It can be very easy as a business to wax lyrical about customer service and the importance of customers within the psyche of the organisation. At the same time, as customers we all have endless anecdotes and stories about very poor service alongside the occasional great service.
Despite the fact that often we see service as servitude and as a result (secretly) define it as a lesser valued, lesser paid role, when we are on the wrong end of poor service, we can have a lot to say about it. We expect better and often demand it without really understanding the true nature of service.
At its heart service is a very lofty ideal and a soul inspired act.
True service is a value led principle. It is a deep commitment to serve the needs of another by seeing these needs through the heart, from a place of joy and kindness rather than duty and obligation. To serve is an honour, a sentiment that is often expressed in the armed forces where there is a sense of connecting with a higher ideal – in their case of protecting the country.
What if we all related service to a higher ideal – whether we are serving a cup of coffee, dealing with an insurance quote or leading an organisation. Imagine placing the customer at the centre of our field of vision and consideration, not from the point of view of profit, but because we genuinely and completely see the opportunity to provide service. A service that is for the benefit of the customer – not as a homogenous single group but as individuals.
Of course all sorts of practical, organisational and financial barriers suddenly pop up and yes, these need to be considered. But if we make true service our starting point and continue to hold it within our being, the choices and actions will elevate in quality and impact.
And what if we then add up each of those truly service inspired acts, how might that change our world for the better?