Enthusiasm, energy and success: critical keys for providing excellent customer service

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P. J. Germain | 16 Sep, 2008
There are basically 5 different reasons why nothing great is ever accomplished without enthusiasm.

First, no great success is ever attained in life without the surmounting of obstacles. In every life there are challenges. Some people view challenges as problems, others view them as opportunities. This marks one big difference between those people who give up and those who move up. You need to understand the positive role obstacles can play in your development. Challenges will push you. They stretch you. They make you develop your potential. Because you cannot leap a hurdle without energy, you need to value energy. You need to understand and embody the power of enthusiasm.

Secondly, without the motivation that comes with enthusiasm, you will never dig deep enough to discover and develop all the talents you have that can lead you to the greatest accomplishments of which you are ultimately capable. Developing your talents is itself sometimes an arduous task. Without enthusiasm for what you are doing and what you are becoming, it could be at times an exhausting and dispiriting task. It takes energy. You will often need to push yourself to find that you are capable to find what you're capable of doing, and what you are capable of being.

There is a third reason why nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm. Great success requires great risk. It does not come cheap. You need to be willing to try things you have never tried before. Maybe even things nobody else has ever tried before.

The fourth reason why enthusiasm, or strong emotional commitment, is typically necessary for greatness is that, without it, you can easily be tempted to settle for nothing more than a basic, minimal competence in what you do, at best.

No great success was ever attained alone. No one in this life ever accomplishes anything worthwhile flying completely solo, from start to finish. Satisfying success is always in some way, and most times in many ways, a social product, which results when people work together. Whatever your dream is, whatever your goals are, you cannot do it alone.

It is important to clearly understand how this comes into play with providing excellent customer service. It is not your perception of how good the service is that counts. It actually has to do with the perceptions of the customer. The customer is the one who matters.

Excellent customer service exceeds customer needs (real or perceived) in a consistent and dependable manner. Note the phrase real or perceived. This is very important in understanding excellent customer service. It is not your perception of how good the service is that counts. It is the perception of each customer that matters. These perceptions include how customers react to your attitude, your concern for their problems, and the way you handle their questions or service requirements.

When you provide service over the telephone, you may speak with the same customer many times. Even though you have never met this person face-to-face, you probably have an idea of what he or she is like. You may even have a mental image of what a particular customer looks like. Customers are no different. Likewise, they also have an image of you. As a valued employee, you have the ability to influence the perceptions of many customers. It is important to remember that you are in a direct position to win or lose company business!