Your definition of customer service should mean meeting your customer’s expectations. Customers expect a lot more than they did thirty years ago. They know that if you cannot give them what they want at a price they are willing to pay, it’s quite likely that a competitor will. That does not mean you have to give them things for free; it means that your service has to be exceptional in order to make the customer feel welcome and be loyal to your organization or brand. It’s essential, then, to understand who your customers are and what they need, as well as what they want.

Service is not always natural, automatic, or coincidental.

While you may be a loving and caring individual at home, experiences with the public can lead us to be less than caring about others. A few negative experiences can push people right out of any role that involves direct customer contact. Some of us have to work harder than others to demonstrate good customer service skills.

Being compassionate or thoughtful is not natural to everyone. You know this if you have to really think about whether you will give your seat up on a full bus so that a senior citizen or parent with young children can sit down. You’ll see this when you have trouble turning into a line of traffic because no one wants to let you in.

Service isn’t coincidental, either. It doesn’t happen coincidentally when you buy a new car or a new coat or pay your power bill. We have to be aware of the need for service, and then have a way or a process to make it happen.