The Lion King | 23
Customer Service
Usein Bolt has simply re-
mained undefeated as the
fastest man on the planet
because apart from his sheer
skill and other attributes, he
just loves to sprint. Passion
to perform! Great achievers
love what they do. They
show passion for it. They
match high skill with high
motivation and passion in
execution of their functions.
The art of customer ser-
vice goes beyond simple
customer service skills like
patience, attentiveness,
communication skills, prod-
uct knowledge, emotional
intelligence, and tenacity. It
includes the seamless mode
of delivery backed by un-
bridled passion that comes
naturally to the deliverer. It is
often said that great service beats fast
service anytime. Fast service is an act;
great service is an art!
Individuals who see customer service as
an art are usually unpredictable, giving
their customers a new experience
with every encounter, quite unlike the
mechanical programming of a robot.
They remember clients’ names and do
not simply refer to everybody as “sir” or
“ma”.
When a client walks in through the
front door, you here them go; “Good
morning, Mr. Daniels! How is your son,
Jack? How was the exam he wrote last
week? Hope it went very well? ...Oh
you wish to buy PTA (Personal Travel
Allowance)? Why don’t you allow us
bid on your behalf at the RDAS (Retail
Dutch Auction System) window instead
of buying at the inter-bank market. The
rate at the RDAS is much lower and
you can actually save money on your
foreign exchange transactions…”
A total quality product seamlessly deliv-
ered with passion, is what the customer
service personnel has just done. Apart
from simple customer service qualities
like politeness and professionalism
(remembering client’s names, names
of their family members whom you
may have been in contact with and
showing concern about their personal
lives), the individual has gone ahead to
add some of our core values: humility,
empathy, integrity and resilience in
attending to Mr. Daniels.
S/he has also gone the extra mile to
help the customer achieve the same
objective at a lower cost thus sav-
ing him/her some of his hard earned
money through the skilful application
of product knowledge. That is the art of
customer service!
What does your signature say about U?
By Anthony Osae-brown
N
du-kuku looked at the painting he just finished work-
ing on. It turned out exactly how he wanted it. The
colours were right and image sharp and realistic. But
the artwork had one thing missing on it; his signature. He
smiled with a sense of pride as he signed on the artwork.
Now the artwork had an identity.
Signing his artwork was always the last thing he did. He
only put his signature on an artwork when he was com-
pletely satisfied. There were many times, he had simply
discarded artworks just because he was not satisfied with
what he had done. Sometimes, friends requested for such
unsigned works and he reluctantly gave it to them, but
such works never had the same value as his signed works.
For him, a signature is an individual’s identity. It is an in-
dividual saying “This is me.” Once seen, even without a
picture or name, it can be traced back to that individu-
al. “One’s own name written with one’s own hand” is the
English interpretation of the Latin word for “signature”. It
is a mark of authenticity and gives legitimacy to a doc-
ument. For a work to have his signature, it must be of the
highest quality.
Signatures are not just what you write; they are also what
you do. Every interaction with another person reflects
your signature. A sum of interactions depicts your char-
acter and sums up people’s perception of who you are.
For example, in the world of motivational and manage-
ment or professional speakers, “signature stories” are de-
fined as original and compelling stories unique to that
particular speaker. It is on the “signature stories” that a
professional speaker builds his or her reputation. A signa-
ture story is the speaker’s mark of authenticity and quality.
Your signature could also be how you care for people or
customers that come to your desk. Do you welcome them
with a smile? Are you proactive in handling
their requests and innovative in resolving
their complaints? What impression do
they leave your desk with? Do they
think you are the very best at what
you do or just another mediocre on
the job and should not even be there?
Would they recommend you to
another customer and most
importantly if they were to
pay for your services direct-
ly, would they be willing to
pay for it? The impression
each person that inter-
acts with you leaves with,
is your signature.
So, what does your sig-
nature say about U? Is
your “impression” signa-
ture a stamp of quality or
mediocrity?
