This Blog Post is Brought to You by The Letters That Create The Words Customer Service (or in other words, the longest blog post title in possibly the history of the internet)

   I am a huge advocate of treat the customer the way that you would like to be treated. I don't care if I am getting a mortgage through your bank or if you are handing me a greasy bag of fried food from a drive thru window.  I want to be treated with a smile and a sense that you like your job. I like to walk into businesses and be acknowledged.  A smile and simple "Hi, how are you today?" would more than suffice. With the right attitude those words have a huge impact on the way people view your business and employees.

   If you are a business owner, do you train your employees on what good customer service is? Do you interact with customer's when you stop by to check on things? In other words, do you yourself promote good customer service? Being a supervisor at work I spend a lot of time in the back room and the office, but when I am out on the floor I make a conscience effort to greet anyone I see walk through our doors and ask everyone if they need help with anything. I do this because I know that's how I would like to be treated. Also, it sets an example for my sales clerks. When they see me treat our customer's with a great attitude it rubs off on them. In other words, monkey see monkey do!

   One franchise that I go to that does customer service consistently well through all their stores is Chick-Fil-A.  Every time I get a craving for a chicken sandwich I go to Chick-Fil-A because I know I will be treated with a smile and a "My pleasure".  Every employee has a smile on their face and is ready to assist me with whatever I need. Christy Proctor, the owner of my local store, has made it a point to make sure she hires people who have a winning attitude and trains them in the ways of exceptional customer service. Now if only they were open on Sunday's when I crave it the most!

   Finally, if you are working off of commission, don't treat me like another potential sale. If all I need is to pay a bill, some tech support or have some sort of asinine question, help me out and don't try to sell me anything. I have been there and done that job. I know all your tricks. If I wanted that $100 case for my cell phone, I would have asked you for it. Customer's are people and like to be treated as such.

   In short, when I walk into your place of business, having someone behind the counter with a genuine attitude and smile say hello and ask if there is anything you can do for me definitely goes a long way to keep me coming back.  It also doesn't hurt if you have a conversation with me and "go the extra mile".