Most writers in the field of customer service maintain that the commitment of an organization's top management is critical to the success of any customer service initiative. I agree, but I don't.
If the customer service revolution depended on our leaders, we'd all be in serious trouble. Most of them confuse customer service with lip service. They say the right things, but generally do not understand what they're saying. Outstanding customer service will not happen just because our leaders say they're customer-focused, or customer-centric, or whatever the current buzzword is. Almost as soon as top managers realize what it really takes, they lose interest. There's nothing sexy, or flashy, or fast about customer service. It's the tortoise, not the bunny.
And so it's far too slow for most managers, who are under constant pressure to produce immediate results. Customer service will never bring them that. Far easier to slash prices, advertise, buy a new crm system, cut payroll.
I am convinced that the revolution must be led by the masses. The elite are welcome to follow.
See also: Revolution management, The revolution begins with you, The solution
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