For a lot of people, customer service means making a call or going to a counter to make a return, get a refund, or make a complaint. But that’s only a small slice of a much larger world.

Customer service is what every company does (or doesn’t do) knowingly or unknowingly. It begins the moment a customer pulls in the parking lot, sets foot in the store, or goes on the website. Everything the customer encounters either helps them or it doesn’t. And every person in the company contributes to this whether they know it or not. Yes, even those who never, ever see or touch customers.

Accounts payable serves the cause by paying suppliers so goods are available. Accounts receivable serves by making bills easy to read and getting them out in a timely way. Marketing serves by building and maintaining relationships. Sales serves by solving customer problems. Managers serve by coaching employees and supporting them with tools and training. Everyone can find a connection to customers. Everyone is customer service.

Again though, so many companies don’t get it. They still make service some segment of the work rather than making service the work itself.

Customer service. It’s not a call center or a counter, it’s everyone’s job, and when everyone knows it and understands their connection, the organization serves as it’s meant to.

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