I had an experience at Staples today that was an excellent example of how "the little things" (that aren't really little if you want to create a strong service brand) make a difference. When it was time for me to sign the little credit card processing machine, I was in the midst of searching for something. The man helping me - Aaron - said "When you're ready, you can sign your name there."

Notice, he didn't say...

"Sign your name." or "Go ahead and sign your name." or "Sign here." like is often the case.

It wasn't an order, instead it was a gracious request that acknowledged the customer was in the middle of something.

Those are the little things that your CSRs can do to communicate a gracious, classy, image. In the last post, I gave an example of someone communicating in an abrupt way and how softening phrases make for smoother interactions. If you want a list of softening phrases, email me at David@HumanNatureAtWork.com.

If you primarily provide call center customer service, and want some basic guidelines for helping your call center employees support your brand, check out:

Reinforce Your Brand in the Contact Center

Also... if you want to start your new hires off right so they know how to do a great job, you might want to check out my new article: