Customer service is one of those areas where it’s either great or terrible with little or nothing between the two extremes.
The representatives are either knowledgeable about their products and services or they don’t have the first clue what they’re doing. Most of them tend to fall into one of two categories; enthusiastic and upbeat or dull and boring. The first group makes you feel like a valued customer while the second bunch is the prototypical workplace zombies.
It’s the attitude. The attitude is what makes the difference. Happy, healthy employees have a good attitude. If you want to see great customer service, go to the nearest Chick-fil-A restaurant. The employees are upbeat and bubbly. When you thank them, they always respond, “My pleasure!” and sound like they mean it. Part of their attitude stems from the knowledge they’ll always have Sundays off (Chick-fil-A closes on the Sabbath) but the other part is that the company started with a strong customer service focus from the outset.
Employees Are Valuable Capital Assets
Capital assets are tangible, that is real and touchable, assets that have a useful life longer than a year and are intended to be retained. While most businesses will view computers, desks, chairs, buildings, factories, and other objects as assets, without people to run them or use them, those assets will accomplish exactly zero by themselves. Your employees are valuable capital assets and you need to treat them as such. That means you need to be concerned about their health above and beyond whether or not they’ll show up for work.
A car that sits still day in and day out for months at a time isn’t going to run properly. It may not even start if it’s been sitting for too long. The human body is no different. Employees that sit at their desk all day aren’t going to be healthy. Studies have proven that people who sit for half the day when they’re at work then stand for the other half, are healthier than people who remain sitting the whole time. Standing improves their blood circulation, they burn more calories per hour, their posture is better, the number of their back complaints drops and – surprise – their attitude is better.
But how do you get to people to stand for half the day at work and still get things done, you ask? And we have an answer!
Height Adjustable Desks
A height adjustable desk is an office desk with a difference. It moves up and down, allowing you to sit or stand while you’re working at it. Height adjustable Desks From HADO move by different means; some use a manual crank, others have electric motors, while others use counter-balances and clamps to hold the desk at whatever level you move it to. Lower the desk to sitting height in the morning and raise it to standing height in the afternoon. You don’t have to install a gym for your employees and they don’t have to work out but the overall results will be better than if you did and they did.
Good Customer Service Doesn’t Start With the Customers
When a survey was done at the Mall of America, one of the largest shopping malls in the world, five valuable lessons were learned about customer service and all five of them dealt, in one way or another, with attitude. The very first thing they learned was that good customer service doesn’t start with the customers. It starts with your employees.
Employees who stand half the day instead of sitting all day are 55% more productive than they would be otherwise, have 37% less fatigue, and report 53% less back pain. But here is the kicker, two out of three of them, 66%, reported feeling better at the end of the workday than when they were sitting the whole time.
People who feel better physically, experience less stress, which translates into a better emotional outlook. Translation: they’re happier. A child could tell you, happy people are more fun to talk to and you usually feel better yourself after you talk to them.
Happiness is Contagious
When someone in the room starts smiling or laughing, it’s hard not to smile and laugh along with them even when you don’t know what’s going on. When your customers call, do you want them talking to an office zombie or a happy employee who’ll pick up their spirits?
Your answer will determine the future of your company.
