Photo by Gabrielle Ribeiro on Unsplash
A colleague recently relayed the following story about a local grocery store chain that is taking its customer service to the next level, but it seems not every employee is yet 100% on board with presence and follow-through in an attempt to “fake it till you make it.” And while there is nothing wrong with the concept, if you can’t pull it off, then you have a big problem on your hands.
Real World Story: “I have recently noticed that my local supermarket has been making a real effort in its customer service delivery. Employees seem happier, friendlier and more eager to help than in the past; however, a handful of incidents that I’ve had lately with store employees have come across as obvious ‘fake it till you make it’ attempts. In two instances, the employees seemed to be going through the motions only.
“One incident was at a check-out counter. While scanning my items coming down the conveyer belt, the cashier asked if I had found everything that I was looking for. I replied that no, I was not able to find everything. I couldn’t find one certain item. She replied, ‘Well, that’s great to hear!’ Now that was strange. While she was very friendly, she obviously was on autopilot, simply going through the motions of her day-to-day work routine to the point of no longer being present with each and every customer.
“In a second incident, an employee came up to me while I stood in a long check-out line. He said no one was at the self-check-out lanes that he was supervising, so he would be glad to help me at his counter. He rang up my items and then turned away, seemingly lost in thought. I didn’t know what I needed to do next, so I finally broke the awkward silence and said I was paying by cash. He then turned back to me, pushed a few buttons on his register, and then just pointed at my total on his screen. The experience started out great, but it ended in a baffling way. It was obvious the employee could not keep his head in the game long enough to follow-through on the entire customer service transaction.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Be Present. Turn off your autopilot. Whether you are naturally inclined to help people or not, always be present with each and every customer. Not doing so makes it painfully obvious that you are faking an attempt at great service.
- Create Follow-Through. If you have to fake it, then do so from start to finish. From the moment you greet a customer to the moment you hand them their receipt, keep your head in the game. Doing so will ensure nobody has a clue that you are faking great service.
Remember: In customer service, the goal always is to treat customers with kindness and respect while you interact with them professionally; however, if helping people does not come naturally to you, then you may have to “fake it till you make it.” However, this doesn’t mean you get a free pass to treat people indifferently. Always be present, with your head in the game, from start to finish with each and every customer. And that’s something you simply can’t fake.
What do YOU do to ensure that some of your customer service team members convincingly “fake it till they make it”?