Get Inspired by Great Service

We all have service experiences every day. At the convenience store, restaurants, online shopping, almost every commerce experience has an element of service. When it’s a negative experience, it’s natural to dwell on it and share the details with others. In fact, “news of bad customer service reaches more than twice as many ears as praise for a good service experience,” according to The White House Office of Consumer Affairs.

While it’s easy to focus on the negative, I prefer to be inspired by the positive. When I have a positive service experience, I always make it a point to think about how it made me feel and why it was such a good experience. And they don’t have to all be dramatic. Sometimes it’s the smallest thing that makes a big impact.

One example I had was at a local audio-video store where I bought some new equipment for our office. I am not an AV guru, so I asked for help and a customer service representative talked to me about the different types of microphones and audio interfaces I could use. It was a good experience and I noted that his patience and willingness to take time to speak with a non-expert made me feel good. A few days after the purchase, I was surprised by an email from this representative. He reintroduced himself and said:

“I’m just checking in to see how you’re enjoying your purchase. If you have any questions feel free to message me back. Have a great day.”

Simple, right? I love surprises as part of service. When clients have a positive experience that they don’t expect, it makes it much more memorable. As you strive to exceed your clients’ expectations, it’s important to be creative and not get trapped or constrained by your processes. While you created your processes to help you, they also can be limiting if they are no longer the best way to do business or support your clients. The way you do things today might not be the best way to do them tomorrow, and likely not the best way to do them in three, five or 10 years. Let processes guide you, but let service excellence define you.

I really enjoy thinking about my own service experiences and why they had such an impact. Give it a try yourself. Too often, people dwell on negative service experiences. While they can teach us a lot about how to get better, let’s be inspired by the good ones.

At Indeed, we strive to achieve service excellence every day. Call our Client Care team at 1-800-231-3758 from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday-Friday to receive one-on-one account consultation and customized recommendations from our Account Specialists. We’re here to help every step of the way.