You might as well smile!

As we all strive to deliver excellent customer service, there are going to be moments when the customer makes special, sometimes crazy requests. Unless the request is something completely out of bounds, we generally try to accommodate the customer and give them what they want. By doing so, you remove one possible reason they would turn to your competitor.

So if you are going to go ahead and give the customer what they ask for, why not capture the good will at the same time. On many occasions, employees give in to the customer, but then they make sure the customer knows that they are not happy about it.

Let me give you a couple of examples. Just this week I was on vacation with my family in Branson. My wife and I were enjoying ourselves walking in the Branson Landing area when we decided to grab a bite for dinner. We selected a Pizza / Gyro restaurant. I approached the counter and noticed how good the hot, fresh pizza looked. We ordered a piece of pepperoni and one with sausage. The girl behind the counter picked up a plate and picked the two pieces of pizza from trays that had been behind the hot, fresh ones. (I think they had been there for an hour.) I politely asked her if I could have a piece of the hot pepperoni instead. She gave me a less than pleasant look, and put the cold pizza back and gave me one from the hot pizza. She did not say another word as she handed me my pizza.

Contrast that to another experience later that same week. We had returned to a restaurant called Shorty & Smalls. (Great ribs!) We had a party of six and they seated us at a table next to the kitchen that did not have any view of the lake. There were plenty of other tables available with a great view, so I asked the hostess if we could move to another table. She immediately said, "Sure. Where would you like to sit?" She helped pull together two tables and moved our menus over from the other table. I'm sure she had a reason to seat us by the kitchen, most likely to balance out the load on their servers. She gave in to my request, but she did it with a smile!

If you plan on giving the customers what they want, then make the most of the overall experience. You never have anything to gain by letting them know you are not happy. (The customer generally does not care how you feel.) The entire experience can be ruined by a poor attitude, even if it just through your body language.