September 23, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Comments posted to this topic are about the item Great Service – All About Attitude
September 24, 2010 at 5:43 am
and it is very important if you receive service that has been 'above and beyond' that you provide feedback to that effect. Hopefully that will reinforce the behaviour and ensure it is recognised by management.
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September 24, 2010 at 6:21 am
I just completely dumped one telecommunications company (Internet and home phone) because of lousy service and told them exactly why in clear specific reasons. However, I doubt that they will change.
So, what can I do?
1. Try to exceed my customer's expectations, not my own idea of what "satisfactory service" means.
2. Look for ways I can add value at no addtional cost. For instance, if I am asked to extract data to a spreadsheet, I'll usually pre-sort if appropriate, make sure the column names make sense to the user, format columns appropriately, and turn on filtering if that appears useful. It takes me less than a minute to do all that, but it may save the user several minutes or more if they are not experts in the software.
3. Manage my customer's expectations up front if possible. In other words, make sure the customer clearly understands what you can and can't do for him or her. And, if you can't do exactly what they want, educate and negotiate so that both sides know what to expect in the outcome.
JMNSHO...
September 24, 2010 at 6:45 am
Good article.
I once had someone tell me, "always leave a place better than how you found it."
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September 24, 2010 at 7:01 am
Andy, I think we all need to be reminded every so often of the simple step we can take to go beyond just an adequate job performance and your examples highlight that step well. Anyone in the business of database administration or development is also in the business of customer service.
SQLogical
September 24, 2010 at 7:40 am
I agree with you Andy—customer service counts for more than many realize.
Although most professionals may not want to admit it, the services and products we offer our clients are often viewed by them as commodities, not unlike computers, software or even training. In addition to achieving quality results and measurable outcomes at a justifiable price, what sets us apart from the perspective of our clients is our customer service.
To prove my point, just ask yourself this question: All things being equal—results, quality, convenience and price, why do you buy or shop where you do? The answer is probably customer service. Most of your clients base their buying decisions the same way you do.
Sometimes we forget that we are all in the customer service business.
See you at the PASS Summit 2010!
Don Gabor
Don Gabor
September 24, 2010 at 8:38 am
I was recently at an event where the food service was provided by the local college cafeteria.
It was 'serve yourself' style but the trays were always fresh and full. People were always availabe and willing to help with special requests and the whole operation was smooth.
As one person suggested, I indeed tracked the manager (it was easy to find him--he spent a lot of time chatting with customers to confirm things were ok) to express appreciation.
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September 24, 2010 at 8:43 am
For restaurants, hotels, cab drivers and the like, we can give them tips to thank them for superior service. Unfortunately, it's extremely rare that people working in "non-tip" type jobs (like us DBAs) ever get anything resembling at tip. Usually, if things are going well, people don't even notice that we're around. But when things go south, the affected people will cluster around your cubicle like vultures demanding that you get that database running immediately if not sooner.
Maybe I should put a tip jar on the corner of my desk? 😉
September 24, 2010 at 9:43 am
george sibbald (9/24/2010)
and it is very important if you receive service that has been 'above and beyond' that you provide feedback to that effect. Hopefully that will reinforce the behaviour and ensure it is recognised by management.
Well put George.
September 24, 2010 at 9:55 am
thankyou James. You just proved my point. 🙂
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September 24, 2010 at 10:10 am
Excellent article, makes one think about how we are doing what we do and how we come accross to everyone we work with\for. And then try to be like the examples given.
September 24, 2010 at 11:23 am
IMO an important part of excellent service is remembering your customer. In my experience that is the spice that catapults above the average service to the next level.
September 24, 2010 at 11:52 am
There's a catch-22 to being a DBA/SQL Server person and trying to instill 'customer service'. I agree, when the priority issue comes up and you've got the flying circle of people around your desk, these ideas make sense about helping them with their issue.
But under most circumstances, except with the few dev teams you might support, in general your contact with management is typically minimal. At least in my experience. A client rarely, if ever, talks to the database teams. They more often talk to a BA or perhaps the dev team lead who gets the requirements, and then we're brought in at the tech level.
Most of our customer service items are more 'good presentation and healthy attitude' to our employers, then customer contact. Your mileage may vary, especially if you do a tremendous amount of independent work directly with clients, rather then being incorporated into existing teams.
In general, I agree with the article, but some of the 'backend' positions are usually left out of the way of the client's visibility. The guy who picks up the garbage, his only 'value add' is to also throw in the wrappers that everyone missed the trash can when they walked by. That value add is expected. It's only noticed when it's missing.
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September 25, 2010 at 10:48 am
LadyRuna (9/24/2010)
For restaurants, hotels, cab drivers and the like, we can give them tips to thank them for superior service. Unfortunately, it's extremely rare that people working in "non-tip" type jobs (like us DBAs) ever get anything resembling at tip. Usually, if things are going well, people don't even notice that we're around. But when things go south, the affected people will cluster around your cubicle like vultures demanding that you get that database running immediately if not sooner.Maybe I should put a tip jar on the corner of my desk? 😉
ROLMFAO :w00t: and I would include a No Drama Sign over the tip jar as wel!!!
"Technology is a weird thing. It brings you great gifts with one hand, and it stabs you in the back with the other. ...:-D"
September 27, 2010 at 5:30 pm
george sibbald (9/24/2010)
and it is very important if you receive service that has been 'above and beyond' that you provide feedback to that effect. Hopefully that will reinforce the behaviour and ensure it is recognised by management.
Agreed - don't hesitate to say something about a job well done or service well done.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
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