The Pleasure of giving and receiving excellent service

Feeling better through providing great customer service

I am out in Budapest on work at the moment.

Thanks to the BBC World TV news in my hotel room I have been cheered up by the news that Chelsea won their game against Fulham and stand at the top of the English Premier League football table.

According to Scientists in the specialist neuro biomedical fields my ‘Pleasurableness’ index for this wass 67% just 4 % above the excellent service I got from the BA team at Terminal 3 check  top flight steward of the on board flight team on BA 868 who offered me a roomier seat up the posher end of the plane ( an upgrade) so I could comfortably do some work.

I went out for a walk in the evening to the Danube to swoon at the Elisabeth Chain bridge lit up and reflected in the mighty river which is a natural wonder apparently 61% on the Pleasurability scale.

My chatting with friends at present limited to the virtual world scores at 50%  and kissing someone ( I should be so lucky) would be 61%. When I meet my delegates tonight and reunite with work colleagues it should up to 68% but doing a top rate job and provide great service to my delegates on the course will give me a spike of 84%

Of course we have know for years giving good service is great for business and account relationships but did not have any empirical scientific proof. American Express  and Neurosense published a fascinating study this year.

Why does giving and receiving excellent service make us feel good ?

 Neuroscience has come up with the answer they have uncovered a correlation between great service experiences and improved health, proving that it really does pay (at least health-wise) to give and receive great service.

 Conducted across a global sample, this cognitive research study found that great service can improve feelings of wellbeing, reduce feelings of anxiety and sadness, and even make people feel less lonely.

The American Express Service study found that both providing and benefitting from great service triggers the same basic cerebral reactions as feeling loved, and that it positively affects our emotional state of mind

Amex know that its Card members want to feel like more than just a customer and partnered with global neuroscience organization Neurosense to investigate the physiological and psychological effects great service has on customers. 

The study used  specialized technology including, a patented psychological testing and biometric testing to measure the impact of service on the mind and body.

"Our research shows great service experiences rank as peak pleasures, which are known to decrease stress and improve feelings of wellbeing," said Professor Gemma Calvert, Managing Director of Neurosense Group.

 "The physiological, emotional and psychological effects of great service were recorded to have a positive impact on the body's overall wellbeing, which in turn has positive effect on the subject's health."

The American Express Service Study reveals:

Great acts of service cause a chain reaction of positive responses in the body, increasing heart rate and galvanic skin response (or perspiration level) as excitement and exhilaration builds.

68 % of people felt their breathing rate decrease from 16.7 cycles per minute to 10.2 cycles per minute-as they relaxed and became happier-when thinking about great service.

74 % of people felt their heart rate increase from a baseline of approximately 76 BPM to 87 BPM when thinking about providing great service.

Over half of those tested were found to feel pride when on the receiving end of great service (55 %).

The 'personal boost' of someone going out of their way for you can help to build self-esteem, further underpinning the far-reaching impact of great service on our wellbeing.

The study gives a valuable insight into the science behind amazing service and the positive effect it has on others and ourselves."

The experiment was conducted in two phases.

The first tackled the psychological response to good service, capturing participants' unconscious feelings using the patented Neurosense BrainLink™ software, which measures response times to certain concepts and related words or images.

The second phase measured physiological reactions (heart rate, breathing rate and galvanic skin response) to good service.

Reactions were monitored using biometric equipment at the University of the West of England in Bristol, United Kingdom.

As physiological reactions are consistent and show a basic human reaction, to provide a scientifically robust result the biometric tests carried in one country.

This is illustrated by nearly three quarters of participants whose heart rate increased when exposed to great service (74 per cent).

A total of 1,620 participants in the UK, Canada, Mexico and Australia were tested. Ages ranged from 18 to 60 and 50/50 gender split.

So there it is Customer Service Training will help not only the business, cheer up customers it will improve the health of service providers.

Related Links

Neurosense    http://www.neurosense.com/index.php/media-news/interviews-and-tv-programs/323-amex-good-service

University of the West of England in Bristol, United Kingdom.

6 challenging customer types and how to handle them

Most of the time Customers are fine but sometimes they can become a touch animal like .
Like a Zoo keeper you need to deal with different temperaments in the zoo.

The bulldog, the grizzly bear, owl, the myna bird, the mouse, the sheep. the hyena.

1. The “Bulldog” (Persistent)
How to recognise : Painfully persistent, often asking the same question more than once to check you weren’t lying the first time.

How to deal with them : The bulldog needs reassurance that they know that what they are buying is right for them. Ideally, the way to overcome the bulldog is knowledge and patience. No matter how many times they ask the same question, offer the same polite response. If you don’t know the answer, don’t lie. Find out and ring them back.



2. The “Grizzly” (Rude)
How to recognise : Blatantly rude for no obvious reason! They have little or no manners and don’t care about your feelings whatsoever.

How to deal with them : Always remain calm. Follow complaints handling technique, and apologise for any problem they might have encountered. Don’t react angrily, because this will just worsen the situation further!




3. The “Owl” (Know-it-all)
How to recognise : Often very knowledgeable, and likes nothing more than to show that knowledge off, even if it means belittling you. The owl loves to be right.

How to deal with them : Don’t compete! Allow them to show off and even offer compliments and flattery to win them over. Never say or imply they are wrong; it will only upset them.


3. The Mynah bird ( talkative)
How to recognise : They can speak for England! Once they start, they’ll never stop and often ask you personal questions or talk about issues completely unrelated to their enquiry.

How to deal with them : You must aim to control the call. Use the customers name, steer them using questions, and paraphrase to get them back on track. Stay polite and avoid being rude or letting them know you are bored.



4. The “Mouse” (Quiet)
How to recognise : Customers with this personality type will often be very hard work! They offer the bare minimum responses to any questions asked, and engaging them in conversation is an uphill battle from the start.

How to deal with them : Ask open, probing questions (e.g. “what”, “when”, “how”, etc.) to force them into answering with more than one-word responses. Invite their opinions, but don’t be too pushy or they may become even less willing to talk.

5. The “Sheep” (Ignorant)
How to recognise : Doesn't know what they want or understand why they want it. Often, they will become flustered and upset if not dealt with properly.

How to deal with them : Again, ask open questions to clarify what they are looking for, and summarise key points to confirm that your understanding is correct. Listen carefully and be patient! Don’t make assumptions.

6. The “Hyena” (Obnoxious)
How to recognise : Easily upset and often very flippant and sarcastic at every opportunity. Unlike the “Grizzly”, they don’t need an excuse to get nasty – indeed they enjoy winding you up.

How to deal with them : Remain calm and professional at all times. Agree to disagree and give up, because their main objective is to upset you. Don’t let them upset you, simply pity why somebody would choose to be like this.