Below is an Autogenerated Transcript

Let’s really start with the definition of service. Sure. How do you define a service? So when I started working in the world of service, I realized that there actually was not a good definition that everybody could agree on. I would hear things like, “The customer is always right.” Which isn’t true. Or, you know, “The customer is king.” But then what does that make the service provider? Or there’s that horrible phrase that says, “Serve other people the way you would like to be served.” Which arrogantly assumes that other people should be like you. They’re not. They’re like them. So I ended up writing the definition that “Service is taking action to create value for someone else.” So, it could be action in making a sale, answering a question, providing a recommendation, doing an upgrade, whatever it might be. It could be over the phone, it could be online, it could be in person, it could be internally within a company. It could be from the boardroom, it could be at the front line, it could be B2B, it could be B2C. But service is taking action to create value. Now, when I first wrote the definition, I said to create value for someone else. Now, if it was action to create value for yourself, that would be the exception that proves the rule and that would be called self-service. But then COVID came along and I realized, you know, the kind of service that really matters, at least to me, it’s not just for someone else. It would be for someone you care about. And that opened up a big question, which is not just “What is service?” but what is actually care? Now, we can get to that in a moment. But let me show you and your listeners how this world of customer service itself has been evolving and why the issue of care is important for us to be looking at now and in the future. When I was young, the service center was basically the repair center. They had the spare parts. It’s where you went with something broke. Take it to the service center. Then the field evolved and customer service became equated with customer satisfaction. And during that era, the belief was that a satisfied customer would be a loyal customer. Well, today we know that’s definitely not true, because there’s too many ways that somebody could be satisfied and you could switch even if you are satisfied. So customer satisfaction became customer delight. Surprise the customer, personal touch, moments of magic. Then that became customer experience, where we said, “Wait a minute, it’s not just a moment of delight, it’s the whole experience.” That evolved further, where the objective was customer loyalty, and that was the Net Promoter Score era and make sure they come back and they buy more. And then it became customer advocacy where you wanted somebody to be an ambassador and promote you on social media. And now we’re evolving to what I would call authentic customer care. So, what is care? It’s a concern and a commitment to someone’s well-being. How do you take good care? Well, you take action that will provide value that contributes to their well-being. So, now you can see the connection between service and care. And we’re now emerging into the era where authentic care for the well being of your colleagues, of your customers, of your communities, and of the future. That is going to be the differentiation for future success.