Soul Based Service Excellence or Customer Service

In my early years when entering the corporate world I was introduced to the idea of customer service. Well, I was shocked and surprised with what I was taught by them. It seemed very different to what my father had instilled in me from a young age.

I recall my father being an individual who truly cared for each person who entered his premises. They may not buy from him or they complained yet he showed and gave them due respect. Yes, he had his bad days when he would get the irate customer or the customer who was extremely rude. In all cases he did his best, showed them respect and served them the best he knew.

So, the corporate world gave me a new definition of customer service. To make my life easier they broke the whole thing down. Bless them, they were doing their best and I was a eager beaver who wanted to learn.

This is what I got from the corporate world:

• What is a Customer? - An individual who buys a product or service. An individual with whom someone has dealings
• What is Service? - An act of assistance
• What is Customer Service? - An act of assistance for an individual who buys or with whom someone has dealings

While what I learnt from my father was:

• Customer Service is all about the way you take care of the people who support your business. 

Now those people included paying customers, staff and vendors/suppliers. This indeed is a great contrast to the definition from the corporate world.

I was always advised by him giving poor service or average (mediocre) service is never an option. The only option, the only choice is "Service Excellence" thus ensuring the customer is happy with the service provided. This leading to repeat business.

Service Excellence is never about a transaction, it is about feelings, energy and enthusiasm. That is why on the behalf of my father I have named it "Soul Based Service Excellence". It is simply the ability to link up with the customer in a manner that creates a sense of trust and understanding. This can only be achieved from the heart and soul.

You decide would you like to just give customer service or "Soul Based Service Excellence"

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