I recently had a day full of eye opening experiences. The kind of day that makes you wonder if there is a full moon or if you did some wrong to someone but was unaware. I run my own business and this day reminded me of some simple, common sense, wisdom:

Customer service is not Monday through Friday 9 to 5pm. That is convenient to you, and only you. Not your customer. Bankers hours are good for who? Bankers.

And please don’t offer to come to my house to service something or install something new and require that I have to take a day off from my job in the worst economy in a hundred years. Why do I have to spend money on your product or service and lose day also? Gee, thanks! Your company is so awesome! Nope, your just like the rest.

And while I am at it, how about those great conversations we have…….“Oh, thank you, I am really interested in your professional services offering. But I can only talk to you during regular business hours?” Hmmm. “Well my business hours are 60 hours a week.” Don’t expect me to place you in control of my career, health, house, car, money, kids, marriage, or family if you can’t make time for me also! You can be in charge of my lawn care though. It has free time all day.

Yes, we all need time off and I am a huge proponent of down time. But if you do not run your business in this economy with the customer in mind, you will fall behind. Fast.

Customer service is not making me feel like I am interrupting you. It is making me feel like you were waiting for me.

Customer service is not telling me what’s wrong with my request. It is thinking if you can provide a solution. It is proactive.

Customer service is not on and off. It is always on, and it is your job. It is your company’s obligation, and without it will be the death of your organization.

Customer service is not only for some employees, it is for them all. Yes, if your job is to clean the floors, you need to be aware and not make someone walking in to shop feel miserable that they are walking on the FLOOR.

If your job is the CFO, you need to be able to communicate and treat your customers and employees like the money they represent.

If your job is to sell a product, then you need to treat the buyer with the decency of knowing what you are selling. In sales the one you think is a small fish should be treated like the big one, because someday they will surprise you.

Customer service is not talking over someone. Wait your turn. Listen. If you are doing all the talking your are not servicing or selling, your may as well as be yelling “i dont give a crap what you have to say so shut up and hear me talk”

Customer service is not taking calls, reading text messages, or tweeting while you are helping me you rude, inconsiderate, narrow minded, self centered, ego bloated…..

Customer service is not taking, it is giving. It is not complaining, it is fixing. It is not rigid, it is flexible. It is not immobile, it is adapting. It is not a theory, it is a mandate. It is not a practice, but a habit. Customer service is what makes you different because it is more often forgotten, and it definitely what will get you remembered, good or bad. You pick.

How often do you recall a bad service experience? and a good one? And how many people do you tell?

Rant over.

General
Healthcare Recruiting Advice Staffing User Experience
By Noel Cocca

CEO/Founder RecruitingDaily and avid skier, coach and avid father of two trying to keep up with my altruistic wife. Producing at the sweet spot talent acquisition to create great content for the living breathing human beings in recruiting and hiring. I try to ease the biggest to smallest problems from start-ups to enterprise. Founder of RecruitingDaily and our merry band of rabble-rousers.