I figured it was about time to start talking about Customer Service. I think about service all the time. I revel in great service and my cheeks get hot and my heart starts pounding when I experience bad or half-hearted service. Those service experiences leave me feeling angry, frustrated and wondering, what did I do? Why do people care so little about other people? Isn’t it nice that human beings have become nothing but inconveniences to one another? It only takes one though, one person who can make me smile during the day, that keeps me going. That experience lets me know that all is not yet lost and that people will eventually understand the importance of other people.
Right now, someone 413 miles away from me is making a difference to what my day will be like tomorrow. Because whether or not they touch me directly, they will touch someone, who talks to someone, who snaps at someone, who will encounter me tomorrow.
While in Australia, I sent a poll to our Institute’s then over 2000 members, asking them if a poor, or good, service experience affected their day. Did they bring their affected attitude to work? To home? To their loved ones? In other words, did they Pay It Forward? It was overwhelming, but not surprising, how many people admitted that experiencing poor service would affect them, and often, their behavior for the next few hours. What is this type of reaction having on the world and our health?
I am not saying that good service can fix the world’s problems, but I believe it is a step in the right direction. No one is perfect, but it is good to know that there are organizations and individuals who work hard consistently to provide a good service experience. Some of these organizations and individuals were winners in ICCSO’s International Service Excellence Awards – organizations included Bath and Body Works, ADP COS, Bluefly.com, Baxter HomeCare Services, Freeman, Nokia Care and JetBlue. Individuals recognized were: Sheila Harrell – FedEx, Rob Maruster – JetBlue, Jane Judd – Zappos.com, Robert Stephens – GeekSquad.
Thank you to each of you trying to make a difference and for treating each individual as an individual and not a transaction!
