….  With this in mind, there are some other factors that we will also take into account in finding the solution you need.” Avoid phrases such as, “Our company policy requires that we handle the situation in this way.” Save the words “our company policy” for situations with serious legal implications.

T – Tell Them What You Can Do: Ask for time to check on the possibilities. Be creative in identifying new options. Where you can’t just say “yes,” present the customer with options for further consideration. Let the customer choose. 

Simply get in the habit of options, options, options. People like to have options.

And, who do we consider to be among our honored guests? There are extended family members. There are friends who brighten our lives. There are important people with whom we hope to make a good impression. So where do customers fit in? 

We know that customers are important people who give us the opportunity to apply our skills and talents to serve them. Then, we have a livelihood and the means to provide for our families and to meet our goals. What our customers ask of us is often not easy. Nevertheless, we want to create a good impression with them. As we do, their confidence builds and they work more openly with us to solve whatever problems there may be. Our initial interactions with customers are so important. How we handle these Moments of Truth makes a lasting impression.

Let me invite you to read pages 41-44 in my book, Customer Astonishment: 10 Secrets to World-Class Customer Care. You will discover specific opportunities to smooth the way for your honored guests.

The professional responses we predetermine and commit to give to customers as they face these Moments of Truth can be characterized as our Pride Factors. These are the crucial factors for creating positive impressions that demonstrate the extent to which we take pride in the work we do. These are the hallmarks of personal excellence. Thus, one Pride Factor of that Wichita restaurant’s salad chef might be: “No customer will ever taste a stale cherry tomato on my watch.”

Performance Management is about what our customers expect and what we expect of ourselves. The message of “the bear” is that we can never let ourselves become complacent, but must keep our performance standards high and the positive momentum of service excellence going strong. 

The bear symbolizes our competitors and the challenges present in the larger economy. The bear reminds us of the need to be vigilant, to be prepared, and to be diligent so that we can run faster than the bear as needed or learn from the bear to be powerful in the ways we need to be more efficient and effective. This is true as you manage your personal affairs, your career, and your business enterprise.

Thanks to our customers for making our livelihoods and our lifestyles possible. To learn how you can strengthen customer relationships, let me invite you to read Customer Astonishment: 10 Secrets to World-Class Customer Care.

I just read about a major newspaper that has lost a quarter of its circulation this year. I’m no expert on the newspaper industry, but isn’t such a decline way overdue. When I’m at a hotel, I do like to open my hotel room door in the morning and pick up that fresh copy of USA Today. I can get a snapshot of global news without turning on my laptop and without the noise that TV often represents. However, back at home, I’d rather just click on CNN.com and have the world of news at my fingertips. Our family stopped getting the local paper at home years ago. Now, we even get our coupons online.

I love it when I read about companies that are re-inventing their products and services. Re-invent doesn’t necessarily mean throw out the old and bring in the new. It means to take what you know and make whatever you do next smarter. For example, let’s have a contest to suggest how newspapers could be smarter at what they do. How can we all be smarter at whatever we do next?

Whatever the formalities of your reward and recognition systems may be, these are the times to be sure employees who dependably do their work feel appreciated. One of the most effective ways to do this is to take a genuine interest in your employees. Know their family circumstances, their hobbies and interests, and their career aspirations. It is demoralizing to feel unappreciated or that the person for whom you work has no interest in your well being. 

A mistake many managers make is to forget what it’s like to be “an employee.” You may see employees’ needs through your own filter of what’s important in terms of recognition. Whatever your own needs may or may not be, it is your responsibility to reach out to your people. Such appreciation goes a long way, especially now.