Your employees, your peers and even your clients will reflect the attitude that you present.
I often talk to people about customer service. I dunno why - I guess it's my passion. A few years back when I was giving speeches frequently, I would ask my audiences when was the last time they had received good customer service. What amazed me was the lack of response.
Many people sincerely could not remember, and they remained silent. Others spoke of a pleasant experience months before like a grandfather reminiscing about the "good ol' days."
Good, efficient service should be a must for businesses to be competitive, yet I don't see it much today. From my very unscientific analysis, I guess even mediocre service is acceptable. As a culture, are we accepting cheap prices at the expense of service?
Certainly there are more big-box stores than before, so I have to deduce that cheap is chic for most of us, even though we hate it.
There's just got to be a median between price and service. I personally think good customer service is only the beginning. Businesses need a "wow" factor. I don't care what size the organization is; it has to strive to engage and impress like no other business in its market space.
When I was growing up, having more than 30 flavors of ice cream was cool enough for a little kid. Now. certain companies greet theircustomers with a chant and strive to make the cone experience some-thing to remember.
