„‚ CONDITIONS THAT HINDER EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION

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LEGENDARY CUSTOMER SERVICE AND
THE HRD PROFESSIONAL’S ROLE
Gary M. Heil and Richard W. Tate
The service that customers receive today is, at best, average. To sustain a competitive
edge, an organization must do more than simply satisfy the customer. It must provide
service that is unique, faster, more reliable, more responsive, and more caring than ever
before. It must provide service that demonstrates an understanding of the customer’s
needs and expectations.
The following ten fundamentals (see Figure 1) have evolved from the authors’
consulting work in helping a wide variety of organizations to improve their service.
They provide a framework for creating a culture of continual service improvement.
1. Make a commitment to service; create uniqueness.
2. Develop an all-out recovery strategy.
3. Ensure continual improvement.
4. Listen.
5. Facilitate the changing role of management.
6. Define the playing field.
7. Provide autonomy.
8. Measure.
9. Hold everyone accountable.
10. Celebrate.
Figure 1. The Ten Fundamentals of Improving Customer Service
FUNDAMENTAL 1: MAKE A COMMITMENT TO SERVICE;
CREATE UNIQUENESS
The returns on investment for companies that impress their customers with value-added
service can be staggering. These returns are the result of providing service that is
perceived by customers to be not just good or excellent, but unique.
Almost any mission statement or annual report written this year will contain a
slogan about the importance of service. Throughout every organization, managers,
supervisors, customer-contact employees, and unions agree that service is a prerequisite
Originally published in The 1990 Annual: Developing Human Resources by J. William Pfeiffer (Ed.), San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer &
Company.
The Pfeiffer Library Volume 6, 2nd Edition. Copyright ©1998 Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer ❚❘ 403