4 Reasons Why Excellent CS Starts with a Smile

Training your customer service reps to smile when interacting with customers is likely the first thing you teach them. You may not fully understand why a smile should be the first thing your customer service reps put on in the morning — all you know is that it works. Many reasons exist as to why a genuine smile is the ticket to gaining and keeping customers. Four reasons, listed here, top the list.

Reason #1: A bright smile is welcoming. It doesn't matter if your customer service reps are servicing customers in person or on the phone. Customers can detect a warm smile via sight or tone of voice. A genuine smile offers the customer a glimpse into the mindset of the rep, and in turn, they get a good perception of your brand. The more your employees offer their best smile, the more your customers feel as if they are appreciated and that the employee is listening to their concerns and questions.

Reason #2: A smile from your customer service reps can diffuse a potential bad interaction even before the first hello. When a customer knows the rep is happy to make an attempt at remedying a situation, they feel comfortable and may also begin speaking in a friendly tone, even though they are upset. When a customer walks into a retail outlet and sees a smiling face from afar, they feel better about any situation. Customers gravitate to the person smiling for help when they have some sort of issue.

Reason #3: A smile is the best first impression. When customer service reps offer a smile when meeting someone for the first time, this tell the shopper the rep loves their job and the company. If customers sense the employees are happy to be at the company, they feel they are about to conduct business in the right place. A casual, blank-faced “hello,” on the other hand, tells the customer the business might have some internal problems and their money may be at risk.

Reason #4: A smile creates instant trust in a virtual world. It is not just through in-person or telephone interactions with customer services reps that people need to feel a smile. It is also through the Internet, via computer or handheld device. People can tell what type of mood your reps are in by the words they type. The right words communicate a smile, which begins to establish trust immediately. In the world of globalization and many transactions happening while on the go, a virtual smile can go a long way toward gaining new customers.

Any customer your employees encounter, whether it’s another business or the public, wants to see, hear and feel your customer service reps smiling. Train them to get their attitudes and thoughts in the right place before shifts begin in order to allow their wonderful personalities to shine, so your customers keep coming back.

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