The 2 Most Important Words When Serving Others
I worked at a busy golf facility for 26 years. Golf, food and beverage, events, lodging and retail were involved, so customer service and building relationships were always focal points for us. Over the years, I’ve thought a lot about that word service, and what it means. From a customer’s perspective, I think there is a set of expectations – and how they are met – that will determine if they thought they were served well. How expectations are met, not met, or exceeded, greatly influences their experience. As a leader in the organization, I knew we weren’t going to get it exactly right every time, but I did insist that everyone was engaging, attentive, and showed they genuinely cared about our customers’ needs. The words care and need are the most important pieces of serving in my opinion. Most employees in customer service businesses probably meet the minimum expectations of their customers, but when they exhibit true concern about the needs of their clientele, then service is taken to the next level.