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3 Pillars of Great Service: Communication

Three pillars of great service, part three, Communication. I said earlier that communication is everything. And I do believe it. It's everything. It's the only way that we're doing this class right now, right? It's the only way that we do most business, is communication. So it's incredibly important. Now there's three types of communication. So, one of the types you mentioned before. Spoken, right? There's also written communication, right? So we're gonna write stuff down. We're gonna speak it out loud to people, to one another. And then there's unspoken language. So what's unspoken language? Body language. Body language, right. Now there's also three aspects of communication, and that's where that one comes up. So we've got our verbal language. So that's the words we use. That's the words that are being said. We've got the non verbal which is the body language. Body language. Right, so all of this physical stuff. And then we've got our vocal language. What is vocal language? W...

e got our verbal, we got our non-verbal. What's vocal? Any ideas? Sometimes I grunt. (laughs) Exactly. (grunts) Right? It's groans, it's moans. But it's the inflections that we use when we're speaking. Now, when people are being communicated to, and we're communicating, we're using all three. I've been using all three, all morning. Now, what's interesting though, is in terms of what people interpret, and what they remember. Now, only seven percent of communication is verbal. Meaning, people don't really remember the words that you say, as much as they remember and identify the non-verbal and the vocal. So, non-verbal communication comprises 55 percent of that communication. And then 38 percent is vocal. So when you think about it, the words and how they're said, it's really about the how they're said. That's really what is gonna become apparent to people. So, all these pieces need to be in alignment. Now back to that hello. If somebody says, "Hello, we're so glad to see you," right? Versus, "Hey, what's up," right? Two totally different expressions, right? So we need to make sure that we're clear that our verbal, non-verbal, and vocal language are working together. Now this is something if you're a business owner, you really have to work on with your staff members, to make sure they understand this. That they're being as powerful as they can be using all three of these. Because this is power, right? If you abandon your power, you're leaving something on the table. Now, when I was a maitre d at restaurants for a very long time, we always, because we were at the front door, had to think about the verbal, the non-verbal, and the vocal. And you're talking to hundreds of hundreds of guests, in a given shift. So, things like slouching. I would always go up to the hostesses, and they would slouch, because they'd be like, hey, welcome, right? Friendly voice, friendly words, but the body language is, I'm tired, right? That doesn't really say professional and ready. So I was constantly always reminding them to stand up. Or, sometimes you'd be saying things, and towards the end of the night your like, good night, bye, right? So again, the words are there, but the actions are getting a little sleepy, a little tired, right? You constantly have to remind people to bring up their energy. To represent 100 percent. Because these are the things that people are gonna remember. So if the words are there, and the body language and the vocal language doesn't support it, that is not gonna continue in the best way. People remember the attitude. They won't remember the actual words that were said. So, body language will substantiate your point, or disprove it. Just like I demonstrated. So happy to see you. It's been a long time since you've been in. You know? I'm so happy to see you, it's been a long time since you've been in. It's gonna be two different things, right? So what do you want to tell people? How do you want to say it? It's the how that really makes the difference. Which is why this is one of the pillars of customer service. Now, I always coach people to use slightly formal language, because it demonstrates a little respect for your client. So, we could be like, hey, what's up? What's going on? You coming in? What ya doing? So that's nice, that's casual. I could talk that way. But if I said, "Hello, welcome. Won't you come in? We'd love to have you come in," is a very different thing. It demonstrates that you're the client, and I need to show a little bit of respect to you. So, there's a number of different ways to do that. One is using full sentences. Or close to full sentences. At least full words. Buy all the vowels. You can afford it. So, use full sentences. Good afternoon, good evening. Now just hey, what's up, right? Pull out the whole word. Use their name. Use their name. It's such a simple thing. But if people can remember your last name, your first name, and then use it again and again, that's a wonderful thing. So, let's talk for a second. What's the most persuasive language, persuasive word, in language? In our language, English? The most persuasive word. Any ideas? You wanna persuade somebody, what are you gonna use? I'll give you a hint, it's not me. I was gonna say, it's their name. It's their name, but it's really, it's you. Right? So if you wanna, if I wanna appeal to you, I'm gonna say, "Oh I've got something for you." Right? You have gotta see this. You will love this, right? So if I use you, if I say, "Oh my God, my favorite thing is," and, "I love it," and "I'm so excited," it's very different than, oh, you have got to. Right? So the idea of the name is the same sort of thing. By making it personal to someone, you're actually being incredibly persuasive. Has anybody had their name used, out of the blue, and you're like, whoa, you know who I am? So, hotels do this trick, right? When you walk into a very, very nice hotel, how do they know your name before you've even checked in? Has anybody ever decoded this? Little insider secret. So, the folks who are taking the luggage, they have a headpiece. And when they're pulling that