Emotional Intelligence for Customer Service

According to the U.S. Journal of Business, approximately 76% of people who leave a business do so for feelings of indifference.

Being raised in the restaurant business, my father taught each employee our three keys to success.

Our three keys to success are:
1. Meet and greet the customer with a smile
2. Surprise and delight with what would be reasonably expected “and them some.”
3. Sincerely thank the customer.

If we could master those three keys, we would succeed. So simple. So uncommon.

Think about this…
• How many times do you go to a business (any business) and not receive a warm greeting with a smile that says, “I’m happy to see you”?
• How many times do they fail to deliver “and then some” service?
• How many times, sadly, do they fail to sincerely “thank you?”

Let’s talk about your business and your brand.

Common wisdom holds that employees who feel upbeat and pleasant will go the extra mile to please customers and therefore improve the bottom line. There is a logarithm that predicts that relationship: For every 1% improvement in the service climate, there is a 2% increase in revenue.

According to the University of Maryland, it found operations as diverse as bank branches, insurance companies, software sales, call centers, healthcare, hotel, and restaurants that employee’s ratings of service climate predicted customer satisfaction, which drove business results.

Getting to Service with a Smile:
• Superior customer service is perhaps affected most by mood contagion.  Emotions flow freely and one generated first and foremost from the point leaders. What is spread is contagious.

• Upbeat moods send a powerful message. “Nice place” and “upbeat people” mean repeat visits and great word of mouth advertising.

• Leaders create an emotional climate that drives the teams moods. When a leader is enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic, their moods rub off on staff. In short, a leaders emotional state and actions do affect how the people they lead feel and perform.

Here’s to your customer service!
-Steve

Steve’s powerful programs grow leaders at every level.

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(For information on keynote presentations, team workshops, and one on one coaching.)

“The purpose of Leadership Quest is to help professionals develop their personal leadership, vision and emotional intelligence. Everyday I strive to help leaders and teams achieve their desired goals in sales productivity, leadership, time maximization, and life-balance. ”

About the Author

Steve Gutzler is the President of Leadership Quest, a Seattle-based leadership development company. Steve is a dynamic, highly-sought-after speaker who has delivered more than 2,500 presentations to a list of clients including Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Seahawks, Pandora Radio, Boeing, Cisco, Starwood Corporation, the Ritz Carlton group, and the U.S. Social Security Administration. He recently was voted #1 by the readership of Huffington Post as the Most Inspirational Leader on Social Media.

A published author on leadership and emotional intelligence, Steve resides near Seattle with his wife Julie where they enjoy time with their three adult children and six grandchildren.