Want to try an interesting social experiment? Gather a group of people together friends, co-workers, whoever. Now, divide them into groups of 2 and have them take 5 minutes to share a bad customer service experience they have had. Observe how easy it is for everyone to recall a time when they felt wronged by an employee. Most likely these stories will be told with great gusto and perhaps a bit of drama.

Now ask them to share with each other a time when they received really good customer service. Watch them struggle to find a story to tell. When they do come up with it you are apt to hear such things as ‘There was this one guy’ ‘It was so much fun’ or ‘She was super-cool’.

Did everyone notice how much easier it was for people to recall a negative experience than a positive one? It can come as quite a shock to us when we discover this is the way our mind works. It is no different for our customers. We’ve all heard the statistic that says a happy customer will tell 1 person about their experience, while an unhappy customer will tell an average of 9 people about their encounter. My guess is with the advent of social media that number is a lot higher, and that can be devastating to a company.

Another funny thing is that if a customer has a bad experience they associate those feelings with the entire company. However, if they have a really great experience they connect it to individual employees. That’s where you come in…

At its most basic customer service is about understanding people, their desires, the way they feel and react in any given situation. Sure, you still have to know your products, services and how to work the equipment on your job, but what you really need to study are people skills. Lucky for you it’s pretty interesting stuff.

Here are 3 things you can do to can chalk one up in you favor:

Give a warm greeting – Welcome customer’s right away when you see them. Don’t be blah or phony about it either. People can tell when your words are not sincere and you are only going through the motions. Also talk to people – all of them, especially the ones who are different than you; don’t ignore your customer after the initial greeting, would you do that if they were a guest in your home?

Don’t be a putz – In other words…don’t waste people’s time. Yes, take enough time to listen and truly hear what the customer is trying to express to you, but then spring into action! Don’t dawdle, move at a turtle’s pace or get distracted by things going on around you, it’s really annoying. Focus Bro!

Know how to fix problems – How quickly and thoroughly customer complaints and issues get solved separates the big talkers from the true customer service professionals. Resolving customer concerns has a huge impact on how happy and loyal your customers are. Be the super-cool employee they have the great story about!