Page 102 - Delivering Authentic Customer Experiences

Principle 7 Delivering Authentic Customer Experiences

Reasons to be cheerful

It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking yourself too seriously. I have
certainly been guilty of this in the past. Thankfully, my perspective
has changed over the years and I’m now a much more relaxed
individual who tries to see the humour in most things. I’d have
probably gone quite mad years ago if I hadn’t!

The important thing here of course is you have the ability to
choose what you think, how you feel and what you do. You can be
a drain and toxic to your business and those around you, or a
radiator and exude a positivity that creates a productive working
environment. It’s entirely your choice. It appears to make sound
business sense too, as shown in a study in the Journal of Applied
Behavioural Science, which found that organisations promoting
positive practices fostering happiness, achieved improvements in
financial performance, customer satisfaction and productivity.

People who like people and are happy in their work make
engaging customers seem effortless. They smile, interact with
ease and really want to make a difference. It’s not the Have a nice
day type, but the genuine, sincere, joyous smile that you can see
in the eyes not just on the mouth.

The Oxford Dictionaries define a smile as a facial expression
indicating pleasure, or amusement, with lips stretched and their
ends upturned. Even the definition makes you want to do it! It is a
universal sign of happiness and has the capacity to transcend the
boundaries of race, culture, social status and religion. It can truly
light up a person’s face and make them seem more approachable,
friendly and attractive. It apparently even takes fewer muscles to
achieve than a frown. All damn good reasons to do more of it if
you ask me!

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