You might think that this blog is about – me.  Or that it’s about you. But in actuality, it’s about them. So let’s begin with simple, plain old customer service. That’s right, hospitality at it’s finest. The fine art of respect and treating people with class has gone straight out the window.  This is becoming true even in the service industry and larger companies such as banks, hotels and restaurants where they have excelled and prided themselves for such standards for years. The quality of service has suffered dramattically and it’s very noticeable.

Some of this may be attributed to the heavy and excessive demand to reach sales goals whereas the quality of service has suffered. Some of it can be attributed to the corporate standards  have leaned toward more of a sales culture. And some of it can be blamed on simply a lack of caring from the employee viewpoint. And management or leadership (or lack of) is not always actively involved at the level that they need to be.

What upper management, corporate and leadership fail to realize is that although sales drive revenue and revenue drives jobs, client satisfaction drive the bus that drives the company. Without satisfied customers, there are less sales or no sales. There are fewer cross sale opportunities, referrals and most importantly much less of a chance of retaining the client meaning lost dollars costing your company even more money to acquire a new client.

So the “me” is we. “US”  – the client- where has client service disappeared to? It hasn’t completely vanished. I know it still exists in some places. but the majority of areas have seemed to replace it with incentives and bonuses for hitting “numbers” etc. The ones that still cherish client service excellence and have managed to incorporate that with their mission statement remain among the best in the nation.

If we can manage to merge client service into our daily life to treat “our clients” with respect each and every day. The return on our investment would pay off and increase the value of each of our relationships. Both personal and business. Treating each other like clients and respecting each others values and wishes may may enhance our outlook on how to better proceed going forward when handling our affairs.  We don’t always necessarily always have to agree on topics but we should be open to understanding each others opinions. We are after all. each others clients. What about me? Lorenzo