Life Tips Daily

I went to a restaurant with family recently and I was not impressed with the first waitress that was assigned to us. Before I could even comment on it to my parents, a new server came to our table and informed us that she was going to be helping us from there on.

She was wonderful and I can honestly say that we’ve never had such superb service before. In analyzing how she made our experience so lovely, I came up with the following tips for those of you who work in the customer service area and who wish to give top notch service every time.

Smile
A sign at a dentist’s office I pass every day reads “A smile is the same in every language” and isn’t that the truth? Smile, and smile from your heart. Only the truly miserable will fail to respond similarly to a warm smile (and in that case they need to see more smiles in their life!).

Engage the customer, build a rapport
My father can be taciturn but our charming waitress soon had him cracking jokes and responding to her teasing. In order to build a rapport with your customer, you aren’t necessarily required to be a funny person. Be polite, show interest in the customer, look for indications of what makes them tick and respond to those cues in your own behaviour.

Treat each customer like they will be spending a million dollars
Having worked in the customer service field for over eight years, I have seen many colleagues ignore the harried mother with three children and make a beeline for the lone woman carrying a lot of bags from the more expensive stores in the mall. Even if this customer is clearly indicating that they would like to be left alone, my colleagues are afraid to leave her lest she wander over my way and I ring in a large sale for her. This desire to keep an eye on and cater to someone who appears to be loaded means they’ll miss out on the other lone woman who isn’t dressed to the nines but actually just lost seventy-five pounds and needs a whole new wardrobe to celebrate. If you treat every customer the same, as if they are going to spend a lot of money and as if they all deserve your attention equally, not only do you give good service but you will be rewarded too, sometimes when you least expect it.

Be sincere
Our server called us sweetheart and dear, names that usually put me on edge, but it was clear that she meant this in her own way—she wasn’t being cutesy or trying to build an overly warm relationship; she was just one of those people who probably doesn’t have an enemy in the world and considers everyone a friend. It was obvious that she enjoys communicating with people. Her answers to questions were honest and forthright and it was much appreciated.

When we left the restaurant, we were in good spirits and marveling at our good fortune at landing such a great waitress. And next time you can bet that we’ll look for her.

What do you look for when it comes to good customer service?