Caring starts from within

Here’s the scenario: You have a burning issue you need to resolve so you pick up the phone and make a call. You get voicemail and leave a message to call back as soon as possible. You then send an email just in case.  Then you wait. And you wait. And you wait. Meanwhile the issue, like your stress level, begins to inflate like a balloon. Some hours later you call back and still no answer. You plead to speak with someone..anyone..and if you’re lucky, you eventually do. Has this ever happened to you? I bet it has.

In this day and age of sensational contact management software, isn’t it amazing how we somehow lose track of the basics? It seems we are so caught up in checking off our ‘to-do’ lists and setting our goals for a bunch of tomorrows that we forget about the customer, today.

Too many times employers hire a person solely based on qualifications, personal achievements and work productivity. While all of these attributes are obviously very important, how many times do you evaluate how much a prospective employee cares about what they do beyond what the job description dictates?

Regardless of the profession,  there is not one day that passes that we are not on the receiving end of some other employer’s version of customer service, whether it’s in person, over the phone or through an email. So why is it that we seemed to have become so accepting of below average customer service on a daily basis? Do you remember the last time you received truly amazing service? I do. I remember the person, their company and where I was. Sad isn’t it?  Amazing customer service seems to be as rare as a lunar eclipse.

Most Companies have a mission statement. Every Company preaches caring for their customer. Most Companies make their employees sign a pledge to honor the Company philosophy. However, does every Company periodically survey their employees to find out how much they actually care about the Company and the people they work for?  Perhaps more importantly, how recently has your Company shown your employees just how much you value them? How many times have you caught them doing something right?

The majority of people in this world are good, honest and caring. It’s always nice to receive positive affirmations on a regular basis. Whether by someone that cares you show up in the morning or care you return home at night!

In the same way, every client wants to feel appreciated. A timely returned phone-call or email, complete with  acknowledgement of their concerns goes a long way to show you really do care.