Customer service skills can help with anyone

“Whatever you do, work at it as for the Lord, not human masters.”

— Colossians 3:23 (NIV)

In my younger years, I was only on my job as a nurse manager a short period of time when, one day, a staff nurse shoved the phone receiver in my face and, disgusted, she said, “Here, you handle this call.”

Grabbing the phone, I introduced myself and listened to the patient’s family member on the other end of the phone voice their complaints.

Trying to appease her, I suddenly realized my new job came with responsibilities I wasn’t aware of. Besides all the other requirements of running a unit, I was also in charge of customer service.

Over the years, I have learned a lot about the topic. I even have a friend who has a fun job traveling all over the country teaching customer service skills to major corporations, and I see there’s a real need for understanding how to give good customer service in today’s service industry.

As Christians, our behavior is supposed to be that of service to one another, so looking at the Bible can be a good source for the kind of service we give our customers as well.

Empathy should be at the forefront of our service. Being empathetic, like when we listen to a friend, should help us to listen and learn the other person’s needs. Jesus was empathetic when Lazarus’s sisters came to him for help with their sick brother (John 11).

Try to initiate a personal touch. In other words, don’t just view your service as a job you are doing, but as serving a real person. You can initiate this personal touch by calling them by name. God knows our names and the numbers of hair on our heads (Isaiah 43:1).

Use respect and treat the customer with dignity, whether you view their complaint as valid or not. We are all made in God’s image, and required to treat one another with respect. (Genesis 1:26,27).

Don’t sound like you’re just passing the problem on because you don’t care. Avoid saying “that’s not my job.” Instead, if you don’t understand something, go the extra mile to admit you don’t understand how to resolve it, but you will give them to someone who should be able to. The Scriptures inform us how God gives us with a gift of helping others (I Corinthians 12:28).

Don’t use abusive or foul language to make a point. This will only frustrate your customer and make you look immature and unprofessional (Colossians 3:8).

Try to solve the problem as best as you can. God is a restorer (Psalm 23:3).

When desiring to gain customer satisfaction while meeting face to face, follow that old motto: “Service with a smile.”

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.