It's Not All About the Economy....
If you really stop and think about it, client service is nothing more than a couple simple items.
1. The golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. How would you feel if somebody didn't return your call? How would you feel if somebody spoke disrespectfully to you? The list goes on.
2. Proactively look out for the best interests of your customers. Serving your clients means just that: serving your clients. If you see or know of something that your client could benefit from, you should be proactive and tell your client about it. That applies whether you're selling them something, it's free for them, or quite frankly even if it means you'll lose something in the process.
Client service can ultimately be boiled down to those simple rules. Executing is tough, however. Nowhere is that more true than at home. How is it that we can treat our customers so well, and then go home and treat the most important people in our lives so poorly? What would happen if we applied those principles with our spouses (or significant other, if that's you) and our children?
Just yesterday I came home to a messy house, and my middle son quickly learned of my displeasure (I'm being euphemistic). I wouldn't treat a customer the way I treated my son. So why treat my own son that way?
Ben is a good kid. He makes me smile and laugh and love life. He just made a mistake. I think it's somewhere in the definition of being a kid. And I should've extended him the kind of grace I extend my customers, or I want my customers to extend to me if I mess up. Ben, buddy, I'm really sorry.
Anyway, I didn't mean to "get preachy." I just thought it was worth sharing.
