Customer Service...

What does customer service mean to you? 

It means a whole lot to me. Since I was 17 years old, I've been working nonstop, everyday all day. My first job (still work there here and there, too) was at a family owned grocery store. I got hired to work in the deli department....then ended up working every other position, including a management position. If you knew me in high school, I was very dorky and antisocial. I wore band tshirts, skater shoes, and didn't want anyone to look my way. I was happy being in my own bubble, and if someone tried talking to me, I froze. My style has changed, and so has my attitude thanks to that job.

That job showed me all walks of life....young, old, poor, rich, nice, mean...And no matter what type of person you encountered, you gave them top notch customer service. When I opened my shop on Etsy, the very first thing that came to mind, even before everything came together, was customer service. I wanted to stand out from everyone else. If I got an email, I wanted to reply back right away. If someone bought something, I wanted to make sure that they were getting something that was great quality and handmade and original. I wanted them to feel the love I put into my products. I wanted to ship it right away so they could hold it in their hands as soon as possible. 

Many hours I spent behind that deli counter, and I thank all my customers for speaking up when one of us wasn't pleasant enough...or when we did an exeptional job, they let us know! I feel that if you own a teeny tiny little shop, and barely sold a thing, or own a giant company, customer service should be your number one priority. Without your customers, where would you or your company be? Nowhere, that's where! I appriciate every sale, every convo, every comment on my blog. My shop will be lucky to hit a 100 sales, but if it does, that would sail me right to the moon!

I work a customer service position at another job, and some of the people I have to deal with are down right pistols, but you give them a smile and a resolution, they will be yours forever. Nothing warms my heart than pleasing someone and making their day, nothing beats that! So if you have a shop or work someplace that deals with customers, maybe try a little harder. Give them a thank you and a big smile and make their day. Customers are the reason why so many of us hold a job, create our own companies and are able to live everyday. And if you are a customer, be honest with whom you are dealing with or shopping at. Your feedback makes them want to strive to the top and make your experience that much better. Don't be afraid to add suggestions on how to make things better for you or compliment your experience if it was a good one. You have a right to shed your own opinion!

Customer service is something that I feel is mighty important when you own your own shop. Personally, I hate waiting for orders that I purchased a week prior. I hate not getting my emails returned after 24 hours, and I hate when shops don't fix an error of theirs...but I do understand things may get in the way, and when they express that to me, I really do appreciate it! But don't be a slacker owner, be someone who strives on customer service and makes their customers feel like family! That's especially one thing I learned working at my first job...these people are like your family. And they certainly are the one's putting money in your pocket. Treat them how you want to be treated, heck, even better than that! At the end of the day, these people are the one's who make your business what it is today. They're the one's that help you be able to improve and create. So treat them well. :)