luggage out of your car, your cab. When they take it, they're gonna look at your name badge, on your luggage, and they're gonna say, "I've got Kate Edwards coming in right now. She's coming in right now, she's got the curly red hair, great." So then when Kate Edwards walks up, Ms. Edwards, we're so happy to see you. Would like iced tea? And you're like, I'm in Shangri La. This is wonderful. (laughter) But it's interesting, right? So it's a little tiny thing. Hey, look at this thing. Like when we were, I worked at a very fine dining restaurant. Three Michelin stars. We only had 16 tables. So we could do kind of cool stuff, because you don't have huge amounts of guests. And we would blow peoples' minds, because we would put their coats on hangars that were associated with their table number. So we didn't have to give them a ticket. So when they would come, the same sort of thing. The busser would come up and say, "I've got table 14 leaving." And then we would grab all their coats. We'd get enough people for each coat. And we would grab their coats, and we'd try to remember who had what coat. So I could go up to the gentleman, and bring him his coat, and I could go up to the other gentleman and bring his coat. I could go to the lady, and bring her coat. And people would be blown away. So, it's all these little things, but it's all through communication, that we can really, whoa, expand people's minds. And it's all just little ways of letting them know we're thinking of them. Which is the idea behind using their name, or being personal in that way. And then, always consider the verbal and non-verbal language that accompanies it. So, just as I was explaining before, a little bit more formality, I think is a good thing. We don't wanna be too relaxed, even if it's our office. You know, leaning, and being like, yeah, hey, yeah, come on in. Right? It's a little different than, hey, please, come in and have a seat. Just think about your approach your customers, and how you're doing it. Because how you're doing it, is really the most important thing. And, courteous treatment will make a customer into a walking advertisement. J.C. Penney was a person. Now, J.C. Penney, when we were kids, we would go shopping there. It was a store. Like Sears is a store. Well, J.C. Penney was a person. And he had this incredible approach to customer service. And when you think about it, it's not just a brand, it's a brand name, but wow. He really created the idea of customer service in shopping. And he was a real pioneer. Because this was I think in 1918. Something crazy like that. But as far back as 1918, merchants realized that it was about the customer experience. And so, that's the most important thing. Any questions or comments? Things left unturned? Anything from our call-in? Yeah, we have a few that came in from online. So we had a couple people sort of phrase this question. I think you hit on one of them, but, so this first question comes from P.G., and P.G. wants to know, what are Kate's three top customer service tips, will return the biggest bang for the buck. So if people don't have a lot of money to put into this. I know you mentioned saying hello, that's something that's cheap. Are there some other things that people can do if they don't have a big budget. If they don't have a big team. Things that they can do to increase that customer service? Well I think it's those little tiny things. And we'll talk more about that in the next course, designing a great customer service experience. But, things like saying hello, and making sure that you have a way of saying it, that's unique to your business. That would be one. Definitely think about, if people are coming to you, little things like offering a glass of water, offering a glass of tea or coffee, those are small things that can go a very long way. And it's really a nice extension of hospitality. So those things are great. There's also been studies about offering people a warm beverage, warms them up. I don't know if you've heard about these, but it's really very interesting. So think about that. Little tips too. Offering a handshake is a wonderful thing. Because it's a simple extension of human contact. That that's something, if you're in person, to offer to shake their hand. And this is something that I will say, make sure you practice it, because people are unsure of handshakes. We're never generally trained on how to give a handshake. So it's important that you do practice. And the main things to consider in a handshake is the duration. Is it long enough? Is it too long? The dryness, is your palm sweaty or is it dry? Eye contact. And, you wanna give them one, two, three. Or at least one, two, solid shakes, okay? So, handshake can go a long way. Also too, in sort of your digital communication. How you phrase your emails. Are you consistent in being warm and welcoming? I know I always go back, and I might respond to an email with the answer. No. Hi there. Thanks so much for reaching out. I'd love to tell you more about that. Then you give your answer. Let me know if there's any help I can offer beyond this. I'd be happy to. Right? So think about the email, and the expression of that email. And then one more, I'd say, similar to hello. Think about your goodbye. Your, when people are leaving your business, leaving your site, or leaving that moment. It's an opportunity to, what I call tie it in a bow. So make sure that you are getting up if you're behind a desk. Shaking their hand if you can. Looking them in the eye. Using their name. These are all wonderful, simple ways, to really ensure that your customer service is going a small notch above everybody else. And that's what will be memorable for them, when they think about your brand. Great, thank you. Any final questions from you guys, before we head to our break? Not me. Great. Great, thanks so much. Great, and so how can people stay in touch with you Kate, if they wanna ask more questions? I'd love it. Where can people find you online? Sure, so, come see me at Instagram at kateedwardsnyc. I'm also on Instagram as servicedefined. And I have a Info At, at my website, KateEdwardsConsulting.com. I'd love to hear from you.