Service is so much more than customer service. It is helping people accomplish things, and we do it everywhere every day. In fact, it is our human superpower; it’s how we have survived. We’re not the biggest, fastest, or strongest, so helping each other is what has kept us in the game. We need it … Continue reading Business is service. Service is human. Humans are the point.

It’s an organization that prioritizes helping people, inspires leaders to be of service to their teams, and encourages team members to cooperate and collaborate in consistently delivering solutions that create successful results for customers. It’s a chain reaction. It is a place where “how we do things around here” is basically helping anyone and everyone—including … Continue reading What does a service excellence culture look like?

In the world of customer service and customer experience, there is a problem that regularly rears its head: every company wants to make their customers happy, but what they do tells a different story. Why? Why do companies want this but fail? Usually, it’s because action for customer happiness doesn’t move much beyond talk and … Continue reading Making customers happy requires doing something.

The self-made man (or woman). There’s no such thing. I was reading an article about a billionaire fashion mogul who was described as self-made, and it got me thinking. Why are we enamored by that thought? Why do we elevate those who supposedly made it up the mountain alone (even though they didn’t)? I know … Continue reading The Myth of Self-Made

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" -Jesus of Nazareth  One of the problems with modern economics centers on what defines success. And that definition largely revolves around what gets measured, namely, productivity and profit. More production and profit equates to more success. But … Continue reading The Economy We Need

As we are treading increasingly into the AI jungle, here’s something to consider: In the agricultural age, we needed manual skills. In the industrial age, we needed knowledge for operating machines. In the digital age, we’ve needed analytical skills.  In the AI age, it is becoming more and more apparent that we are going to … Continue reading Oddly, thriving in the AI age requires a human skill

Business is broken. It may work for a few, but certainly not for many. It’s due to many factors, perhaps none more important than the story that defines it, so let’s consider an update.  The old story goes something like this. What do we do? Make money. Who do we do it for? Shareholders. What … Continue reading The Business Story… Updated

When a business reacts to customers, it is late to the party. It is behind and trying to catch up. It is stuck in the fast brain—the fear center. It’s what happens when everything is a race to win.  But responding is different. When a business responds, it is more measured. It is more mindful. … Continue reading Reacting is not responding.

How do you see customers, as a revenue stream or as critical partners in your success? How do customers see you, as a vendor or a critical partner in their success? How about your suppliers or investors? Every business is part of an ecosystem of mutually beneficial, service-based relationships with customers, employees, investors, suppliers, and … Continue reading Win-Win Business: Stakeholders as Partners

Service is helping people; that’s it—nothing fancy or academic, just helping people accomplish things. For me, it’s exciting when I trip over a company that gets it when it comes to service. They are ones that are clear that they are in the business of helping people. They are clear that they are about making … Continue reading This Is Service