Mastering Customer Service with a Servant’s Heart: Proven Strategies from Industry Leaders

Think back to the last time you received truly outstanding customer service. Was it the speed of service, the friendly smile, or maybe a small gesture that made you feel truly valued? Moments like these are rare, yet they stick with us. While there’s no single magic formula to guarantee standout service, some companies consistently get it right. What makes them different? Let’s explore the strategies that help brands like Ritz-Carlton, Trader Joe’s, Nordstrom, Zappos’s, and Chick-fil-A rise above the rest, and how you can apply them to create unforgettable experiences for your customers.

Culture for Serving

Culture is defined by the actual output of the team. It is what is really happening. Culture is shaped and cultivated through leadership. You can say you want to have great customer service, you may even have training and written materials to support it, but that doesn’t mean you have a culture for it. When your team utilizes those materials, puts them into action, and delivers those experiences every time, that’s when you have a culture for excellent customer service. If someone joined your team, and they did not deliver a great experience to customers every time, would they be challenged by others, even non-leaders for their behaviors? Would they feel uncomfortable or like an outsider by not excelling in the customer’s mind? That is an exceptional test for determining the strength of your culture.

Think about our example companies for a moment. If a new flight attendant joined Southwest Airlines and was curt and rude to the passengers all the time, do you think she would feel like she was fitting in with the team? I doubt it. Ever find someone at Chick-fil-A that doesn’t always say, “it’s my pleasure”? If they refused to say that, and instead said, “you're welcome,” how comfortable do you think they would feel? As importantly, do you think other team members or leaders would allow it?

Culture is the reality of what is happening in the environment. Leadership creates great cultures or allows poor ones to occur and remain. Culture is 100% within the control of the leaders and team members of any business.

Is your team's culture strong enough that new hires feel the pressure to fit in and deliver exceptional service? How can you make that culture even more solid?

A Desire to Serve

Everything starts and ends with people. As it relates to customer service, you must have a team that wants to provide exceptional levels of service. This is the ‘gotta wanna’ aspect of hiring people. If they do not understand they need to have a servant’s heart to provide high levels of service, it is unlikely they will achieve the level you are looking for. They will be the difference in providing good customer service and outstanding customer service. The team must want to serve the customer above all else.

Do you feel confident that your hiring process filters for those who genuinely want to serve, or is there room to refine it?

Never a Task

Customer service is not a task. Anyone who sees providing excellent experiences as a compliance measure will ultimately fail. This goes back to having a ‘gotta wanna’ mentality from the start. If serving customers is a chore, then you likely will not be very good at it. You cannot fake exceptional customer service. Interacting and engaging with customers should be fun. Put a smile on your face, and I bet you get one in return. Investigate how to get to know your customers a little so they can be part of the fun as well. Here is another Southwest Airlines example. Have you ever heard one of the flight attendants change the safety message at the start of the flight? It engages everyone on the plane. When that message is complete, everyone is smiling and part of the fun. Customer service is something to enjoy, not something to do.

Each of these three things sound simple, yet few companies deliver on it day in and day out. As a leader, you will need to embrace all three to ensure you provide that great customer experience in your location. Take time to find the right people. Ensure you have a culture that communicates the expectations for excellent customer service. And, have fun while you are doing it. This is where setting the example as a leader is critical. Start by greeting every customer personally today. Lead your team by showing them how enjoyable and rewarding customer interactions can be. Your example sets the standard.

How will you lead with a servant’s heart today?

Get leadership tips and new articles you can use directly to your inbox. Join the thousands of other leaders continuing your leadership development journey with Effective Retail Leader.com.

Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash