I’ve been providing customer service, sometimes well and sometimes not so well, for over 15 years now.  What have I learned?  Maybe that’s not the most important question.  Perhaps we should discuss what I’ve known, deep down inside, for almost all of those years.  What I’ve not been able to put into teachable form until now…the real secret to great service.

The fulfillment of your customers’ emotional needs. I’m talking about making them feel valued, secure, and excited about what you’re doing for them. What would appear to be a simple formula is anything but. Seems like organizations that struggle with service just don’t quite have this one down. Why?

Let me ask you this…have you ever found yourself withholding fulfillment of those needs because you perceived the other person didn’t deserve to have their needs fulfilled?  You have, haven’t you. Well so have I.

Think about this for a second…how is withholding that fulfillment any different than withholding water from a thirsty person?  Apples and oranges, you say?

I beg to differ.

Food and water keep us physically alive, but feeling valued and secure nourish our emotional needs. Walls go up, defenses are built and mistrust is created when people in relationships with us aren’t made to feel important.

Ever hung up the phone after talking to a customer and yelled out, “What a jerk!”  Ever had a peer do that in front you?  Ever listened to a conversation where you just knew somebody wasn’t plugged in? What’s going on when this happens?

Simply put, we’re invalidating the needs of our customers.  They don’t think like we do so they don’t matter.  They aren’t acting the way they “should” so we decide not to care about them.  Great way to build customer loyalty, don’cha think?

But wait just a minute…I didn’t say it to the customer on the phone!  What’s the problem?

Seriously?

Be honest…just because you’re holding your tongue doesn’t mean you’re not thinking about what you really want to say. Because you’re thinking about that, you’re taking your focus off what the customer is trying to tell you.  You’ve already written them off.  Now the conversation is about getting to the end, rather than fulfilling the customer’s emotional needs.

Unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to fix this for you, or me, in one blog post.  I can tell you where I’m going to start, though.

I’m going to do a better job of fulfilling the emotional needs of the people who report to me. What I feel in my heart for them and what I tell them everyday just doesn’t match up.  I’ve used plenty of excuses for not offering more praise, more support, and more validation. It’s time to align my true feelings with my actions.

My boss does an outstanding job of making me feel valued, secure, and excited about what’s going on.  I know what he says and does are his true feelings. For me not to pass my feelings on to my team is just plain selfish.

Check back here to see my progress and learn about the next step.