(By the way, one of the advantages of writing a blog is that I can keep a file called "Blog ideas" which will likely lead to more serendipity in the future!)
I found a comment in the Reader Feedback section of the April 2003 issue of Fast Company. It was written by a student named Rich Reed who wrote,
"When I've been an assistant for someone, my goal has been to learn how that person thinks and then try to flow with her. The same has proven true when I have helped a guest or a Customer with his or her situation or concerns. So don't bring Customers into your reality: Discover theirs."
This is one of the most profound thoughts I have ever read about Customer Service, or service in general. When people say "the Customer is always right," this is what they are really saying. In the Customer's mind they are right. When we can do more than put ourselves in the Customer's shoes, but put ourselves in their reality, we will know how to satisfy, delight and WOW them.
Your task today is to figure out how to get into your Customer's reality.
