9.2.1 Maintaining a positive attitude
We hear a lot about them, but exactly what is attitude ? We seem to use the term almost routinely every day. Our use of the word generally refers to a person's outlook on life overall, and in relation to his or her job.
Nothing will improve relationships with customers and colleagues more than a consistently positive attitude on your part. Your attitude sets the "pace" and the "tone". If you complain about conditions it will impact in a negative way on the attitude of your team. There is a direct relationship between your attitude and productivity. When you are "upbeat", your customer is likely to respond in a positive manner. When you are negative and pessimistic, a drop in productivity can be expected.
Attitude is the way you look at things mentally. You have the power to see your position as a service provider in any way you wish. A positive, enthusiastic manner will communicate that you are able to accept the responsibilities that go with your position. No matter what you may do to hide it, your attitude will be showing.
Kvalitetsboken (1987) states:
We shall never refer to our customers as anything else but customers, passengers or travellers. Every form of slang expression in this context is a rust attack on our service spirit. Nonchalant comments behind the scenes affect behaviour when meeting the customers.
Customers wish to be served in a positive manner, with the service provider communicating the "right" attitude. The above quote demonstrates a positive approach or orientation towards customer service. The manner in which staff refer to customers reveals their attitude towards service. A positive attitude goes a long way towards establishing and maintaining rapport with your customers.
- The Disney Corporation refers to its customers as guests and its staff are hosts with particular roles. This approach sets the scene for the service encounter as well as indicating to staff that their attitude towards customers and the service they provide (Edvardsson, Thomasson and Ovretveit, 1994).
- One of the writers of this subject worked for a period in the tourism industry. The staff had "nicknames" for certain customer groups. These names were not very flattering - they do affect how staff interact with the customer. They also can have a strong impression on new employees, setting a tone and indicating what we really think of our customers and our attitudes towards service.
Do you and your co-workers hold the following attitudes, for example?
A customer is the most important visitor on our premises.
She is not dependent on us. We are dependent on her.
He is not an interruption to our work. He is the purpose of it.
She is not an outsider to our business. She is part of it.
We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us an opportunity to do so.
Consider this:
What are the terms that are used to describe customers in your company? Do these show a respect and a positive attitude towards your customer?
An organisation's methods of dealing with customers are influenced by its attitudes towards customers. Stew Leonards Ltd, a well known, quality company in the retail food industry in the United States , has the following quality policy:
Rule 1: The customer is always right
Rule 2: If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule 1.
Edvardsson, Thomasson and Ovretveit, 1994, p.121
Your reaction to the above is likely to be that the customer is not always right. If you felt that way then you are not alone. Jack Burke, the President of Sound Marketing (a Californian based company that assists companies to develop audio systems for customer services), states: "Honestly, who in their right mind believes the customer is always right? Not I".
Keeping Burke's thought in mind, your attitude towards even "challenging" customers affects your approach and, consequently, affects how successful you are in establishing and maintaining rapport with your customers. The point is this: try not to blame the customer; treat them in the same positive manner as you would a customer who is "right". The following covers this quite succinctly (chapter 10 covers challenging customers in more detail):
Reading 9.5
Timm, P. R. 2001, "Maintain a healthy customer retention attitude".
Activity 9.2
Do you and your organisation shape up? Test yourself.
Do you demonstrate a positive approach to service? Think about the following questions. They should give you an indication of your approach to service. Do you:
- feel that you perform an important service in your job?
- demonstrate patience with customers?
- enjoy what you do and your interaction with the customer?
- value your work and value what you do in your job?
- behave in a friendly and polite manner?
- believe in the importance of a personal approach to customer service?
- recognise the need to be sensitive to cultural traditions and differences (for example, the older Japanese generation tend to prefer a more formal approach from service staff, whereas the younger generation are often happy with a more informal style)?
- take care to present yourself to the public in a manner appropriate to your position and environment?
- feel pride in offering service?
The following anecdote demonstrates a positive attitude to service:
Rich River Golf Club
I was speaking to staff at Rich River Golf Club, along the Murray River border between NSW and Victoria. One of the cleaners came up and said he understood exactly what I was talking about ...
"You know, if we have the place sparkling clean no one notices and thanks us. But if we miss just one little bit of dirt everyone seems to notice. It's just not fair."
I agreed with him that it wasn't fair, but such were customer expectations. The "unfair" thing about being a service leader is that the customer comes to take a lot for granted ... but also comes back.
"Yep, I guess you're right. I never really thought about it that way before and we're going to have the cleanest golf course in Australia ."
That sort of attitude among all staff makes Rich River a pleasure to visit.
DeVrye, 1994, p.31
One of the classic quotes on attitude was by Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or think you can't - you're right."
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