The business world, particularly in the hospitality and customer service industries, is full of competition these days. All of the businesses are fighting over the scraps left over by the economic down turn and it is starting to get ugly out there. If you want to make sure that you, as a customer service representative, are doing your best and showing off those great customer service skills, make sure that your body language is telling the same story.
Body language is immensely important when you’re talking about dealing with customers. It is the first thing they will pick up and they won’t even be consciously aware of it. If you want to improve your customer service interactions make sure that you smile broadly. Ear to ear smiles showing all of those pearly white teeth will make your customer feel welcome and appreciated and more importantly: they will think you love helping them.
Your posture is a huge factor in the way people perceive you. Stand up straight if you want to be taken seriously. If you slouch and lean you’re going to be taken for granted as a lazy mongrel and we don’t want that to happen because it looks bad for your business. Keep your back straightened at all times you’re in the presence of a customer and if you can, keep your hands behind your back. Think of yourself in an army resting position. Casual, but professional.
Body language tells a story about who you are and what you think about your life. We want to tell a good story to our customers and we want to make sure they think we are proud to serve our company and that we are more than happy to serve them. The easiest way to spell that out with your body language is to keep your chin up. Don’t look down at your customers shoes, stick your chin up and look them in the eyes when you’re talking to them. That way they will know that you are proud and willing to help them out.
People like to talk with their hands a lot, have you noticed that? Well, that’s because your hands will be able to express subtle tones in your words as you move them about the air. They are the punctuation marks sometimes and they are the accents. Remember to always try to keep an open palm when you’re speaking directly to a customer. Don’t use your fingers to point in different directions, just keep it cool and professional. Think about all those movies you’ve seen with butlers. Do they ever close their fists or point? Nope.
Never forget that body language is almost more important than verbal language. What you say with your body can convey messages you are trying to hide so you have to take note of that and pay attention. Don’t screw up a sale because you were too tired that day and couldn’t stand up straight. Always focus on what your body is doing while you are dealing with a customer because it will benefit your business in the long run.
Tony discusses other customer service skills examples and also some tips on other customer service skills for success.