Attitude is everything!  That has been my experience.  Recently I was working the mobile app support booth at an event we serve.  It was a large event. The users had lots of questions, mostly about Wifi, not the mobile app.  I helped hundreds of people over the course of a few days and it occurred to me that attitude is so important, both my own and that of the customer.

For example, in the morning when I was fresh and perky (I am a morning person), I felt really friendly and had extra patience.  I was able and happy to greet the customer with a friendly “hi” and perhaps even make a funny remark about the mobile app or how I would help them.  However, after a few hours of answering the same question and the wear of the day, I noticed my attitude was drifting.  My greetings were not as upbeat, and the funny comments were gone.

Likewise, I noticed that some customers were really appreciative of the help I offered and left with a very genuine smile and gracious “thank you”.    While others, well, let’s just say they did not show appreciation and perhaps left some negativity in the air.

I left that event pondering these things as I wrote my trip report.  Then this morning as I arrived early for a networking event downtown, I stopped at a new place for coffee.  I had no expectation since I had not been there before.  I had a question about their drink options and the staff person’s response was a welcome surprise.  She slowed down from her normal pace, leaned forward towards me and made direct eye contact.  She answered my question clearly and took my order.  In the process of our 30 second conversation, I had mentioned that I like my drink “sugary”.  She remembered this when delivering my drink to me and asked me to try it to see if it was sweet enough. She said she would be happy to add more flavor if I did not like it.  WOW!  This was a refreshing attitude.  It’s not that my regular coffee chain gives me a bad attitude or even bad service, but it was the way this person connected and made me feel that I will remember.  Now I will be looking for this coffee chain in the future.

I did make a point to go back and genuinely thank her for her service and told her it made a difference to me with a large smile.  Perhaps I may not have done this had I not just had my own customer support experience.

Carl W. Buehner once said, “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

How do you respond to those who help you?  Do you expect great service, or appreciate it?

When you are serving others, in any capacity, what is your attitude?

I felt more energized by the great attitude of my server than by the caffeine in my coffee.

Gratitude is stronger than caffeine!