The six pillars of

Customer Service

The Six Pillars of Customer Service

The behaviours that create Outstanding Customer Service fall into six categories. We refer to them as the Six Pillars of Customer Service. These give us the starting point for the development of our award-winning customer service training programs.

Attitude

Caring. Solution driven. Having empathy. Being positive. Being friendly and cheerful. Having energy. Being on-stage. Attitude is the cornerstone of Outstanding customer service, and contrary to popular belief, you can influence it.

Interest

100% Customer-focused. Asking questions. Listening. Personalizing the relationship. All of our actions need to convey to a customer that they are important to us. The research tells us that over 80% of service failures come from the perception that you just don’t care.

Action

Taking ownership. Solving problems. Being creative. Following through. Following up. When customers see you being proactive, or taking immediate action to ensure their satisfaction, they consider this a positive experience. The research shows that over 90% of customers consider “taking ownership” as the primary factor in “WOW” customer experience.

Verbal Language

Using positive words & phrases. Avoiding negative language. Communicating accurately. Communicating appropriately. Managing expectations. Our language skills play a key role in delivering Outstanding Customer Service.

Body Language

Face. Smile. Eyes. Posture. Movement. Attire. Even when our mouths aren’t speaking, our body is.

Tone of Voice

Persuasion. Influence. Empathy. Energy. These are conveyed through the five controllable attributes of voice: Speed, Pitch, Loudness, Intonation and Timbre. It’s not what you say, but how you say it.