A customer impatiently enters your office or positions herself strategically in front of you with her arms folded. And it usually happens when you’re with another customer. Don’t customers understand that you’re only able to help one person at a time? The answer to that question is, unfortunately, 'NO!'.

That’s because people are conditioned more and more to expect immediate assistance. And that idea that 'instant gratification is my right' won’t be going away any time soon. In contrast, most customers don’t mind waiting a few extra minutes if they know someone will soon be helping them. There is a simple way to handle this situation. When a waiting customer catches your eye, immediately say "Hello!" Do it with a welcoming tone and a smile. And be sure to use the the customer's name if you happen to know it.

Add to your greeting a phrase, such as, "I’ll be with you as soon as I finish up with Mr. Jones. Feel free to help yourself to some coffee. It shouldn’t be too long." Once a customer has been acknowledged, his or her level of urgency drops and so does the level of stress. And there is one final benefit--statistics show that when customers are asked on their satisfaction surveys how quickly they were helped by the service advisor, they’re more likely to give you a better score if they’ve been acknowledged early in the process. So create a win-win situation by acknowledging your customers.

You’ll earn higher scores while reducing tension. Including yours!