Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during, and after a purchase. It is important for customer-facing employees to present themselves professionally through their appearance, facial expressions, body language, and tone of voice. Proper listening, understanding the customer's perspective, and going the extra mile are keys to resolving customer issues effectively. The overall goal is to ensure customers feel respected and have a positive experience.

1. SUPERIOR
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
Frances Ogujawa

2. A customer (also known as
a client, buyer, enquirer,
purchaser etc.) is the
recipient of a service, idea,
information or goods
received from a vendor,
supplier, and company for
monetary or other valuable
consideration.
He is someone a
company believes will
benefit from its goods
and services while the
company benefits from
the customers
patronage (money)
He can be both
internal and
external customers.

3. It is the provision of services to a customer before,
during and after a purchase. This varies depending on
the product, service, industry and individual customer.
The success of a product/company most times depends
mostly on customer services.
Customer service is also a means of providing customer
support to clients to enable them make an informed
decision on their choices and needs. Satisfied customers
can help spread good word for your product/company
thereby increasing clientele and revenue

4. EVERYONE- ALL EMPLOYEES OF THE
COMPANY
Everything an employee do that is
customer-facing is marketing. Every
phone call, mail and face to face
interaction is customer
care/marketing.

5. Appearance: Personal appearance is most often relegated to the
background when talking about customer service especially for personnel
dealing with over the desk or over the counter clients. This is a very key
aspect of customer service as you are the face of the company. The front
line “attack” of the company. Your total appearance from hair ,shoes and
diction speaks volume of who you are and what the company represents.

6. Facial Expressions: The power of a smile - Nothing much can be done
to alter your face (except through surgery) but you can do a lot about
the expression that is on it. A sincere, genuine or forced smile does
wonders to your face and sets the tone for dealing with a customer.

7. Smiling is contagious
Lowers stress and anxiety- though not easy to
smile in stressful situations but it helps calm
you down thereby reducing your anxiety level
Makes you more attractive
Makes you more approachable
Makes you trustworthy
Makes you a better leader

8. This is very important because
having the right attitude to
work and being constantly
positive has a ripple effect on
how you deal with customers on
a day to day basis. You have to
be able to rise above all your
work related and personal
issues to enable you remain
positive. Think positive
thoughts.

9. This is one of the most important
aspects of personal presentation or one
of the most important form of
establishing your attitude. Your body
language should be in tandem to your
verbal communication but most times
people tend to read, interpret and
believe your body language more than
they do your verbal communication.
The way you sit, stand, your
gesture, mannerisms and your
facial expressions will say
more about you and your
emotions at any given time
than your words
Your state of mind or
state of being at any given
point in time increases
some good or bad
behavioral habits inherent
in you

10. Understanding yourself and being
aware of the signals you give off
under certain conditions; like
stress, nerves or happiness can
help you understand and manage
positively the signals you give off
to others.
Working on your body language is
a way of improving your personal
presentation. You can use body
language to show approval,
disapproval, convey enthusiasms
and show good manners

11. Positive Body Language Negative Body Language
Maintaining eye
contact with the
speaker
Smiling (as a
greeting)(welcoming
or parting ways)
Leaning slightly
forward to show you
are paying full
attention
Nodding in
agreement
A firm
handshake
Not
maintaining
eye contact
Tapping
foot
fingers etc
Rocking
back and
forth
Scratching
Continually
clearing
your throat
Fiddling with hair,
ear lobes, jewelry,
jacket, glasses etc
Picking
fingers
Yawning

12. Before you can successfully address a
customer’s needs, you have to
understand the products or services
being offered by your organization.
This is very key, as an informed
customer service personnel actually
closes a deal 50% before it gets to the
unit or personnel in charge of
attending to the enquiry

13. The key to good customer’s
service is treating a customer
the way you would want to be
treated if the tables were
turned.
Understand the fundamental fact that
everybody is different with different
aspirations, motivations, backgrounds
and reasons for coming to you. By
understanding their various needs;
you can achieve a greater level of
customer satisfaction.

14. Endeavour to listen attentively
to what the customer is saying
or complaining about, allow
customer to finish talking and
reiterate what he/she said to
show better understanding
before proffering solutions
Don’t be in a hurry
to respond without
fully understanding
what and where the
customer is coming
from
Staying outside the box and
going extra mile:
understanding your business
and understanding your clients
problem will enable you profer
solutions even if you have to
profer solutions by thinking
outside the box. Don’t be rigid
or straight jacketed when
offering solutions. Be very
creative.

