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Another first-hand report from the front row of the retail theater by Dave Wooldridge.

I was at a small local pharmacy this week (not Walgreens!).

Obviously, the counter guy was concerned foremost about his hourly pay versus the company’s well-being.

• What could possibly have been more valuable to that business than getting a new customer into the store?
• How many small businesses or large businesses even train employees in such attitude and perspective adjustments?
• If you were the other employee, how would you have responded to your co-worker once you had the opportunity to speak to him about it?

But another perspective must be considered as well. Though the behavior of the employee may be wrong, what was the company’s role in perhaps setting up that outburst?

Consider this comment from our colleague, Al Lunsford.

One perspective I have - as a result of spending more time in pharmacies than I would like - is that the employer may be at fault. Most try to save money and employee salaries by having the pharmacist do double duty. I am not sure that a person who is wired to remember vast amounts of knowledge about an ever changing inventory of medications, read nearly undecipherable writings from doctors, pay attention with exacting detail to the fulfilling of prescription orders . . . and to catch potential mistakes of conflicting medications being prescribed to patients should be the one dealing with customers or interrupted by telephone calls. If it was truly a clerk who was responsible for customer service then the response is inexcusable.

So how do we build organizations that are respectful and conscientious in serving customers?

1. Discover the Enduring Purpose and Values of Your Organization.

Biblically, we understand that we are created for a purpose, individually and collectively.

Jim Collins, in researching Built to Last, explains that companies of enduring greatness have a core ideology that anchors them. They are clear on their purpose. They can answer the question of why they exist and what difference they want to make. This goes far beyond profit making to difference making. Take for example, Johnson and Johnson. Collins describes their purpose as “alleviating pain and suffering.” This purpose constantly opens up new fields of opportunity and also guides their behavior at all levels. When the poisoned Tylenol scare hit them, it was their credo, not corporate planning that enabled them as a company through all levels to do the right thing quickly.

In the opening story, an understanding of the purpose of the company was missing. How well do the people in your company understand its enduring purpose and values?

2. Tell and Live the Story

Biblically, we understand that we are a part of the Story of stories, the unfolding of God’s purposes in space and time. Great companies are also epic, noble stories. They are stories that tell the tales of how the company has lived out its purpose. Good companies tell their stories and the employees know the stories and become part of the story. In our example, the story is missing.

Training should begin with the story, the purpose, and the values. These form the foundation for effective skills training. Skills training without the foundation will result in mechanical and unresponsive service.

How well do the people in your company know, tell, and live the story?

3. Understand Whom You Serve

Biblically, we understand that there is no higher calling than to be a servant. Great companies are clear on whom they serve, and that they are here to serve. Customer service is not merely a matter of training and systems, but is borne out of an understanding that we are called to serve humankind.

How well do you and the people in your company understand your calling as servants, and whom you serve?

4. Recognize the Moments of Truth

Jan Carlzon, former CEO of Scandinavian Airlines, led a remarkable turnaround of that airline, describec in his book, Moments of Truth. Part of his genius in leading the change came when he realized that the customer experience was wrapped up in a multitude of brief encounters, moments of truth, with the customer. Most of these were a few seconds to a few minutes at most. He trained the employees to recognize these moments and to turn each moment of truth into a positive customer experience.

A few years ago, when I hired as director for a major conference center, I applied the moments of truth strategy. I calculated that the entire experience of being at our center was wrapped up in over one million moments of truth. We began to train staff to recognize each moment and to do the right thing in a delightful way. The resulting turnaround was nothing short of amazing.

Jesus was a master of recognizing the moment of truth. No encounter was ever accidental, but always purposeful and amazing.

How well do the people in your company recognize the moments of truth, and how are they equipped to respond?

5. Hire for Character and EQ

There is much said about talent and intelligence — granted, they are important — but serving is largely about character and EQ. EQ is short for emotional intelligence. EQ is a person’s ability to both be aware of his or her own impact on others and to be aware of the emotional temperature of others. Being in tune with others, being alert to their needs…these are the realm of EQ. In serving others, a person cannot be so self- absorbed as to be clueless about how he or she comes across or clueless about how the other person is doing.

How would you characterize your EQ or the EQ of the people in your company?

6. Reframe the Roles

This was a significant challenge in my hospitality experience. I did have the advantage of leading a spiritually oriented group of people, but still, most jobs in the industry are done by low wage, part time people. And in my case, many were volunteers or summer hires. How can you get excited about serving a dining room or cleaning rooms? As we discussed this, we decided that we wanted to create an experience where guests encountered the presence of Christ, even without a word being spoken. We began to think to ourselves that Christ said that He had gone to prepare a room for us in heaven. What would it be like to walk into a room that He had prepared. Our housekeepers began to take that as a challenge to prepare the rooms in such a way that guests would get a taste of that. Our dining staff concluded that God was preparing a banquet for us in heaven, and that they wanted to prepare a dining experience that gave guests a foretaste of that experience.

How can you reframe the roles in your company in order to emphasize their dignity, purpose, and value?