Some people seem to struggle with the concept of smiling. It really is a basic principle of customer service, yet it seems to be an area that doesn't come naturally to a lot of people.
Nothing breaks down barriers more quickly than a big smile. If someone smiles at you, the natural response is to smile straight back at them. This is true all over the world and, as a rule, it can overcome language barriers and other communication problems.
You and your staff need to be able to smile. Before you pick up the telephone, smile; when someone walks into your shop, greet them with a smile; if you are sitting down to write someone a letter, write it with a smile on your face; when sending an email, smile first and then type. As crazy as some of these ideas may sound, a smile can be felt through a telephone lines and on the pages of a letter.
Smiles are contagious. The more you give, the more you get. It's hard to have a bad customer experience when both parties are smiling at each other. I have often observed that smiles start to disappear towards the end of the day, or when things are really busy, or when money is a little tight or there are problems at home, and so on. I use the following technique to remind myself to smile.
Whenever I am about to take a telephone call or meet someone, I stop for a few seconds and think about what I'm going to do. This may be the first time I have met this person and I know that they will be judging me, both consciously and subconsciously, by my attitude. I clear my head of what has been happening throughout the day and I focus my complete attention on the person that I am meeting or going to be talking to. This works very well for me and makes it easy for me to smile and be friendly and to enjoy the interaction.
If, at the end of the day, you find that you have a staff member on your hands who can't smile at customers, you may need to think about their future within the company.