22 | The Lion King
Customer Service
The art of customer
service
By Olawale Hamed
I
n today’s service industry, customer
service is identified as a key differentiat-
ing factor that drives excellent perfor-
mance. However, in order to realise the
value of customer service, it is important
for members of an organisation to col-
lectively appreciate its significance.
Is customer service an act or an art?
Some organisations see customer ser-
vice as simply the act of serving custom-
ers. Others see customer service as the
art of serving customers.
It is instructive to note that neither of the
two definitions is wrong in describing the
concept of customer service. However,
the definition determines the impact you
ultimately add to your organisation as a
potential customer service agent.
Individuals who see service to clients
as an act tend to become robotic in
their day to day dealings with clients.
They are simply polite, obedient, and
have that “plastic” smile pasted on
their faces the moment a client
walks in through the front door. They
automatically let loose the words:
“Good morning, sir. How may I
help you today…Thank you for
choosing XYZ Company”…and
they move on to the next client
after serving the client. After all, it
is business as usual. These individ-
uals see the office environment
as the stage and themselves as
merely actors on stage.
An organisation with this kind of
staff as majority of its workforce, will
simply remain at best, a “good” or
“average” organisation. Clients be-
ing served are happy and may not
have reason to complain. However,
the danger here is that such clients’
loyalty could be easily called to ques-
tion and they may leave or change
brands with the slightest prodding from
a rival.
On the other hand, individuals who see
service being rendered to their clients
as an art tend to exhibit passion. Artists
show passion in what they
do. They enjoy every
moment of the expe-
rience. For example,
Lionel Messi has been
voted the best
footballer on the
European continent
four times! What is
the difference? He
has consistently
displayed high
skill and foot-
ball artistry
driven by
intense
passion
for the
game of
football.
