Quality customer service is easy to achieve in the security industry, where it is unfortunately not the standard. Too often in the security industry, we see companies take a reactive approach when they experience a customer service failure instead of being proactive in preventing these issues from ever occurring. We’ll go through three simple ways you can stand out and provide quality customer service.
Look The Part:
As simple as it sounds, making sure your appearance is sharp goes a long way. Looking professional isn’t difficult and doesn’t cost a lot of money. All it takes is simple steps like making sure your uniform fits properly, your shoes are clean, and that you, your hair, and your nails are neat and clean. Those little things make a huge difference.
Our society is getting away from this and the security industry is notorious for guards who do not look professional. We want to make sure we do better than industry standard because from the start, it helps our clients see that we are professionals who can keep them safe. Looking the part is the easiest first step.
Act The Part:
Our role with our clients is to keep them and their assets safe and secure. The first way to ensure this is to know your Standard Operating Procedures, or Post Orders. Know what the daily protocol is and make sure you know what to do in an emergency or tense situation.
Another simple way to provide that quality service is with your body language. Be courteous and approachable with a smile, having eye contact when people are talking with you, or give a friendly head nod if you happen to be wearing a mask and clients can’t see your smile. Avoid standing with your hands in your pockets or your arms crossed when talking with someone.
When a situation does occur, whether big or small, make sure you remain calm and listen and respond attentively to the client in need. This will help the person see that you are equipped with the knowledge and skills to take care of the issue and genuinely care about the client’s needs.
Go A Step Above:
If you see a need that goes above and beyond your daily duties, try to meet that need if you can. If there is an issue that a client is experiencing, try to solve the problem. This lets the person know that you genuinely care. A good way to gauge if you are doing your job well is to remember our guiding principles. If you can answer yes to the three questions below, you are doing your job well and providing that quality service we are talking about.
- Am I doing my work with excellence? – Knowing your SOP’s, responding when an issue occurs, do I look neat and clean in my uniform?, etc.
- Am I treating others with respect? – Am I treating everyone I encounter with the same respect that I would like to be given?
- Am I giving back? Through my time or resources, am I finding ways to give or help where I see a need?
These steps are simple, and they can apply to areas of your life that go beyond your role with TriCorps. If you ever have questions or need assistance to ensure you can do your part in providing quality service, your managers and state directors are an excellent resource to go to with questions or concerns.