Years ago, as a customer service representative at a printing company, I greeted a customer who came in to pick up his order. He looked it over, signed for it, then told me how surprised he was that I treated him so well. I asked him what he meant.
“My order only cost $30, but you treated me like it was worth thousands.”
As someone who has spent time on all ends of the totem pole, I can tell you that often people treat the receptionist differently from the VP; they react to the guy in shipping differently than the CEO. But a key point to keep in mind is that you never know when someone might move up in rank, and when they do, they might remember those who treated them with respect and those who didn’t.
The same goes for social media. Many companies have set up pages on Twitter and Facebook, but often they don’t use them effectively. They might send one-way marketing messages to their fans, follow no one at all in return or reply to very few who contact them. They might only tweet occasionally or sporadically. Or they might not learn many aspects of how to use the platform, and thus do not  seize the full power or potential social media has to offer. They could have an ongoing conversation with their fans, but feel it might not be worth their time or trouble. They just don’t get it.
It pays to be nice to everyone, because for many companies, even the janitor sweeping the floor as you exit the elevator can be a prospective customer. Anyone who works anywhere has some level purchasing power because they are earning income. You can’t assume because someone does not have an office with a beautiful view and a gold nameplate on their door that they don’t have a say in what is purchased and what is not. They could be an influencer. You just never know.
Remember that book by Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten? It espoused lessons such as: “Share everything,” “Play fair,” “Say you’re sorry when you hurt someone.” It could be said that all you really need to know for business you learned in kindergarten. Being nice to people is a simple lesson, but one that sometimes gets overlooked when time is limited and the pressure to sell is high. Why bother taking the time to ask an assistant how his day was when you have a dozen more calls to make? Because if that person is willing to speak with you, it could be another door worth opening.
It is simply good PR for company reps to be nice to everyone because anyone can be a prospective customer. If you already practice this philosophy, make sure your employees do too. Make sure they understand how they are supposed to interact with people from all backgrounds and in all positions. Everyone who works for a company represents that company. If someone has a bad experience with one employee, it will reflect poorly on the entire organization. Don’t ignore e-mails. Try to reply to more tweets or Facebook posts (some companies now have a dedicated social media customer service representative). You might not be able to respond each time someone contacts your company, but if you try to respond to many, it will reflect positively on you.
As for my satisfied customer? He never placed an order for much more than the first one, but he did recommend us to friend who did. People talk in person and via social media. Many like to share their positive experiences with friends and family with the hope that they’ll patronize the same company and come away with the same good experience. Then that friend becomes a hero. This is why it is important to be nice to people—all people—and send a message that your company is friendly and helpful to everyone. Not only is it good business sense, it’s the right thing to do. But you probably already knew that. You learned it in kindergarten.
Tags: business etiquette, customer service, lessons, marketing
