I have mentioned before about my seventeen years as a corporate trainer. I trained all of the company’s new employees; service technicians, administrative assistants and even experienced managers joining our company. My most popular class was on customer service. I tried to make it fun while covering some important techniques. One of the intangibles of customer service is simply a smile. For technicians a smile signals that they enjoy their work, so they are probably very good at it. For managers and administrative assistants a smile while on the phone softens their tone of voice. It leaves the other person with the feeling they have just had a pleasant conversation.
Mother Teresa once said, “Smile at each other, smile at your wife, smile at your husband, smile at your children, smile at each other – it doesn’t matter who it is – that will help you grow up in greater love for each other.” Smiles should be an important part of our life. There are certainly some times when a smile is inappropriate; such as when consoling someone on the loss of a loved one, or when you are having a discussion about a very sad or serious topic. However, a smile should be our default expression at all other times. I’ve heard that it takes more facial muscles to frown than to smile. I don’t know if that is true, but I do know that I find it easier to smile.
I’m not writing about the false, smiley face some people put on to hide their true feelings. I’m referring to natural, sincere smiles with eyes bright and cheerful. As Christians, we know where such smiles originate. At the end of each CLC service we are given the benediction blessing from Numbers 6:25, “May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you.” The Psalmist wrote, “May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.” (Psalms 67:1) He also wrote, “Truth springs up from Earth and righteousness smiles down from heaven.” (Psalms 85:11) At the very beginning of the Genesis story of creation, don’t you think God smiled broadly each time “He saw it was good”? I sure do!
Scripture also tells us why it is important for us to smile. In Genesis 33:10 Jacob is quoted as saying, “…and what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God!” Job knew the power of a smile. “When they were discouraged, I smiled on them. My look of approval was precious to them.” (Job 29:24) It isn’t just our testimony that touches others, but it is also our smile.
At the end of every class on customer service, I would always leave them with this suggestion, “If you apply what you’ve learned today about your relationship with your customers to every relationship in your life, it will improve those relationships and improve your life in the process.” I could say the same thing about this blog post.