This is one of my all-time favourite commercials.   It shows beyond a shadow of a doubt the difference a smile makes.  Or, in this case, the difference that laughter makes.  It is the single most important skill a customer service professional can have.

Back in the ’90s when we began our customer service training and consulting company, we did a lot of work in the retail sector.  And, back then, I was baffled by how much push-back we would get when we talked about the difference a smile makes.

“I can’t just be expected to smile all the time!” people would say. Others would say things like, “But what if I don’t feel like smiling.  I hate people who put on fake smiles!” (apparently a genuine scowl is preferable.)  Fortunately, we hear that a lot less often these days.

The thing is, customer service is not about us and how we feel. It is about how we make our customers feel.  Yes, we all have bad days.  But our customers don’t deserve to feel our pain.  This commercial should be a mandatory watch once a month for everyone who works in customer service!