I love art. What else is there in life? It ranks up there with love. Our reason for living.
But what’s art go to do with customer service? A lot really, especially when it’s a still life.
Let’s look at the terminology: Customer service is not really correct. It’s neat but limiting. Great customer service is pre, present and post service.
Still life studies in customer service abound. Pop into a retail establishment and the CS person is on the phone; or writing a first draft of the novel on the computer, or better still, updating Facebook. The point is that they aren’t busy. Yes they greet you with great warmth but there’s as much life in that place as there is in a cemetery. Beautiful surroundings and very calm.
I like to think I was trained by the best of them.
My family was in retail for over 70 years. One of my first jobs was working in a bookstore with an old hand at book retailing.
These people taught me to be busy! Do things. Rearrange the stock. Change the promotions around. Take care of the displays (visual merchandising in today speak.)
Once at the bookstore, this man, who was well into his 60’s was out the front moving the remaindered discount books around. I asked him what he was doing. He replied with just a touch of failed Shakespearean actor:
‘People are sticky beaks. They love to see what’s going on!”
What he meant was that action breeds action.
When people start buying there’s an energy in the room. It’s palpable. Everybody’s up. It’s the makings of a shark feeding frenzy.
Product knowledge is great, but boredom shows.
Don’t have your customer service as a still life work of art.
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