Living Customer Service

It has recently become quite fashionable to equate a company's image with the paradigm in customer service. Whether it be flooring or flowers, cars or camouflage, we are inundated with claims from most companies that they are the ultimate sources of the best examples of customer service.

As a professional in my writing and sales/marketing backgrounds, I have had the occasion to spend considerable time, in action and in thought, on the definition and manifestation of customer service. Inevitably, my definitions are based in the generation of which I am a part. It becomes quite easy to equate customer service and respect; one can simply not exist without the other.

Just as it seems logical and appropriate to offer a seat to someone on a bus who is less capable of handling a long journey while standing, it seems reasonable to represent customer service as everything (and anything) that improves the nature of the customer experience. Perhaps in both cases, the right action to take is that of going beyond the reasonable and customary.

In my most recent role of delivering customer service, it was my habit to disclose to clients that my goal was delivering the best and most memorable customer service encounter that they had ever experienced, to please advise if this were not the case. Most responses verified that I had succeeded at that goal and had generally exceeded expectations. If not, the data received was frequently useful for the next encounter.

In spite of the tendency to define customer service as a proprietary or individual interpretation, such an attempt seems self-defeating. Much of today's customer service behavior consists merely of saying "Please" and "Thank you," with a dose of "How may I help you," or (perish the thought) "Have a nice day." Sadly, the service that has become routine and predictable is often limited to those expressions. Worse yet, those who deliver that flavor of minimal effort customer service are often certain that they are proficient at it.

To my knowledge, we have no customer service institutions of higher learning and no deity to whom we can appeal for wisdom and profound guidance. Is it possible that the number of companies who truly dedicate themselves and their employees to the truest form of customer service are dwindling to the point of extinction? This is a most depressing thought.

For every problem presented, however, there should be a solution. For those who are customer service professionals, the standards must be continuously elevated through keeping promises, listening to customer needs or problems and taking any and all actions to benefit the client. Getting by, doing enough or placating the public simply won't do. If we are to preserve the most critical component of the client/provider interface, significant effort is mandatory.

When this is done from the heart, for the sake of doing what's right and for the good of the public impacted, the rewards are immensely satisfying. And if you need a refresher on how classic, iconic client service feels, visit a Disney property or Nordstrom.