Behavior of the week: Serve Customers

There are many cliches about customer service but everyone has surely heard: the customer is always right? Well anyone who has actually serviced a real live human customer has learned that they are certainly capable of being wrong. Fortunately, even though the customer may not always be right, there is a right way to serve the customer.

It is often true that the great leaders on the world stage begin by defining the problem a certain way, then they change the thinking of those they lead. By contrast, the most important task of leaders in business is to serve customers.

A leader must first and foremost maintain a customer focus for themselves and their team and organization, leading by example. Effective leaders work with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that a work unit produces) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, and satisfy their expectations. 

As part of their organizational knowledge, they know about available products and services, and are committed to delivering the highest quality results possible, given the situation.

So, if you’re brave enough to take the challenge and start working on this behavior, ask yourself, did you lead every encounter with a customer so that the result was quality service? Yes or No? If yes, why were you successful? If no, why not?