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Writer's pictureRob Hicks
Sep 30, 20193 min read

... It's Not About You

Customer service; who is it about? Is it about you, or others?

Some Back Story

Early on in my career, I was prone to thinking that the customer wasn't as important as I should've.


This was difficult to hide from other people especially the customer, all the customers. It was in my body language, and in my speech. The things I said, and the things I did were not very good, and I am really not too sure how or why people came back to me for anything at that time.


I would wait for an inordinate amount of time when the client would walk through the door to acknowledge them, and ask if there was anything I could do for them. After I made the initial contact it wasn't any better, and this part was more subconscious than anything, but I would ask them, "do you need help?" Which would make them feel helpless and have them feeling like they are minimized. I would end by saying, "no problem!" Well duh, of course, it's not a problem to help them out it's my job!


So Who is it About?

Well, it's about you, and the customer. Yes I know I just started off by saying it's not about you, but it is about you and the service you provide.


The customer and the agent have a symbiotic relationship. It is built on mutual trust, respect, and understanding. It goes across the desk or counter in both directions.

Customer service should not be a department. It should be the entire company.

- Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos


Everyone in the company should be concentrating on what the customer experience will be like, and who their particular customer is. For salespeople, it is pretty well everyone, and anyone they come in to contact with. For call centre people it is the person on the other end, and the folks they work with. For the production line workers, it is the suppliers, the salespeople, and foremen/managers/supervisors.


All of the interactions that go on are meant for the final person and that is the client who is purchasing your product or service. They are the end result and the one who will rave about your service or product. The better you can be for the customer the happier they will be and the happier you will be as well.


The whole idea of customer service is to have a wonderful interaction between people that results in a mutual understanding and appreciation for one another. The obtain this each party coming in has to realize that we are in this together, and we both aiming for the same thing. We both want to have a friendly interaction, and complete the service contract with a great win/win outcome.

Be Genuine. Be remarkable. Be worth connecting with.

Everyone is a customer service agent whether they know it or not. If you're a parent your kids are greatest customer to be serviced. If you are a manager your employees are the most important clients you have.


Now, what if you're a customer to a place? Who is your customer? Who are you serving? Well, you are serving the person on the other side of the interaction. You are serving the client service rep. Yes, that's right the person you are serving is the rep serving you. If you come in with an attitude that isn't pleasant, and you are demanding you may not get what you are looking for. You may cause the agent to not want to try to make the situation better, or even try to help you out in any fashion. However, if you come in with a pleasant attitude, and looking for solutions you and your agent will work really well, and both will be able to come to an agreement.


And yes the agent needs to be open to solutions and ideas as well. They are the person who is going to take the brunt of the force from the public, they are the front line. It's really difficult to have a great interaction every time; however, it is up to us to make sure we are pleasant, and ready to render solutions.


So the next time you find yourself in a situation with another person think who is the customer in this situation. Is it you are or is it the person you are working with? I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised to find out the answer.


Thank you for reading and enjoying the articles I write. It really means a lot to me when you get to the end and have input for me through comments, likes, and shares. These are the only ways I know I am doing a good job, those are my only measures.


Ride Hard, and Live Long.


Sincerely,

Rob Hicks



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