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If your appearance or the appearance of your office
tells the customer that you do not care about yourself
or your office, then the customer has a legitimate
reason for believing that the service you provide will
show the same lack of concern. You should be a neat
and organized individual !
Your Attitude as Customer Service
Representative
We discussed attitude earlier, and it is so important
in providing good customer service that we must
reemphasize it once again.
The impression being formed by the customer is
also the result of other evidence. The customer forms
a mental picture of you from the messages you un-
consciously communicate—what kind of person you
are and how you view your job, your rating, the Navy,
the customer, and the customer’s problem. These mes-
sages consist of positive or negative attitudes such as
the following.
NEGATIVE
ATTITUDES
POSITIVE
ATITUDES
“I wish I could get
out of this rat
race.”
“They treat me
like a servant.”
“I’m tired of this
little dinky job.”
“These dumb kids
don’t know what
they want,”
“I perform an important
function by providing needed
services.”
“I know we have a lot of work
to do, but I am a member of the
same team and I must do my
fair share.”
“This routine job is boring at
times, nevertheless it is an
important job and I will do it to
the best of my ability.”
“Because of their inex-
perience, these young customers
rely on me for assistance.”
“Don’t bother me!” “May I be of assistance to you?”
The customer will soon know how you feel, and
you will not have to express your feelings in words.
Just as in figure 1-7, your attitude will speak for itself.
Your attitude toward your customers is closely related
to your attitude toward your job. Your customers will
quickly sense your attitude from your speech and the
manner in which you conduct yourself.
What is your attitude toward your rating or your
present duties? What would be the result if no one else
were doing your job? Regardless of how you answered
these questions, you have certainly communicated
your attitude to your customers.
If you have a negative attitude toward your job,
have you stopped to think and ask yourself why? It is
not unusual for a person to feel that an assignment is a
treadmill at times, but something can be done about it.
Is the job that you have not enough to keep you busy?
Do you have too much time on your hands? If this is
the case, this gives you an opportunity to study for
advancement, or prepare yourself for a more
challenging position in your office.
Even with today’s manpower shortages, there is
even a greater shortage of people who are willing to
do more than just the bare minimum. Be a dedicated
individual and do not just do what is expected of you.
You should do more! Your dedication and your efforts
will eventually be recognized in the form of good
evaluations, letters of appreciation, and other awards.
You will also feel a sense of accomplishment and
satisfaction for doing more than just your share.
Individuals in positions of authority do recognize
hardworking and dedicated individuals. You may not
believe that because you are probably saying to
yourself, “I have worked very hard and consider
myself one of the more dedicated PNs in the office,
and I have yet to receive any recognition.” But you
must be patient because your supervisors will
eventually recognize your efforts. The Navy
appreciates your hard work and dedication. Keep up
the good work!
ANALYZING THE CUSTOMER
We have been analyzing your actions as the
customer service representative so that you may see
some reasons, within yourself, why you may not be
providing as good a service as you are expected to do.
To do this, we have assumed that the customer was in
a good mood, had trust in your ability, and was willing
to accept your solution. This is not always the case.
There are several factors that often stand between
you and the customer. They can complicate the
customer’s problem and your efforts to provide a
solution. In the following paragraphs, we will take a
look at some of these barriers.
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