Customer Service Tip: Focus on the Greeting

At the beginning of each workday, gather your customer service team and encourage them to enhance their greetings with customers. Explain that focusing on how they start conversations can significantly improve interaction quality. Research shows first impressions form within seven seconds, making the initial greeting crucial.

Invite each team member to consider specific changes they can make to their greeting approach. This could involve incorporating a more enthusiastic tone, using the customer’s name, or adding a personal touch to make the interaction more genuine. Encourage them to apply these adjustments consistently, not only with customers but also in their interactions with colleagues.

Ask your team to observe the impact of these enhanced greetings throughout the day. Encourage them to take note of any differences in the responses they receive and the overall atmosphere during interactions.

Bring the team together to share their experiences. Discuss how this simple change in their greeting strategy has influenced customer and colleague interactions. According to Forbes, positive greetings can lead to higher customer satisfaction and an increased likelihood of repeat business.

Ask each team member to reflect on what they have learned from this exercise and to commit to incorporating these insights into their daily routine. Emphasise the importance of consistently applying these improved greeting techniques to foster a welcoming and professional environment.

Lastly, ensure you revisit this topic in your next team meeting. Follow up on their progress and continue to reinforce the significance of a warm and engaging greeting. This ongoing attention will help solidify the practice and make it a natural part of your team’s interaction style.

By dedicating time to refine their greeting approach, your team can create a more positive and memorable customer experience, ultimately leading to enhanced satisfaction and loyalty.

Ask them to focus on this throughout the day, paying close attention to their customer’s personality style and how they will adapt their approach to the interaction.

At the end of the day, bring your team back together and discuss their experience:

• What examples can they share where they were able to adapt and truly empathise with their customer?
• What difference did this make to the interaction with their customer?
• What did they find difficult?
• What advice can they give to each other to help?
• What have they learnt from this experience?

Encourage each team member to commit to one action they will take the next day to build their skill in empathising with customers. Remember to check in with your team members throughout the next day.