Recently, I vented to a friend about a series of interactions I had during the previous week, which had demonstrated the declining level of civility and courtesy in America. I asked, rhetorically, “How can people think that’s an acceptable way to act?”

My friend, who also consults in the customer service field (Kate Moon of Moon Consulting), replied: “Three words explain why: RAISED BY WOLVES.”

While her comment brought a major guffaw and diffused my frustration, it speaks of an important issue I believe many business owners and managers aren’t willing to face.

They are putting their business’ reputation in the hands of people who – although maybe not raised by wolves – just don’t have a pleasant personality or perhaps weren’t taught basic social skills.

Let me give you two examples of this and end with a positive example …
* I was at my credit union. A member did her best to engage the teller in pleasant small talk. The credit union employee wasn’t having any of it. When the lady left and said “Thank you” the employee’s response? “Yup”. I thought it an amusing, but sad, reversal of the typical “CSR tries to cheer up the grumpy customer” dynamic.

* I was in the front desk/waiting area at a business when a delivery man comes in with a dolly full of packages. He asks if so and so is in. Without a simple “Let me see” or better still “I’d be happy to check for you”, the lady at the front desk – the face of the business – simply punches a button on her phone and waits for an answer.

Now, contrast those with an example of a polished, gracious and engaging style:

- While the man at the Staples Copy Center counter processed my credit card, I was busy making some final copies at the self-serve copier. Rather than the typical “I need you to sign this” or "You need to sign this” he said “When you have a moment, could I get you to sign this?”

It may seem like a small thing, but it’s those little, gracious, classy extras that set your people – and your business – apart and make your business a Customer Service Oasis.

So, are you making sure you hire people who get that … or do you hire people who act like they were raised by wolves and hope they will suddenly “get with the program”?

Do you make sure you catch your people “doing things right” so they see that you notice and appreciate their effort and ability?

Do you model in your interactions with your staff how you want them to treat your customers? A quick aside … I had a boss who would throw her hands up in frustration about our call center staff saying “You need to … ” to our customers, but had no problem using the same opener with her staff. So, before you answer that question with an automatic “Of course”, maybe some observing of your interactions in the next week would be useful.

And, last but not least, I want to return to the hiring process. How rigorous is yours? Are you 100% proud of the people you hire? Do you feel confident that you know how to separate out the wheat from the chaff?

In a future entry, I’ll be interviewing someone whose specialty is hiring service professionals.

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