The VaporPoint

It really IS all about service…

Posted by Matt - 10/01/10 at 04:01:12 pm

I had a bit of an epiphany last month. It came in two parts.

First, a family member recounted to me a customer service horror story of trying to get a new “item” to my kids for Christmas. All she wanted to do was pay for the item, and have me pick it up at my local store. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? She apparently spent hours on the phone with customer service. She received different stories from different people, and was ultimately directed toward her local store. “Hey, that’s easy” was the response, and it was handled rather quickly from there. I picked up the item, and on the way home, it hit me that I was almost insensitive to the ridiculousness of the story. Instead of thinking “wow, I can’t believe they let you down like that”, I simply thought “another typical service experience from Best Buy, or any other big box retailer” Is this happening to everybody? Are we beginning to lower our standards due to the seemingly overwhelming lack of good service? Are we now “wowed” when we simply get the kind of service we used to get from Joe’s shoes in downtown America?

Not long after, I was reviewing a discussion I had with a prospective client. I realized that my energy level was highest when we were discussing how we would deliver fabulous service. I have always been service-oriented (thanks, Mom), so it really isn’t that much of a surprise. However, I think I’m realizing that it really plays more importance in my life than I initially thought. So, what to do with that? Relating this to my StrengthsFinder 2.0 results, it fits! (Ideation, Self-Assurance, Relator, Restorative, Individualization)

I’ll expand on this in a later post…need to spend some more thinking time on this one!

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