Warning! This is a proud granddaddy blog! At three, Cassie can write her name as you can plainly see! My granddaughter has always been a champion scribbler! Plus, she has two older sisters who can write their names! Not ever wanting to be last in any activity that even remotely could have competitive overtones, she announced to her mother, “I am going to write my name.” Without parental coaching or a model to copy, she proudly displayed her penmanship! And, her mother widely propelled this proof into cyberspace!
Customers are a lot like my daughter-in-law! Signature service can make them swell with pleasure and willingly tell the whole world! They can turn a ho hum okay reputation into the stuff fan clubs are made of.
Signature service is different from regular service. Regular service is functional, perfunctory and dutiful. It is service as requirement and obligation; not service as theatre, flair and style. It is the rental car courtesy bus driver who entertains you as if you’re at a wonderful theme park or the receptionist who asks you neighborly questions while speedily ringing up your sale or the auto service tech who programs your new car’s radio stations from your trade-in and just lets you discover it!
Signature service takes more effort than regular service. A robot can do regular service; and, many do! There is nothing signature about express check-outs, ATM’s or kiosks. A half-asleep, ready-to-clock-out employee can do regular service, and some do! But, signature means adding your special ingredient to the service experience you concoct and serve. It requires focusing on your customer’s pleasure, not just your customer’s request. It means bringing the best you are to what you do. So, grab your service pen and write your name on your customer’s memory bank!