Legendary Service
Have you been thinking of a new goal for your customer service in your company? My suggestion is to aim for "Legendary Service". Legendary service goes way beyond the normal. Customers always talk about service. It sets a standard for the associates of the company, including its leadership, to live up to. It also establishes a benchmark for the industry and eventually for business in general (think Disneyland and J. W. Marriot Hotels). This level of service becomes a competitive difference that is hard for others to emulate, much less to surpass.

There is a paradox however, inherent in the challenge to lead your organization to "Legendary Service". The company sets the goal to provide quality service to all of its customers. Self-proclaimed service excellence is at best disregarded by the public and at worst distrusted. It is the customer, however, who raises the level of your service reputation to a legendary status.

"Service only becomes significant when it is so meaningful to your customers that they articulate and proclaim it." - Betty Sanders

With the changes in customer profiles, weak market sentiment and new areas of business, you have to ensure that your service standards reach new heights in order to differentiate yourself from the normal. This new standard is "Legendary Service".

Some thoughts on Legendary Service:
• Legendary Service is the only level of service that makes a significant difference to your customers.
• Legendary Service means customers know why they choose and promote your business passionately.
• Legendary Service requires commitment.
• Legendary Service is an intrinsic value of your business.
• Legendary Service is based on focused leadership.

Total Customer Service
Consider this statement:

"Your lowest-paid, shortest-tenured, entry level employee generally has more interaction with the customer than [management]" -Fabled Service: Ordinary Acts, Extra-ordinary outcomes, Betty Sanders.

Think of "The Happiest Place on Earth" (Disneyland), for example. Michael Eisner and Frank wells did an amazing job in leading Disney into the 1990's, yet how many visitors to the Disney parks have the slightest awareness of who these executives are? The customers' impression of the company is more likely to come from the street sweeper who cheerfully gives them directions.

"Even though it is generally a short-term position, street sweepers receive several days of training because [Disney] management knows how many questions they will be asked" - The Happiest Place on Earth: Michael Eisner

How well are your maintenance or security people trained in foreign languages? Are they capable of answering directions to the closest exit or toilet in Japanese or Korean? In order for your company to provide total commitment to your customer service, you have to ensure that those who have the most interaction with your customers are well trained.