Treat Your Customers Uniquely - It's Showtime for Amazing Customer Service

“It’s Showtime!” Those are typically the words you hear right before
hitting the stage or when the cameras start to roll in the studio.
However, for John Lewis, a high-end retail department store in the UK, the retail floor is the stage and the employees are the actors.






John Lewis is providing 322 employees, whom they refer to as “partners,” acting lessons
at The Oxford Playhouse to help “teach them the art of outstanding
service.” They are being taught the same lessons in voice and body
language that actors are taught to help them create a better customer
experience.




The first thing I thought when I heard this is that they are teaching
employees how to engage with customers by acting out a scripted
response. However, there is a different form of acting that is very
appropriate for anyone who interacts with their customers… and fellow
employees.




In an interview with The Guardian, Simon Tavener, the
secretary of the Oxford Theatre Guild, said, “Selling requires you to
have a sort of script in your head. Not one you recite, but one you
tailor to your own voice … a form of improv, if you like.”




Improv
is a unique form of acting. There is no script. It’s about being so
focused on the other person, that you can engage and respond
appropriately, without a script. And, in this case, the other person is a
customer.




When the employee gets to work, it’s time to put on the show. Step up
and be your best. Regardless of what’s happening outside of the store,
its’ time to block it out and focus on the customer. That’s what great
stage actors do. Richard Burton, the famous actor who was recognized for
his amazing performance in Hamlet, felt the same way. He was known to
say something like, “I want to be so good tonight that I cheat the
audience that was here last night.” In other words, be better today than
yesterday.




When employees of any type of business come to work, they get into
character and deliver the best performance they can give. Each day, they
come to work with the goal of being even better than yesterday. The
company provides training – and in the case of the John Lewis stores –
even acting lessons. They rehearse, practice, and get direction.




The ability to communicate is paramount in any type of business and
for any type of employee, especially someone who talks directly to
customers. Teaching acting and improv techniques to employees can create
confidence and help their ability to sell and service their audience,
also known as their customers.




Shep Hyken is a customer service expert, keynote speaker, and New
York Times bestselling business author. For information, contact
314-692-2200 or www.hyken.com. For information on The Customer Focus™ customer service training programs, go to www.thecustomerfocus.com. Follow on Twitter: @Hyken


(Copyright © MMXVIII, Shep Hyken)

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