How I Made a Vast Improvement in Customer Service with a Simple Change

I reduce computer systems to bits and pieces then put them all back together again with new parts. It's one of my jobs. I'm an onsite technician.

I have always aimed to give good customer service, and improvements have been made over time. I don't feel that I have reached the wall yet though. There is still more that can be done to improve.

One idea that occurred to me after reading some great books like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz was to change my perspective.

When you go onsite, you are the face of the organization you're representing. I've done work for Dell, HP, IBM, Gateway, and others. It's all the same.

Now while it is true that you have direct contact with the client, there are also only indirect consequences for your actions. There are exceptions of course, but we are going to focus small mistakes or the client's perception of the service rather than blatant issues.

The indirect consequences cut both ways. There is no direct benefit for going the extra mile nor is there a direct penalty for cutting a few corners.

Another thing to be aware of is that after a certain point the technical requirements of the job don't matter. It may seem like a daunting task to put laptop back together when it is in countless pieces, but there is a certain rhyme to it.

Once you understand it, you can even take apart and put back together models you've never seen before within an hour. At that point, customer service becomes the focus if it wasn't already so.

Not too long ago, I decided to experiment with a small change to see if it would have a positive effect on the service I give.

What I did was change my perspective. I told myself when I went onsite that these were my client. In short, I was putting myself in the role of the company I represented in that particular instance.

With that came questions like:

• How can I best identify the problem and resolve it effectively and efficiently?
• What can I do above and beyond what is required to ensure that the issue has been resolved?
• Have I done everything in my power to make this experience great for the client and keep them coming back?

Just that small change in perspective changed the whole thought process about the service.