I had an experience at Staples the other day that stands out in my mind because the clerk – Jill – did something I constantly teach but I so rarely see demonstrated.

Here’s what happened... She needed a store manager’s special code to process my return. After she called for the manager, we waited. He was on the phone so it took some time.

In a cheerful voice she apologized for the wait. Her voice tone wasn’t breezy or perfunctory. It wasn’t an “I know I’m supposed to apologize so I’ll do that now” tone. Nor was it an anxious, “I’m so sorry, please don’t be mad at me” voice tone.

Her demeanor and tone communicated that she cared that it was taking longer than we both would like and she understood this was a bit of an inconvenience for the customer.

The store manager eventually came by, punched in the magic code and left. She again apologized for the wait, with a friendly smile.

Even as I was feeling happy about our interaction, I couldn’t help but reflect on the oddity of my response.

“This is kind of sad in a way… a simple courtesy like apologizing feels like great service because it happens so rarely.”

Think of this for yourself. Think of how rarely you have a service rep acknowledge and apologize when something goes wrong or you’ve been inconvenienced.

When this does happen, isn’t it a breath of fresh air? To be truthful, when I was picking lanes at the store, and I saw Jill was at one of the registers, I steered my way toward her, because I had remembered how nice she was to deal with in the past.

So… if you are a customer service professional, remember that acknowledging a customer’s inconvenience and apologizing will set you apart from the mediocre many.

OK… LET’S TALK APPLICATION

If you’re a CSR: Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Do you acknowledge and apologize when customers are inconvenienced and mistakes have been made (whether by you)?

2. Do you show through voice tone and demeanor that you “get it” that your customer has been inconvenienced or you recognize their plight?

If you’re a supervisor:

1. Are your people like Jill? Are they a little customer service oasis?

2. Do they show that kind of empathy?

3. Do you coach them about the importance of acknowledging and apologizing sincerely?

3. Do you model this with your dealings with them? In other words, if you do something that causes them inconvenience or drop the ball, do you show you care with your words, voice tone, and actions?

If you do these, you will help create an environment where your CSRs care about whether customers are inconvenienced and communicate this caring.

And… by doing so… you will help make your business a customer service oasis.

For a recent posting in my blog for managers titled "How to Be a Super Supervisor" click here

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