WHO IS YOUR CUSTOMER?

Summary

The speaker discusses the importance of customer service, emphasizing that serving customers is a calling, not just a job. They highlight that everyone, regardless of their role, deals with customers daily and often forgets they are customers themselves. The talk explores how businesses sometimes prioritize processes over customer experience, which can lead to a disconnect between service and the customer. The speaker encourages a mindset shift towards viewing customers as people and stresses the replaceability of individuals and organizations if they fail to prioritize customer experience over rigid processes.

Takeaways

• 📈 All of us deal with customers every day, regardless of our role or job title.
• 🤝 Customer service is not just a job but a calling to serve others.
• 💡 Many technical professionals often forget that they have internal customers within the organization.
• 👥 All customers are people, not just numbers or figures on a PowerPoint slide.
• 🌍 No matter where you go in the world, people have common desires like hope, laughter, and improving life for their children.
• 🔄 Everyone is replaceable, and no organization or role is indispensable.
• 🔧 The role of processes is to standardize and make customer service more efficient, not to replace the experience.
• ❓ A key question businesses should ask: What is more important – process or customer experience?
• 📊 Rules and processes in industries like banking, insurance, and retail are necessary but often focus more on preventing downside risks rather than optimizing opportunities.
• 🚪 Optimizing opportunities requires a different mindset and set of rules beyond just following process safeguards.

Q & A

What is the main entity the speaker refers to in the beginning of the transcript?

The main entity the speaker refers to is the 'customer,' which is something everyone deals with in their professional lives.

Why does the speaker emphasize that all of us are also customers?

The speaker emphasizes this to remind the audience that although we serve customers in our jobs, we often forget that we ourselves are customers too, and that understanding this helps improve customer service.

What does the speaker mean by saying 'service is a calling, not a job'?

The speaker means that providing customer service should come from a deeper commitment to serving others, rather than just fulfilling job duties. It's a higher purpose that goes beyond technical aspects of a role.

Why does the speaker differentiate between 'lag indicators' and 'lead indicators' in customer service?

The speaker differentiates between them to explain that 'lag indicators,' such as surveys or reviews, reflect past performance, while 'lead indicators' focus on proactive elements that build a customer-centric culture.

What is the significance of the point 'all customers are people' in the transcript?

The speaker stresses that customers are not just numbers in a database but real people with emotions, hopes, and expectations. This is important because businesses often depersonalize customers and forget their human nature.

What is the speaker's view on the replaceability of employees?

The speaker asserts that everyone is replaceable, regardless of their position or the size of the company they work for. No organization has a 'divine right' to exist, and individuals need to stay humble and adaptable.

How does the speaker describe the role of 'managers' in scaling businesses?

The speaker explains that managers are typically brought in to manage processes efficiently, but they often focus more on the processes than on customer service, which can be detrimental to customer experience.

What is the speaker's perspective on the relationship between processes and customer service?

The speaker believes that while processes are important for standardizing customer service, they should not replace the focus on the customer experience. Processes should serve customers, not hinder them.

Why does the speaker mention industries like banking, insurance, and retail?

The speaker uses these industries to illustrate how each has specific rules and processes, often designed to mitigate risks, but emphasizes that these rules are not optimized for enhancing customer service or seizing opportunities.

What does the speaker suggest is needed to 'optimize upside opportunity'?

The speaker suggests that optimizing upside opportunity requires a different set of rules and thinking, implying that a focus on customer experience and flexibility is essential, rather than relying solely on rigid processes.