What does good customer service mean to you? Is it a restaurant owner who ushers you to your favorite table with a warm welcome? When a company accepts a return and gives you a full refund with no questions asked? Or when someone takes the time to say a genuine thank you? Today we use sophisticated technologies to learn a great deal about our customers. We track what they like, what they spend, what they search for, where they go, and how often they return. Yet despite all this new “big data” and the insights it can deliver, customers all over the world still appreciate “Old School Customer Service”.

These four “Old School Customer Service” techniques are time-tested, and they work as well today as they have for generations.

1. Make a personal connection.

While the digital world offers many advantages in speed and scale, it still makes good sense to relate to your customers on a personal level. No matter what business you are in, there is still a human being on the receiving end, and that human being has a name, a face, and feelings. And when you can’t meet in person, you can still use technology to create a personal touch. Your phone can be a great customer service device. Talking with a real person instead of leaving each other messages is distinctly old-school, but it can make a big difference in how your customer feels about you in today’s increasingly impersonal world. Combining voice with video lets you meet face-to-face without the travel expenses. Skype, Google Hangouts, FaceTime, WebEx, GoToMeeting, and other platforms make it easy.

2. Use your customers’ names.

“Old-School Customer Service” doesn’t refer to people by their order numbers or passwords; it uses names. Addressing your customers by name helps each person feel valued and acknowledged. It helps to remind customers of your name as well. When you put yourself on a familiar name basis with clients, it helps to develop a genuine relationship. Using names makes each customer’s experience a bit more personal and more valuable.

3. Follow up promptly.

“Old School Customer Service” feels the need for speed. Making customers wait is simply bad business. Study your response times today and find a way to cut them down tomorrow. When you respond quickly to a customer inquiry can be the difference between gaining, keeping, or losing a valuable customer. It doesn’t take much for customers to find someone else who can and will answer their questions. The time you invest in this small extra effort will pay back handsomely in customer retention.

4. Show your appreciation.

Today it’s easier than ever for customers to switch and take their business to someone else. Options are the ordinary, alternatives are abundant, and your competition is just one a click away. When someone does choose you, make it a point to show your appreciation in a manner they will truly notice. Don’t just send an email, follow the “Old School” rules and send a handwritten note. Yours will be the only one they receive, and will surely remember. If the situation is appropriate, send flowers, a box of chocolates, something that says “Thank you very much!” and not just “We appreciate your business”. Showing appreciation also applies to your colleagues, vendors, suppliers, and other business partners.

5. Smile

There is something important and effective that happens when we smile. We become kinder and more generous. We choose our words more carefully. This change in attitude can be felt by your customers, your colleagues, and everyone else you meet. Whether you are working over the counter, over the phone, or over the web, smiling always works. When you have eye contact and you smile, other people automatically and subconsciously notice. It makes them feel more relaxed and at ease. Smiling makes working together more effective.

Old School Values are Never Out of Date

The world is always changing, and new possibilities will appear. But old school service values and behaviors will never go out of date. “Old School Customer Service” is good practice and good business. These five proven techniques are here to stay. Use them regularly and you will be here, too.

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