Practice What You Preach

I just want to give Jenny a little shout out for always, and I mean always, showing her customer-service spirit. I recently asked her to review a project I was working on and her response really blew me away.

What’d she do that was so awesome? Well, even though we are long-time friends, this scenario was a bit unusual. She eagerly accepted my request for assistance, reviewed the materials and offered a thoughtful, comprehensive response that still left the door open for follow up.

Here’s the breakdown on her response, in accordance with what Jenny herself blogged are the characteristics of customer service in her post True Customer Service:
1) Be honest and genuine & Be caring: She began the email with not one, not two, but three positive points—things she thought I did well. Although necessary, being critiqued is never easy. Beginning with detailed praise helped me see that Jenny truly cared to give me her honest opinion and to help me put forth the best project I could.
2) Be kind and goodhearted: When she got to the parts she thought I could improve, she pointed them out with a friendly tone… softening the “blow” so to speak.
3) Be professional: She then offered constructive suggestions on how to improve the parts of my work that she thought were sub-par. Showing me alternatives and offering new suggestions helped me expand the scope of my ideas.
4) Be excellent at your work:  She closed the email on a positive note, sharing an anecdote of how some of the suggestions she proposed helped her in the past. Not all advice is perfect for all scenarios, but offering a personal anecdote helped assert Jenny as an expert in the field… which is why I asked for her assistance in the first place.

Customer service is a state of mind and Jenny is truly a customer service master. I don’t work for her, but I’d be proud and happy to, knowing that this is how she doles out criticism.

[custom_author=jordan]