Have you ever heard someone in a committed relationship say that he or she no longer loves the other person?
When questioned, he might say, “I’ve tried. Really I have. But the love just isn’t there.”
It’s no wonder the love isn’t there—because love (the noun) is a result of love (the verb).
In the absence of demonstrating love for another person, there’s only a relationship—an association, an existence together. Heck, I have that type of relationship with my mailman.
In a committed relationship, it’s insufficient to view love as a noun—a mercurial feeling that vacillates between satisfied and unsatisfied. Love must be demonstrated. Love requires action. Love is a verb.
It’s the same with customer service.
Too many service providers view service as a noun—a role, function or department.
As a result, customer service is objectified and lifeless.
Last Thursday I had lunch with a colleague, Brian, who oversees the training of 4,500 call center employees for a Fortune 100 company.
He mentioned that call center employees are required to express empathy during phone calls pertaining to warranty or other repairs.
Brian said that if an employee simply repeats the customer’s problem back to him, then that would satisfy the requirement to express empathy during a call audit.
In other words, if a customer calls in and says, “My washing machine stopped working” then all the employee would have to say is, “I’m sorry to hear that your washing machine stopped working” in order to receive full credit for expressing empathy.
Brian was not satisfied with this protocol and is working to change it. (Easier said than done in a Fortune 100 company…)
He proposed that genuine empathy might look more like a call center employee detecting a crying baby in the background and saying, “I hear a crying baby in the background. Would you like me to look into the availability of a service appointment for tomorrow and call you back in a few minutes?”
Service must be demonstrated. Service requires action. Service is a verb.
Going through the motions, whether in a committed relationship or with a customer, will result in a routine, predictable, and lifeless association. This opens the door for a competitor…
Do not view service as a noun. Do not see “serving customers” as performing a role or function—whether or not it involves a script, checklist or a requirement to “express empathy.”
Service, like love, is a verb. As such, it requires action and effort. It must be demonstrated.
When done well—consistently, with genuine care and concern—you will make a lasting positive impression and ensure that your “customer” will only have eyes for you. ; )
