There’s no doubt that customer service isn’t the best nowadays. You stay on hold for five to 10 minutes just to get on the phone with a person who is reading from a script. Unfortunately, some people see customer service as an expense. Businesses outsource it and think it’s in their customers’ best interests, when their actual experiences say otherwise.

And when you think of customer service, usually the first thing that pops into your mind is a person who can help troubleshoot your problems related to a specific product or service.

Now I’m coming across more people who think that businesses should go back to the mom-and-pop type of customer service, where you know your customers’ names and what goes on in their lives. AKA, a relationship building skill.

For example:

Back when I used to work at Burger King, there was an assistant manager who excelled at customer service.

He made an effort to remember all the regular customers’ names, he’d have conversations with them. He would even remember their regular orders so he’d have them entered as soon as they approached the cash register.

Whenever a customer complained about a problem, he’d apologize and do whatever he can to make things right, whether it’s replacing their food, recommending alternative choices, or giving away an inexpensive menu item for free.

In fact, his customer service skill was so great that it even brightened up the work environment. That’s why when it comes to email marketing, I see it as more than a tool to sell stuff. It’s an extension of customer service.

If you want to learn more about improving customer service for your business, I highly recommend picking up a book written by former Disney leader, Vance Morris, who helps businesses create and implement Disney-level customer service.

The book is called Tales From The Customer Service Crypt, which you can get through my Amazon affiliate link below.