Using Friendliness & Personality to Create A Professional & Welcoming Environment

Regular readers of The Customer will be well aware that one aspect of 'good service' that I prize highly - very highly - is genuine friendliness . . . and all the more so when it comes along with good humour and personality.

The young blokes that operate Masterton's Novus Glass repair and replacement centre have these qualities in spades. Even more importantly, they know how to use them in the service (and entertainment) of their customers.

Here's how my experience of yesterday went:

I walked in and before I even had time to reach the counter-window, a friendly young man by the name of Travis jumped up from his seat and walked out to greet me, brandishing a huge, good-natured smile.

Remembering, without needing any reminder of a previous conversation, that I was to be dropped off back to my place while they replaced my windscreen, he told me his appointed worker would be out in just a jiffy to drive me home.

And in just a jiffy, there he was:  Another young bloke by the name of Anton, with an equally huge and good-natured smile - at the ready to drop me off.

As we were about to depart, yet another young bloke suddenly appeared - this one, so demonstrably impassioned with his craft that he began telling (and actively showing) me, relevant design issues relating to my vehicle model as they related very broadly to the windscreen issue.

His enthusiasm, however, exceeded my interest (i.e. in anything moderately technical) - as correctly perceived by Anton, who diplomatically steered me into the passenger seat.

Naturally Skilled Conversationalist (A Bonus to Any Customer-Facing Operation)

And off we headed. The short ride was peppered liberally with jokes, and also a few useful geographic information bytes for this newbie to town.

Several hours later, an email arrived in my inbox . . . an hour ahead of the scheduled completion time, with an invitation to call them to drop my car back to me if and when I was at home.

Said car arrived together with another big smile, a box with a Novus-branded coffee mug and a handful of sweets in it, and a far cleaner passenger area than that which they'd taken possession of earlier that afternoon.

Happy Workers Make for A Far Higher Chance of Happy Customers

I want to take this opportunity to make a point I've made before . . . one that too often - despite its importance (and, I would have thought, obviousness) - is grossly under-estimated, or ignored, by many business owners and managers:

That is, that if staff are actively encouraged to bring their "happy selves". their personality, and their sense of humour, to work with them - and to give their customers the benefit thereof - there's a strong chance the overall workplace will be a happy and productive one.

These two young blokes are naturals in the recognition of these fundamentals of customer-facing operations.

Should be more of 'em.

Pictured:  Windscreen technician, Anton Foster (left) and Travis O'Donoghue (right), administration and customer liaison.