Happy Associate = Happy Customer

       For today’s post, I would like to share a positive customer service communication experience.  A few days ago, I walked into a grocery store to buy the ingredients for the meal I was going to make for dinner that night. The recipe called for some odd items that I had trouble finding, so I asked one of the cashiers for help. The first sign that this cashier had excellent customer service communication skills was that he kept eye contact as I was asking for help and smiled as he told me he could show me where to find the items. Next, rather than using vague, verbal directions (as many do), he actually walked me directly to the aisle where I could find my items. After that, he made eye contact and smiled again while asking me if I needed help with anything else.

      It seems simple, but his nonverbal communication during the entire interaction was actually what made me consider his customer service skills to be above par.  His confident smile and knowledge about the location of items in the store gave me the impression that he enjoyed his job and helping customers. Now, the question is did this guy actually like his job or was he just putting on a happy face in order to keep his job? It could be either. However, as we learned in the Module 7, Part 1 slides of our class, sometimes putting on a happy face can change/influence your emotions to follow along! So next time you are at work and you’re just not feeling it that day, try forcing yourself to smile and happily help your customers. According to the Facial Feedback, this action may actually make you feel as enthusiastic as you are trying to appear.

-Sabrina Schultz

This information was taken from our communications class website (Module 7, Part 1, slide 10) written by Dr. Albada.

Albada, Kelly. "Facial Feedback Hypothesis." Module 7, Part I Powerpoint -- Eye Behavior . Raleigh, NC: North Carolina State University, 2014. 10. Web. 29 Nov. 2014.