A strong warm and sincere greeting is considered one of the most basic of all customer service tips, yet it's quite a rarity these days. What is more common is either no acknowledgment or a rehearsed, insincere greeting.
You have a few short seconds to impress your customers when they first contact your business. This may be over the phone or when they are walking in through the front door. A strong and positive greeting, with good eye contact and a big smile, is the perfect way to start off the relationship.
Of course, sometimes this can be hard to do. You may have had a late night, problems at home, a difficult customer earlier that day or a host of other problems that have soured your mood. These all need to be forgotten. Every customer that walks through the door should feel important and welcome in your business.
A poor greeting is like a poor handshake - the customer goes away feeling unfulfilled.