Everyone who works in a customer-facing position represents that organization’s brand to its customers. Half of customer respondents to a 2020 Zendesk survey reported that they would switch to a different brand after only one poor service experience. The stakes are high for customer service representatives.
Great customer service is all about the desire to assist others. An exceptional customer service experience can make a big difference in a customer’s day, particularly if they contacted your organization about a problem that was causing disruptions or frustrations in their life. And doesn’t it make you feel good to help others?
Put simply, the way you deliver service to your customers is a reflection of how you choose to live your life. The choice to treat others well in all facets of your life, including but not limited to while at work, is sure to have important impacts. Your personal relationships are likely to thrive, and people will enjoy being around you. While at work, your delivery of high-level service will translate to brand loyalty and financial success for your organization.
According to Microsoft’s 2018 “State of global customer service report,” an impressive 95% of customers reported that customer service was important when developing brand loyalty and choosing with whom to do business. A report from Zendesk in 2019 stated that 84% of their surveyed customers listed customer service as a key factor in deciding where to do business. It’s clear that the quality of customer service being delivered by a company is front of mind for the majority of consumers. Your organization therefore benefits greatly from high-performing employees who lock in repeat customers.
When a group of six service superstars was gathered and put on a panel to discuss their motivations and secrets for success, they considered the question ‘What’s in it for you?’ when it comes to delivering high-quality customer service. This might be a question familiar to customer service representatives who have experienced all of the highs and lows that come with being in this line of work. Reflecting on this question and having an answer to remind yourself of on particularly hard days is a valuable exercise.
Lifting Others Along with You
In addition to representing your organization, your individual performance also reflects on your team and department. If treating others well as an extension of your positive attitude in your life more generally is not enough of a reason to embrace this outlook, perhaps you’ll be motivated by knowing that doing your job well makes your colleagues look good, too.
After all, we are customers to each other. This means that your coworkers should be treated with the same high level of respect used in customer interactions. Doing a great job at work to benefit yourself and your team will likely translate to improved relationships with your colleagues. This, in turn, will make your entire work experience more enjoyable and positive. Happier employees tend to do better work, too. This is a cyclical process that benefits everyone from your coworkers to your customers to your overall organization to you.
Making it Matter to You
As previously mentioned, the way you treat others while delivering service is indicative of how you treat others in all other areas of your life. The six superstar panelists shared that this mattered to them for several reasons. These included:
- Setting a good example for their coworkers
- Setting a good example for their children
- Gaining a sense of personal satisfaction
- Earning rewards for representing the company well
These responses illustrate that there is no single correct motivation for doing your job well. If the possibility of earning a bonus motivates you to treat colleagues and customers well and deliver fantastic service, that’s great! If you have an innate drive to serve others and have chosen this career path to address that need, that’s also fantastic. There is no one correct reason for doing a great job in your customer service position. The customer service superstar panelists are representative of this.
To learn more from these service superstars about “what’s in it for you” to deliver high-level service as well as other advice for achieving superstar status, contact a ServiceSkills representative today and request a free demo of the ServiceMatters Roundtable Series. Rather than hearing from a polished professional trainer reading from a scripted set of talking points, you’ll learn from real people with years of lived experience in a variety of customer service settings. This peer-to-peer training is equal parts relatable, inspiring, and informative.
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