Craig Hamerlinck, human relations liaison in the Office of Vice President for Research, highlighted ways on how to improve customer service within the Iowa State community Tuesday during the fifth seminar of the 2016-17 Professional and Scientific Council Seminar Series.

With 20 years of customer service background in retail as the store manager at Kohl’s and Target stores, Hamerlinck had much to take away from his past jobs and new lessons to teach co-workers.

Hamerlinck introduced himself with insight applicable to everyone in the audience.

“I’m gonna throw some things out there; hopefully something will stick and you can apply it to the type of work you do, because believe it or not, we all have customers,” he said.

The former retail manager had the audience think of a time when each person experienced great customer service and then hold on to how the customer service made them feel.

Later in the seminar, Hamerlinck told the audience to think of a time they had given great customer service and to recall the feeling.

“It’s a similar feeling of enjoyment […] a little goes a long way,” Hamerlinck.

The speaker also touched on the relationships between co-workers. Hamerlinck spoke about how co-workers are treated and how customers should be treated the same way.

“Co-workers are there to pick each other up,” Hamerlinck said.

In addition to treatment of fellow employees and customers, Hamerlinck spoke about how our attitudes influence other’s attitudes.

“It’s harder to smile after a day of frowning […] it’s easier to frown after a day of smiling,” Hamerlinck said.

With that being said, Hamerlinck advised that because of the circumstances each person may face due to customers, employees must maintain a positive attitude to not negatively influence others.

The former Target store manager shared his worst customer story: A woman was devastated she could not return her 10-year-old vacuum cleaner without a receipt, packaging or anything else.

Hamerlinck offered to call the manufacturer to seek any sort of warranty, but the woman refused. After the woman left, her husband returned to Hamerlinck and his trusted co-worker and threw the vacuum cleaner across the desk, crashing and shattering against the wall behind them.

As a result, Hamerlinck’s co-worker was distressed, even for being Hamerlinck’s “best customer service employee.” Referring to his previous statement, Hamerlinck said that this is when co-workers pick each other up and “remind them it is all going to be OK.”

The words advised at the seminar can be applied to the Iowa State community, no matter who is being addressed, Hamerlinck said.

These customer service skills, Hamerlinck said, can enhance our relationships with one another, no matter the status. Hamerlinck told the audience about seeing a family walking through Central Campus, lost, with a prospective student. Someone stopped to help them, and that person was President Steven Leath.

Hamerlinck’s purpose for sharing his advice was to “proactively improve […] starting with attitudes, pride and ownership.”

“If we just have our eyes [open] … we can do it,” he said.