Customer Service Spirit
by Joel Leskowitz, SMILE! producer

It's a constant challenge. How to educate, inspire, motivate frontline staff for positive interactions with customers. We've all been there. Having a bad day, feeling overwhelmed... So, how do you help your people turn that around?

When I started the project to film Reggie for the SMILE! video, I had certain preconceptions about the story. I had ridden on Reggie's bus and saw (and heard) his positive attitude shining through the chaos of a bus ride. But to tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if there was anything beyond the singing.

Wow, was I surprised and delighted when I interviewed Reggie and he shared his personal philosophy about the WHY. Why is his job the way it is. Why does he choose to make it that way. How many of your people know they can choose?

This is important for those of us in the training world - it's really a job of turning a switch, opening a door - enlightening. Once people see that they can make a choice, that they have the personal power to do that, they have the key to their own satisfaction. Many a wise man (and woman) has said that it's not what happens to you that's so important, it's what you do with what happens.

In SMILE!, Reggie shares his insights into how he deals with a the public. The biggest part of his job is keeping the bus on the road, but he also has to be a good "manager" of his riders. Reggie checks them out, assesses where they are. By paying attention to them and choosing to be nice, he takes control of his own experience of every situation. There's much more to say about this and I encourage you to write me what you feel about this.

Riding with Reggie has convinced me that we need to instill the spirit of customer service in our frontline people. Starting with respect and attention for our own integrity - as Reggie says, "I'm going to take care of my side;'" and then considering the customer care side.

Remember, not everyone's going to sing (thankfully), but everyone stands to gain if you share the idea of personal choice. And from there flows a new dynamic for customer service.

"Life is what we make it – always has been, always will be." • Grandma Moses

" We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are." • Anais Nin


Looking for SMILE! stuff? Check out the new SMILE! t-shirts! (link)