Service Above Self

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"Service Above Self" is the motto of Rotary International, an organization in which I've been involved over the years. I love the motto because it is at the core of any act of service. Customer service, community service, military service and (you name it) service are all about being focused on the needs of others. Giving priority to what others need, want or expect is at the heart of service.

This is forgotten when we:

• Ignore the customer completely. I recently stood at a counter for several minutes while the clerk finished whatever task she was doing at her terminal. There was no eye contact. There was no acknowledgment I was there. There was no "I'm sorry for the delay. It will be just one moment while I finish this transaction." It was as if I didn't exist.
• Put our convenience ahead of the customer. I hear this when Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) refuse to help customers if the customer hasn't anticipated the necessary information that will help the CSR be more efficient and get their talk time down. "If the customer doesn't think ahead to have all the information I need, they shouldn't expect my help," I've been told on multiple occasions by different "service" reps. I experienced this recently when there was no one at the counter to help me. Finally going on a hunt for help, I discovered the clerk standing by the back room texting someone on her cell phone.
• Focus on industry standards without regard to customer expectation. Standards can be great guidelines, but if you hit the industry bulls-eye while completely missing the customer's target, you've wasted a lot of time and resources. You'd hope that industry standards would have customer expectations in mind, but they can be so process and metric driven that they leave customer expectation and satisfaction out of the equation.

Is your staff putting "service above self" or "self above service?"

Comments

[Connie Ragen Green]

Tom,
I have enjoyed your writing for awhile, and now I find out you're a fellow Rotarian. I've been involved in Rotary since 2006, and use the 4-Way Test in everything I do. Service above self is a great motto to live by, and when we can share that through our businesses it helps to bring the peace and understanding to the world that Rotary is all about. If you're ever in District 5260, let me know and we'll connect.
Connie Ragen Green