The SMILE! model - customer service from the inside-out!

The SMILE! video-based training program is about attitude for frontline customer service professionals, their supervisors and managers. It is also a program about personal choice and responsibility.

SMILE! answers the question that customer service trainers and managers often hear: "What's in it for me?"

While many books, videos, and programs ask customer service professionals to treat their customers in the same manner they would like to be treated, SMILE! breaks new ground with its Inside-Out Model.

SMILE! shows how powerful every interaction can be when the frontline customer service person is doing a good job- for the sake of the customer AND, most importantly, for their own sake, because it improves their quality of life.

Inside-Out thinking leads to Inside-Out Service

While we can't control all the external circumstances in our lives, in SMILE!, Reggie points out that we can control our own attitude and how we respond to those circumstances. This is what we mean by living from the inside out. Living from the inside out is what Reggie is referring to when he says, "...it comes from inside of me."

The SMILE! program's purpose is to demonstrate how attitude is THE PRIMARY FACTOR in each and every customer service interaction - attitude affects results and influences customer loyalty.

Most of all, attitude affects our quality of life, which plays out in work and home situations everyday. Remember, most people spend more time on the job than anywhere, including sleep. Why not make the work experience rewarding? Or, better yet, a way to improve the quality of our lives?

Sincerity - Motivation - Integrity - Laughter - Enthusiasm! SMILE!

These words are the key to how Reggie keeps a positive attitude. He even sings about it! The SMILE! song is now a regular feature on the #27 from downtown Seattle to Coleman Park.

And what about those days when you feel down?

Reggie says, "There are days that I get on the bus and I don't feel like smiling and I don't feel like putting up the smile sign. But I have to make a choice– where I want to be with my attitude. Everybody needs help, but sometimes you have to help yourself."

"I enjoy the program a great deal. I use it in my orientation program during that dull time after lunch. It picks everyone up and we have a great time. Reggie is such an engaging character that it's almost impossible not to get involved with the video. By the time I have people moving their chairs and singing, they are ready to meet Reggie. We set up the chairs in rows with an aisle- just like a bus- and we sing along. I think the concepts are clear and clearly presented. Oh, and we all wear the SMILE! buttons, too!"
       Candy Gusst, Director, Training
       Beneficial Savings Bank

Continue reading about service training from the inside out

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