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special featurewill steadily grow stronger, and it will make not only forour happiness, but that of the world at large.”And Ralf Waldo Emerson had said :“As to methods there may be a million and then some, butprinciples are few. The man, who tries methods, ignoringprinciple, is sure to have trouble.”I would like to present 2 case studies on CustomerService.1. Based on a study conducted on causes for CustomerDefection and Loss of Customers in Banks, thefollowing reasons have been identified. You arerequired to rate the reasons in the order of how crucialthey are as perceived by you. The rating should be :a) Against the one you consider most crucial reason.b) Against the one you consider next most crucial reasonand so on, till you have rated all of them.1. Lured by competition2. Product dissatisfaction3. Courting other brands4. High transaction cost and service charges5. Death of customer6. Moving out of town7. Preference for better delivery channels8. Preference for better and cozier service outlets9. Attitude of indifference by the staffIn all group discussions that I have conducted forfocused groups the consensus on the top rated reasonhas always been : Customers are lost mainly becauseof attitude of indifference by the staff.2. REASONS WHY SOME WELL PERFORMINGCOMPANIES FAIL IN THE LONG RUNThis case study is based on a study conducted on causesfor failure of well performing companies in the longrun. The following reasons have been identified. You arerequired to rate the reasons in the order of how crucialthey are as perceived by you. The rating should be :a) Against the one you consider most crucial reason.b) Against the one you consider next most crucial reasonand so on, till you have rated all of them.1. Growing too fast2. Ignoring threats.3. Poor Succession Planning.4. Greed and arrogance.5. Failed synergies.6. Innovating too much.7. Letting Share Price Decide Strategy.8. Growing slow and steady but not fast and consistent.9. Ignoring Customers.In all group discussions that I have conducted for focusedgroups the consensus on the top rated reason why wellperforming companies have failed in the long run hasbeen : Ignoring Customers.The case studies and the consensus views reinforce thebelief that Customers Are Really Everything.Customer segmentation stems from the need to buildand nurture customer relationship and how effectively itis managed. We have moved a long way from the GoodRule of Relationship to the Great Rule of Relationship.The Good Rule :●Treat others the way you want to be treated.The Great Rule :●Treat others the way they want to be treated.I am reminded of what Rita Mae Browne had penned :“Good judgment comes from experience, and oftenexperience comes from bad judgment.”To be a Customer Service Champion one needs to CareMore Than Others Think Is Wise. This is the differentiatorthat should be practiced without discrimination. Thevision should be well connected to the heart and translateinto mission for Customer Care in a bank.The RBI's Master Circular on Customer Service inbanks and the BCSBI's Code of Bank's Commitmentto Customers have already set the bench marks andstandards for expected levels of customer services inbanks and therefore there is an opportunity for theBanks to excel and make the service quality and levelsexemplary while ensuring strict regulatory complianceand following the rules of the game.The Journal of Indian Institute of Banking & Finance October - December 2011 35