The MOST Important Customer Service Skill – SMILE

By Kristina Evey • January 6th, 2010

It’s interesting that I get a standard response when I ask people what they appreciate the most about doing business in person. The response usually is “They smile at me right away.”

A smile is a universally understood gesture that knows no limitations. It is understood in all languages and cultures. There is no room for misunderstanding a genuine smile, no matter what your age, race, gender, or cultural background.

Yet how often is the smile missing from our day to day interactions, both business and personal? Much too often. That’s the part that I find interesting……….. How can something so EASY to deliver, be missing more often that not when we are interacting with the people who are responsible for the sustainability of our business?

Customer satisfaction dramatically increases when they receive genuine smiles. Customers often indicate that they feel valued when they receive a smile. This is the first step in connecting with your customers. When you feel that you are just being processed, there is no connection, therefore no loyalty on the part of the customer.

Have you ever been in this situation -”Welcome to _______. How can I help you?” Yet, the person speaking isn’t even looking at you or smiling? The words are there, yet there clearly is no intent to back up the words with sincere appreciation for your business.

The most important, yet basic, customer service skill to train your staff is to SMILE at your customers. From that point on, there are many other skills, but they are so easily taught when the right attitude is there. The smile means the most to the customer at the beginning of each and every interaction. The customer loyalty, retention, and profits all fall in line with the rest of the interaction once the tone is set and continued with the genuine smile.