15. If you cant profer a solution right away,
think of the next best thing and ways of
solving the problem and having the
customer satisfied
Going the extra mile: this you can achieve
by doing something as simple as getting up
and taking the client to another office that
can proffer solution if you cant
Be true to your words and don’t make
unrealistic promises. If there is a change in
any given situation alert the client.

16. I am sure you are familiar with the
age long adage “customer is always
right” This sounds good but not
necessarily true. Customer can be
wrong!!! However, always note that
customer is always the customer. He
can be wrong but his status as your
customer and source of your
increased source of income dictates
that you communicate and deal with
him effectively.

17. Listen: listen attentively maintaining a positive
body language. Don’t formulate answers
before the customer completes his/her
statement. Don’t be defensive
Empathize: put yourself in the customer’s
position and try to see the problem from his
point of view. That will enable you empathize
with him.
Accept: accept whatever the customer says at
face value especially when you know he is
wrong. In the customer’s head, he is right. When
you accept him, he will be able to relax and
possibly get to the main bone of contention
quicker.
Respect: respect the customer. Don’t attack or
be defensive. If a customer feels disrespected,
he will perceive it as a personal attack and that
will escalate the situation
Negotiate: if you successfully employ
all your points above, customer
would by now feel relaxed and less
aggressive. He will most likely drop
his guard and enter into negotiations
with you believing that he will be
fairly treated with honesty and
integrity

18. Customers are not able to observe
your body language, facial
expressions, hand gestures etc but
they are able to feel and appreciate
you/your services from your voice,
your tone, pitch, diction and vocal
infliction
The following variables determines
how a customer responds to a
customer service rep over the
phone
Verbal presentation: this includes your
pitch tone diction mood, vocal inflection.
Customers respond either in kind or react
in accordance with the quality and style
of presentation. Your voice can make a
customer feel warmth, appreciated, good
or can put a client/customer in a
defensive mood

19. Acknowledgements: this deals
with welcoming the client
acknowledging the client with
an open statement, company
name, your name offering to
help etc
Actively listening: Paying close attention to
what the client is saying. Listening to hear
and understand the nature of the call. The
customer can quickly catch on that you are
not paying attention especially when they
say something that requires a response
from you and you didn’t respond or they
have to repeat a couple of times before you
respond.

20. Taking interest: Paying
attention to each customer
and participating in the
conversation is one way to
gain customer confidence.
Letting the customer feel
that you are interested in
the concerns leads to better
understanding of the
situation, and paves way
for a satisfactory
resolution.
Limit hold time: don’t
remain silent for long
periods of time on the line
as the customer is talking.
Chip in responses to let the
customer know you are not
dead and still actively
involved in the discussion.
Limit hold time to the
minimum by getting back
to the client intermittently
to show concern apologize
where and when necessary

21. Taking interest: Paying attention to each
customer and participating in the
conversation is one way to gain customer
confidence. Letting the customer feel that you
are interested in the concerns leads to better
understanding of the situation, and paves
way for a satisfactory resolution.
Limit hold time: don’t remain silent for long
periods of time on the line as the customer is
talking. Chip in responses to let the customer
know you are not dead and still actively
involved in the discussion. Limit hold time to
the minimum by getting back to the client
intermittently to show concern apologize
where and when necessary

22. Control: Customer service rep needs to
remain calm, cool and collected at all times.
Ask questions for clarity and better
understanding of the situation before
proffering solutions. Don’t jump into
conclusions before the customer finishes but
be firm and assertive in a positive manner
Urgency: Don’t rush a customer through calls
or keep a customer waiting endlessly on the
line while you source for solution. L earn to
work quickly and efficiently and also to multi
task. Talk and type at the same time while
conducting research and ask questions as you
go along

23. Customers are the reason we
are here so keep in mind
always. Appreciate them by
thanking them for their time
and business and always leave a
customer feeling better than
they did when they initially
called in.
Satisfying customers over the
phone need not be difficult and
time consuming but it takes
effort, awareness and practice
to understand and operate with
care.
Keep practicing positive
communications and
mannerism and pretty soon,
satisfying customers will come
easy to you. Continuous
practice makes perfect.

24. How you treat your customer makes
the difference between a loyal
returning customer who will become
your company/organizations
ambassador through word of mouth
advertising; from conversations and
storytelling and
Lost opportunity/revenue and negative
influence for your organization, which you
would have chased to your competitor.