Today faking a smile is becoming increasingly important especially in customer service. I work in customer service & I find it quite hard especially if I've had a bad day.
How do you master it? What are some of the methods that have worked for you?
2006-09-28 00:38:52 · 12 answers · asked by britt 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Etiquette
Customer service is difficult. I did it for years, and people drove me NUTS!!
However, I've come to find it doesn't matter what you do or where you work, you have to take care of customers/clients, and they're always going to drive you NUTS!
There's no sense in faking a smile. People can see right through it and will come to resent your insincerity.
Here's what I do. I just smile. Even when I don't feel like it, I think about the things I am blessed with in my life (and I have a LOT to be thankful for!). Even on the worst day, it helps. Taking a breath, counting to 10 (or 20 or 50!) also helps. Put the customer on "hold." Excuse yourself to look for an answer if you're on a sales floor (even if you know the answer) - then take a deep breath, think of something happy, get that smile on your face and thank them for waiting.
My other tactic was that some people just suck. They're miserable people - doesn't matter what you do for them, they're not going to be happy. When THEY start getting to me, I take pride in the fact that no matter how bad my day was, I'm not that miserable. I also would just REFUSE to let those people bring me down. The up-side to these people is that they are few and far between.
Most people just want to know you care, you're listening, and you want to help them. A sincere smile, a kind word and and "I'm sorry" to a yelling customer can do wonders to calming someone down. (I actually could get a yelling customer to apologize to me for yelling!!!).
Good luck!
2006-09-28 03:01:05 · answer #1 · answered by sylvia 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Americans are known for faking smiles ("the american smile" is a known term), and that is only reason why we (Europeans) don't like them. Everything on them is fake.
And do you really think we don't see your smile is faked? Well, uhm, maybe Americans are so used to these teeth-showings, that they take that for smiles.
But as someone before mentioned, you smile with your eyes too, and if you just show your teeth, that is insulting to the costumer (or whoever you put it on).
Be honest in your appearance. That does NOT mean of course to be rude to customers, they are not responsible for your personal problems (in case you have any). But they deserve genuine friendliness, not faked smiles.
I seriously dislike people who fake friendliness and smiles, and I have walked out stores already where I met sales people llike that. I consider them not honest, and that is not what I am looking for when I intend to buy applainces or other expensive stuff.
2006-09-28 16:22:13 · answer #2 · answered by albgardis T 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try thinking,you are the customer,you pay my salary.Try to find one thing you like about someone and it will be easier to make your face smile.It has to be your eyes as well as your mouth smiling too.
2006-09-28 07:52:05 · answer #3 · answered by ponygirl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smiling is a physical thing. You really can't fake something physical but...........if you think about someone you love or something funny.........that one entity that brings a smile to your heart, it will be much easier to smile. I do it a lot myself.
2006-09-28 07:49:52 · answer #4 · answered by Yankee Dude 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can either try thinking happy thoughts, (gay) or you can settle with a simple half smile. As long as you're not frowning, people tend to respond better to you.
2006-09-28 07:48:30 · answer #5 · answered by Axel 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A genuine smile is when the eyes smile too, so when you make a smile with your lips/mouth, make sure your eyes smile too.
2006-09-28 12:33:09 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just smile, what is so difficult? You sure have enough to smile about, get used to it
2006-09-28 07:47:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i don't know about mastering the art, but you can learn how to spot a fake smile.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/mind/surveys/smiles/index.shtml
2006-09-28 07:44:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Customer give you a hard time???----smile
think of them with a pen jabbed in one eye!!!
2006-09-28 22:16:11 · answer #9 · answered by Moma 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Practice in your own home
Go talk to a flight attendent, - they do it all the time.
2006-09-28 07:46:26 · answer #10 · answered by MK6 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