What Can A Smile Do?

Sometimes the only interaction we have with customer service people now is when we need to pick something up like groceries, an emergency sweater or shoes.  That’s because a lot of our interactions now are all online.  I actually like the convenience of online shopping.  It’s convenient, I can go any time I want, I have a large selection of things to look at before I buy.

But when I do go out and I do need to see and talk to someone, it’s nice when they have a smile.  Smiles are contagious.  If someone smiles at you, you almost always smile back, you just can’t help it.  Even on the phone, you can hear smiles in people’s voices.  Their tone is just a little lighter, they laugh, they get enthused. Even on the phone, a smile is contagious.

What’s hard about smiling on the phone is that you and the person whom you are talking to are looking at different things, not at each other.  So is it possible to still smile at someone on the phone?  Yes!  It is!

It takes more than a smiley face on someone’s computer to remind them to smile.  It takes an upbeat environment and someone in the office to help everyone smile.

If you want to change the environment you work in, try smiling at someone you work closely with. Try smiling in the hallway, try smiling in the elevator, just try smiling.  By smiling at people in your work environment, you can change the mood and perhaps make someone’s day.

So what can a smile do? It can change the interaction you have with people, face-to-face, or on the phone.  Try it, you’ll like it!

Johanna Lubahn is Managing Director of Call Center Services for Cohen Brown Management Group, Inc.