This week is customer service week!  In honor of the big week I introduced a 3-part mini-series of blog posts:

• The first focused on the external customer and asked the question, “Can great customer service be taught…  To anyone?”
• The second focused on the internal customer and emphasized how organizational growth is limited or unleashed when employees interact with each other.

Today’s post is about two thoughts that spark my creative fire.  Two separate thoughts from different sources that consistently make my cells jump up and down, Thoughts that make me dream of building uncommon solutions with others that are bigger and better than I could ever imagine on my own…

Instead of telling you what I imagine – please tell me what these quotes stir up in you.

The first one comes from the book “First Break All The Rules” by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman when the authors highlight the following,

Gallop interviewed over a billion customers from across industries trying to identify what customers really want.   …Although customer needs vary by industry four expectations remain remarkably consistent across various types of businesses and types of people.  In hierarchical order:  1.  Accuracy  2.  Availability 3.  Partnership 4.  Advice

Pause for a minute and reread that.

Do you agree?  Are those the things you’d love to receive as a customer?

• Accuracy?  Check.
• Availability?  Check.
• Partnership?  Wait…  What?
• Advice?  Really?

Have you ever been on the receiving end of customer service that looked like that?  

• Have you ever provided customer service that includes all four levels of service? 
• Will you share your experience?   

The second quote is from Intel.

Again my cells dance!

Imagine asking your employees and your suppliers to think like this. 

• Would it transform how you do business? 
• Would it help you provide uncommon levels of service to your customers? 
• Would it help your company create the future and get there first?    

Image credits: Microsoft