Customer Service: Make a Connection Published Dec. 16, 2014 By Lt. Col. Juliet T. Deguzman Medical Operations Squadron commander DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- As an organization, no matter what line of work that you do, the concept of customer service is the same: "To deliver customers' satisfaction beyond their expectation." How do we do that? By simply making a connection the instant we interact with a customer. It's about being professional, polite, attentive, and focused while providing service. It's about creating a culture of service and satisfaction. Next time you are out and about in your work area, observe the interaction between your staff and a customer. What do you see at the moment of initial contact? Is the staff rendering courteous service? Is there a welcoming smile and a sense of "I'm ready and I'm here to assist you" attitude? While interacting, are they attentively listening and having good eye contact? Is the verbal and nonverbal exchange friendly and helpful? Or do you notice disregard, no eye contact, dismissive and that they may be multi-tasking? A simple gesture such as eye-contact tells your customer that you are there for them and more importantly, that you care. These are simple things and are important in how we interact with each other, but are easy to neglect. A smile and a handshake can brighten someone's day. If these simple gestures are lacking in our work place, we must step up and make the change. Customers have high expectations and when their needs are met, we create an experience that they remember and establish a positive and lasting impression. Whether interacting with customers face to face, by phone or on-line correspondence, we must express the same gestures: always smile when you are responding. Your smile even though not seen by the person at the other end of the line, will make your tone comes across as pleasant and helpful. The sound and tone of your voice sets the mood for good customer relations. It's easy to detect your attitude also by the way you convey messages via electronic correspondence. We must be good listeners and give that person your undivided attention. After each encounter, thank your customers for their business. This shows that you care and often the beginning of a solid and sincere business relationship. Nothing is more satisfying when you see that someone cares and makes you feel important. To continue to build a culture of customer connections, we must strive to resolve complaints and dissatisfaction promptly and courteously. We must value customers' time and timely responses to resolve an inquiry makes all the difference. This results in an instantaneous change in a person's demeanor, emotion and action. The sincerity of your action can easily change the feeling of frustration into a feeling of satisfaction. We must remember that dissatisfied customers are often a result of staff not knowing the services our organization offers and quickly leads to misinformation. Other times, we just don't know the answer. It's okay to say "I don't know" but this should always be followed-up with "but let me find out." It's also good practice to make every effort to physically take them to where they need to be instead of simply telling them or pointing to their destination. This is simply going above and beyond their expectation and it's just great customer service. There is nothing more gratifying than affecting a person's day in a positive manner. Every customer wants to feel like you understand their needs. As customer service representatives, our job is to give customers the best experience by delivering consistent quality service with a smile, courtesy, respect and in a professional manner. These simple yet, powerful gestures are the hallmark of a great customer relationship.