Customer Service from the Heart

Throughout my entire career as a gerontologist, author, educator and punk-rocker, I have stressed the importance of treating people in the very best ways possible. Call it customer service, hospitality or whatever, it all boils down to your heart. It is rather simple. Customer service comes from one place – the heart of a servant. It involves the passion to serve others above and beyond their expectations. It creates “Wow” moments, when customers cannot believe the excellence in service they are receiving.

What Does “from the Heart” Mean?

In order to deliver customer service, or any service for that matter, from the heart, you should believe in a person-centered approach to service. This means one person at a time, total presence, mindful of specific likes and dislikes, as well as an urgency to deliver what is needed. The heart has a way of communicating without words being spoken. But, there is a language of love to consider. It focuses on relationships and their importance is delivering service. It takes a while to build a genuine relationship with someone, and only seconds or a few words to destroy it. Delivering from the heart also means personalizing service each and every time.

Greeting people with warmth and saying things like “It is so good to see you” means a lot to customers. Your greeting will stay with customers, whether it is warm or cold, positive or negative. The heart also knows what people want before they even ask for it. Sounds magical, right? There are some hotel chains that get this right, the Ritz Carlton being one of, if not the leader in this level of excellence in service.

From the heart also means acknowledging people’s differences, tastes, and requests. Remember, customer service is about the customer – not us. We should act upon their request with a smile and pep in our step.

Other ways to deliver service from the heart include

• Treating all people with respect
• Being flexible in order to achieve the highest level of service
• Being constantly observant and aware of customer’s needs
• Improving professionalism
• Improving effective communication skills
• Being empathetic and patient
• Having a calm, soothing demeanor
• Being reliable time after time
• Being willing to sit still and wait for the customer to identify what he or she needs
• Paying attention to details
• Never getting upset or showing frustration
• Finding similarities between you and your customer

Do you have these Qualities?

You have to be honest and ask yourself the following questions about your level of customer service from the heart.

• Are you mellow and good-humored?
• Do you see customers as a pain or a pleasure?
• Are you motivated to serve others?
• Can you take most things in stride and not become overly upset?
• Do you demand a high level of service from others?
• Do you demand quick response time?

I hope you answered these in a positive manner. Not everyone is cut out to deliver selfless, servanthood customer service. It’s ok if you’re not one of these people. I’m sure you’re great at other things. Besides the qualities listed above, do you believe in a person- and family-centered approach? When you serve one person, you are essentially serving their family as well.

Final Words

This short and sweet article is about customer service from the heart – where true servanthood behavior comes from. You don’t have to overthink customer service to do the right thing. Provide the service you would demand. Be mindful of people’s emotions, feelings, thoughts and actions. Be fully present at all times when delivering customer service. You can actually say things like “Take your time, I am here for you right now, and you only”. That sounds so nice, doesn’t it? Real customer service is about being vulnerable and transparent. If you are giving your heart, it might break every now and then. And, your motives are clear – you’re there for the customer – no hidden agendas. This is easier said than done. It requires practice, time, and energy. But, if you’re going to do it, do it from the heart!

More About Customer Service

• Working with Challenging Families
• Hospitality in Senior Care
• Customer Service in Health Care