Leave it better than you found it: in essence, that is customer service. Customer service helps people and organizations to do things that they can’t do, without you. Customer service is a measure of progress, new realizations, and advancement. In other words, when you provide customer service (to internal or external customers) what progress do you create? The customer service story that you must share in the job interview, is: When you show up, what progress do others experience? Here are three powerful guidelines, to help you to express what customer service means to you.
- Don’t Focus on Yourself: John Quincy Adams, the sixth President of the United States, said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” And Robert Greenleaf, nearly 200 years later, expanded on that idea in his famous essay on servant leadership. Wait a minute – is customer service….leadership? According to Adams and Greenleaf: yes. At the core of these leadership principles is the idea of service – inspiring others to take action. When describing what customer service means to you, perhaps it is best to describe what your work means to others. When you deliver your service – your servant leadership – how are people changed? What does your level of customer service enable others to do, or see, or explore? Share details around what you can do with, through and for others – that’s where customer service is seen in the job interview.
- Concentrate on Change: Human beings are wired to crave consistency, and recognize change. This innate human characteristic is based on our limbic brain (or “lizard brain”), where the most basic of human instincts are born. Recognizing change is vital to our survival. Consider our ancestors, recognizing that there’s a saber tooth tiger in the cave (an example of prehistoric change). Or, just yesterday, when you notice that there’s a discrepancy in the earnings report. We are wired to notice change. Customer service creates a positive change. We identify this change as progress – and recognizing change is a universal skill that we all share. In order to share your vision for customer service, inside the job interview, consider the change that you create. Don’t be afraid to talk about the saber-tooth tiger that came into the cave – and how you led others to safety. Maybe you even have a story about killing that metaphorical tiger? Share your tale so that the “before” and “after” states are crystal clear – because that transformation demonstrates progress.
- Make the Customer the Hero of the Story: in chemical reactions, a catalyst increases the rate of change. In customer service, you are the catalyst that accelerates results. The power of the catalyst is shown as evidence of chemical change – the result (or outcome) indicates what the catalyst has created. Typically, it’s a new compound or characteristic – something that did not exist before. What’s that thing you created, that did not exist before? Was it …understanding? Peace of mind? New revenues? Greater efficiency? A higher level of satisfaction? These changes are the evidence of your skills, in the job interview. How did you make the customer the hero of the story, and what did the customer see, feel, or do differently after you showed up? Remember, customers can be both internal and external. In my book, Leadership Language, I talk about how the customer is “anyone upon whom your success depends.” That sentence is a little clunky; I blame my editor. But the point is: you can make anyone the hero of your story, when you focus on their success. Your boss, your wife, your partner: these folks can be your customer, too. How did you make your boss the hero of the story? You just might be the catalyst that your interviewer is looking for.
Customer Service Starts with Your Story
Don’t make the mistake of leaning on adjectives in the job interview. Describing your work ethic isn’t the same as demonstrating it. Demonstrate customer service by sharing stories of change – making your customer the hero of the story. Telling people how great you are is exhausting and ineffective – and it breeds suspicion. Stories are your service. Are you bragging – or providing excellent customer service? The answer lies inside your stories, in the job interview. Customer service shows up when people see what your customers do differently, after you enter the conversation. In the job interview, size and scope are important. Remember to speak the language of numbers – sharing how quickly a change took place, and how many customers were impacted, or how many revenues were generated. Share stories that provide evidence of your skills – by sharing your impact on others. When you are asked, “What does customer service mean to you?”, in the job interview, here’s a great place to start:
“That reminds me of a story…”
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