There are many companies known throughout the world for their exceptional customer service. Those companies include: Trader Joes, Ritz-Carlton, Zappos, Nordstrom, American Express, Walt Disney, Southwest Airlines, Amazon, FedEx, and many others. Not only do these companies have structures and processes in place to deliver exceptional customer service, the employees are committed to serving their customers.
Administrative professionals have the opportunity each day to “Wow!“ their customers. Do you deliver exceptional customer service to both internal and external employees? How would you rate your customer service delivery in the workplace?
In my role as the executive assistant at the City of Rancho Cordova, CA, the customers who I interact with daily include: the CEO, the City Council, internal staff, vendors, contractors, community residents, local businesses, and many others. The customers that I serve are both internal and external. The questions that I routinely ask myself related to customer service include:
- Am I listening and meeting or exceeding my customer’s needs? If not, what can I do differently?
- How well am I doing at anticipating their needs?
- Are my customers a priority and at the center of what I do each and every day?
- Am I demonstrating to my customers that they are important to me? Am I showing it and proving it each day?
We can learn how to deliver exceptional customer service by mirroring the processes, attitudes, and delivery of those companies that have been recognized time and time again. What do they do that makes your experience as a customer so memorable and remarkable? Think about that for a moment.
As an administrative professional, you have the ability to demonstrate a high-level of customer service each day through your interactions with others. Do you answer the phone with a smile? Do you respond timely to emails? Do you happily and willingly accept tasks and responsibilities from your executive/manager and other internal staff? Do you go that extra mile?
Your attitude plays a huge role when delivering exceptional customer service. Do you smile and radiate a “can do” attitude when connecting with those that you interact with daily? Do you take pride in your work?
Delivering exceptional customer service is something within our control each day. Let’s make a more conscious effort to “Wow!” those we serve!
You WILL have a great day if you approach it with a WOW attitude. Anything less just defeats the purpose. Make WOW easy you will be pleasantly surprised.
Good Customer Service is also very good for your brain because it boosts endorphins. Scientific studies show that helping others boosts happiness. [1] It increases life satisfaction, provides a sense of meaning, increases feelings of competence, improves our mood and reduced stress. It can help to take our minds off our own troubles too. [2]
Kindness towards others is be the glue which connects individual happiness with wider community and societal wellbeing. Giving to others helps us connect with people and meets one of our basic human needs – relatedness. [3]
Good customer service is definitely a win-win for everyone involved. “Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” – Muhammad Ali
Kim, you have always delivered such exceptional customer service. Thank you for your comments.