The title above the name on your badge says Customer Service and you’re on a mission to help: sorting out problems, chasing up orders and taking time to chat to customers who seem a little lost or lonely.
Maybe you don’t know it but by doing your job so well you’re also boosting sales.
Where’s the evidence?
Well, before you start applying for some of the great Customer Service vacancies on s1jobs, just listen to the feedback of situations where great service made all the difference.
Helen Clark, just back from a weekend break at a theme park with her husband and son, has a thing or two to say about the place.
“It was my first trip. I don’t do rollercoasters and I spent two days sitting on benches beneath the rides feeling sick about seeing my seven year old hurtle past. But what made the experience for me was the staff. Every single one of them was warm, friendly and had a genuine desire to help. We’ll definitely be back.”
Or how about this from Anna Walters?
“I was looking for a cup of coffee but the only place I could find open was a fast food outlet. I’m fussy about my coffee but this cappuccino was great and what was even better was the attitude of the staff.
“Among the customers was a man with learning difficulties who was clearly a regular and the team treated him with such kindness and respect that the brand shot up in my estimation.”
That’s how it’s done. Your close engagement with customers will bring them flocking back.
Some companies, seeing the impact Customer Service staff have on customers, encourage them to take it a step further and offer a little ‘upselling’.
This can work, but only if it’s done sensitively.
Have you even bought the giant-sized bar of chocolate offered to you by check-out staff at a newsagents?
Probably not and that’s because one size definitely does not fit all – especially if you’ve just popped in for your edition of Diet Weekly or favourite running mag.
But if a customer in a DIY store asks your advice about paint, it wouldn’t be out of order to suggest the right kind of paintbrush, too, to give a super-smooth finish.
It takes an ability to read the situation and a knowledge of your company’s products and services to pull this off.
But as a pro, you’ll already have both . . . and by making upselling and sales growth part of your Customer Service, you’ll be boosting your career.