Measuring Kindness

I recently had an interesting conversation with a couple of managers about customer service issues.

The question arose of whether a person who lacks character, kindness, and the inclination to treat people decently can be trained to deal with customers; in short, if those qualities aren't present, can they be poured in?

No magic answers immediately emerged but the discussion also sparked consideration of how seldom kindness is tested for in the applicant screening process. To be sure, there are hypothetical questions regarding how various job-related incidents should be handled, but those scenarios can be a better measurement of judgment than of kindness.

Those little intangibles such as kindness, courage, and creativity are, of course, not so little in the long run. Their importance can be obscured by the high brush of job descriptions and formal credentials.

They deserve more attention.

Customer Service: Slick or Genuine?

David Brooks once noted how furniture styles evolved from chrome and smooth lines to distressed wood and antique effects. It appeared to be evolution in reverse but it was an indication of a desire for the genuine as opposed to the slick; coffee beans from a paper bag instead of ground coffee in a can.

I've been reviewing various books on customer service and have been struck by how often they propose transparently slick techniques for "handling" the customer instead of addressing the customer's real concerns. There is a need to cut through the techniques so the customer gets one thing first and foremost: Respect.

Respect means:

• Listening for the customer's concerns, not for an opportunity to voice your own.


• Adapting your approach to those concerns. A customer who is in a hurry may not want to hear about this week's sale.


• Being knowledgeable about your product. You are supposed to be the resident expect and, if that is not the case, the expert should be readily available.


• Treating the customer like a human being and not a prospect or an account. Human beings have fears and vanities that are far from irrelevant and deserve attention.


• Doing what you say you will do.


• Following up to make sure that other members of your team did what they said they would do.


• Listening for ways in which products and services can be improved.


• Always being courteous and thanking the customer for being a customer.


• Making the person feel important.

Phrases that Chill Customer Service

When "May I help you?" sounds more like "You don't belong here."

When "What is the problem?" implies that the customer is the problem.

When "It's against our policy" could have been uttered by a robot.

When a fifth hearing of the recorded line "Your call means a lot to us" sparks the thought: "Then why won't you take it?"

When "That's not my job!" really means "I'm not going to help you."