It is more than just meeting some service metric.
It is a high bar that calls for each of us to face our humanity and the humanity of those we serve.
There will be those who are unfriendly, those whose belief systems differ from ours, those who are needy or lonely.
Inevitably there will be a customer we simply don’t like.
The good news is we don’t have to like or agree with our customers and how they behave.
We don’t have to believe anything in particular about them to maintain an allegiance to our values, principles and goals.
We can stay steady in our commitment to treat all customers with regard and respect.
As for me, excellent service to all is more than a sales technique — it is more about coming into alignment with the “higher path” of our co-op ideals and visions.
Just remember, when a customer is acting up, we’re just experiencing their behavior not who they really are in their entirety — we all are subject to moments when our own behavior is less than desirable, or our perspective is limited.
Most of us are a mix of a bunch of moments of behaviors with some being model and others questionable and everything in between.
In service we find room, acceptance, a possibility for delighting, not dividing people between those who deserve excellent service and those who don’t.
We go larger.
We’re here to show how we can better exist in the world — that means co-exist — that means co-op.
That means you, me and all.