The difference maker

When asked the question: "What is the meaning of life?" Albert Einstein remarked, "To serve others."

Most products and services can be found through many channels. The main difference is customer service delivery. How is your customer service?

The tools, tips and habits I'm going to share are basic, but don't let that fool you. If they were easy to practice, more people would be enjoying the benefits they offer. The nice thing is that any person or organization has the power to deliver outstanding service.

Here are nine ways to elevate your customer service:

Demonstrate an attitude of equality. People who treat others as inferior imply that they themselves are inferior. Everybody wants to feel valued, which means nobody likes to feel less important than another person. You have probably experienced people that act superior because of their specialized knowledge. Customers don't care for that behavior. Acting superior communicates a poor message to your customers. An attitude of equality conveys respect for others, which in turn increases the probability that respect will be reciprocated. Demonstrating an attitude of equality diffuses angry or displeased customers because it promotes respect and appreciation. Elbert Hubbard, writer, artist and philosopher acknowledged, "We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold toward them."

Determine the residual life-time value of a customer. Walmart has determined that a lifetime customer will spend $250,000. You can calculate the lifetime value by taking your average sale, then multiply that by how many sales per year per customer, then multiply that by how many years the customer buys from you. If you average $1,000, and your customer buys three times a year, that's $3,000. If a customer is with you for five years, that equates to $15,000. If the average customer refers two new people, the same process occurs, each referral brings is $15,000, then the lifetime value of a customer is $45,000.

Don't take complaints personally. One of the best ways to make sure a situation with an irate customer doesn't escalate is to not take what they say to you personally. The key is to remain calm and professional. Look at it as an opportunity to win the customer over. Don't get the idea that a customer has the right to yell and curse at you or badly mistreat you. If you find yourself in that type of situation, politely ask the customer to refrain themselves from mistreating you. Re-emphasize that you will be happy to help them resolve the situation.

Deal with complaints immediately. No one expects you to be perfect, but they do expect you to solve problems. Studies indicate that the majority of displeased customers (over 90 percent) never complain. But those who do complain and have their complaint dealt with quickly tend to be satisfied, repeat customers. Management Guru Peter Drucker wrote, "The purpose of business is to create and keep a customer." Remember that complaints dealt with promptly and fairly, are opportunities.

Understand the goal of your customer. What is it that your customer wants to achieve? If you fail to capture this, you might be delivering something that your customer doesn't want or could care less about. Be straightforward. Some questions you might ask are: What is it that you are hoping to achieve? What is it that you are searching for? What do you want to experience? What is your goal? What do you hope to get out of this? Don't assume what your customer wants. Ask. Fulfilling the need or goal of your customer is the hallmark of service.

Go the extra mile. Do more than is expected. Find out how you can exceed the expectations of your customers. What is the little extra you can add to your interaction? Most people and companies only deliver enough to get by. They stick to the mediocre status quo. Set yourself apart by giving a little extra. Roger Staubach, legendary Hall of Fame quarterback, noted, "There are no traffic jams along the extra mile."

Give more attention to your most profitable customers. You have to determine your most profitable customers so you can deliver greater service and attention to them. All customers deserve excellent customer service, yet others deserve superior service. Spending large amounts of time on customers who bring less dollars to the bottom line can be futile. Your time is best served serving customers that add more profits and value to the bottom line.

Interact at networking events. Your net worth is equal to your network. Networking events are great places where you can meet new prospective clients; people that you can serve. It's also a place where you can bump into existing or past clients. Networking allows you to meet lots of people. The more people you know, the more opportunities you have to serve others.

Stay close to your customers. The closer you are to your customers the easier it is to know what they want and to fill their needs. Perhaps that why Estee Lauder co-founder of one of the world's largest cosmetic companies said, "When you stop talking, you've lost your customer. When you turn your back, you've lost her." Figure out how you can stay in constant contact. Email campaigns, business sponsored mixers, phone calls, personal meetings, etc.

Go ahead. Practice a few of these habits for success and watch your service elevate to a whole new level of customer satisfaction. Follow the advice of Sam Walton, "There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Best of success to you!

Jeffrey Benjamin is the co-author of Real Life Habits for Success‚ the founder of Breakthrough Training in Reno and the host of Breakthrough Radio every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on 99.1 FM Talk. Contact him through www.breakthroughtraining.com.