When you think of good customer service—particularly the barriers to it—two factors generally come to mind: timing and wording. Imagine walking into a store that sells soap and bodywash products and immediately being bombarded with, “May I help you?” “Looking for anything today?” or the dreaded, “Just so you know, we have a deal going on today. Buy any of those two items on those shelves (motions to left side of store) and get one free.” It’s overwhelming and frankly a bit of a turnoff. You don’t have to be an introvert to feel an urge to run out of the store. What’s off there is mostly timing.

In an alternate scenario, imagine that you’re looking through items and checking prices, clearly doing more than simply walking around for a visual survey of products. You’re engaged, sending those nonverbal cues that you’re a bona fide, potential customer, not just a random passerby biding your time as you wait for your family member or friend in the store nearby.

 …