I conduct most of my business online or in person. I find I get results better this way than if I had to navigate around a phone menu to nowhere or die on eternal hold. In the 80′s and 90′s it was all about automation, getting machines to do jobs people could do. Businesses loved it, customers hated it. Now the same businesses are starting to realize it’s all about customer service. Folks don’t want to call a company only to have to press buttons or leave messages. We want to be able to receive immediate answers to our questions and concerns.
This means the return of people skills.
It’s About Enjoying What You Do
Back in the day, way before getting involved in this whole Internet thing, I rocked a couple of corporate gigs. My favorite, by far, was my first “real” job – as receptionist at a busy publishing house. Even though I always considered myself a shy person, I enjoyed directing phone calls and greeting the people who came in to our reception area. My star shined brightly with that job. In fact, there was such major shinage that I was promoted within a year and a half to the company’s circulation department. The first of many promotions, all of which left me completely miserable. I wanted to go back to working with people.
Now I’m not going to get all Up With People on you, but if you want to succeed at community building you have to emit a warm and fuzzy vibe. You have to know how to listen as well as speak. Nothing turns me off more than rudeness and bad manners.
Treat Others as You Would Expect to Be Treated Yourself
The way I see it, I should treat the people in my community the same way I would like to be treated when I visit a business or a community. I want to know folks like me, I want someone to hear my voice and I want to know my concerns or questions will be taken seriously. And yes, I want to have a good time too.
Don’t make your community like the phone menu to nowhere. The best communities are the ones where the team is front and center, participating in community discussions and getting their customer service on. The best communities feel more backyard barbecues than social networks centered around a business. The best communities are the ones folks never want to leave.
How do you treat the people in your community?
