Many of you know that I am a marathon runner. Recently I finished a run at our local FedEx store. I had to pick up the receipts for several packages I dropped off earlier. My husband met me and we were planning to go to the Dairy Queen across the street for an ice cream. Yes, I burned the calories off before I ate them!    
   We went through the drive through. The person at the drive in window said, “Please wait.” We waited for five minutes (no joke—we timed it after a minute or so of no other response…and there wasn’t a car in front of us). My husband backed the car over the bell again. When someone answered my husband said nicely, “we’ve been waiting a while.”
   The voice said, “I’m busy. You can always leave!” So we did…and backed the car out of the drive through lane. 
   I was shocked but didn’t go into the store to complain to the manager. Why not? I had my mouth set on an ice cream and I wanted one. We drove to another spot and it was closed. Finally we remembered there was another Dairy Queen about two miles from our house in the other direction. We went there. The reception was like night and day. The teenager greeted us when we pulled in to the ordering section. He said please, thank you, and politely tried to upsell us, as he should. 
   This was an excellent example of the right training and the wrong training. I know, without looking at the books, that the revenues from the Dairy Queen that had courteous personnel are higher than those of the first one we went to. Why? We’ve gone back again and that Dairy Queen is always busy. 
   How do you expect your customer service team to answer the telephone? Handle customers who have been waiting on hold? What would you do if you found out that one of your employees told a client to leave? More important, how would you find out that one of your employees told a client to leave?
   Your clients are important. They write your paycheck. I often see the words that the client is important but not the action that shows it. 
   How you handle your internal clients (i.e. your employees) will definitely affect how your internal clients handle your external clients (those who write your paycheck). If you treat your internal clients with respect, they will follow your actions and treat your external clients with respect. If you say please and thank you your team will say please and thank you to your external clients.
   If you are rude, discourteous, and treat your internal clients poorly, they get the message that it’s ok to treat your external clients the same way. It’s OK to “tell a client to leave.”
   A client calls and you’re not in. She leaves a message. Your receptionist reminds you this is the third time she called without a returned call. Or, you make a comment like “What does she want now?” in an aggravated tone of voice. Don’t be surprised if your employees don’t take care of your external clients in this situation. They’re following the example from the top. 
   Observe the next time a complaining client calls your service manager, your dispatcher, or you, see how long does it take for your client to get a return call. Is that client called immediately? I know service managers and owners who avoid a problem and refuse to call back. That makes the client madder and what could have been a minor issue turns into a major problem before it is resolved.
   The opposite often happens. Your employees know when a client with a problem calls. If you take care of the issue quickly and courteously, then you’ll win points from your employees. That will send a message that even a client who complains a lot is important and should be treated with respect. 
   If you handle client issues calmly, your internal team will handle client issues calmly. If you are in a grouchy mood--leave the office. Go see a client. Sell something. You’ll feel better and your mood won’t negatively infect your internal clients.
   In addition, if you want your technicians’ trucks to be clean, your truck must be clean. If you are messy, your jobs will be messy. Your internal team will follow your lead. If they perceive that you don’t care your employees won’t care enough to take care of clients by being courteous, neat, and communicative, etc. when they are at your clients’ homes!
   If you expect your employees to take care of the people who write your paychecks, you have to lead by example!