Good Service Starts at the Top

A company will never be able to deliver consistently good service unless its top leadership is deeply and genuinely committed to it. This commitment cannot be superficial; it must be demonstrated through action and a willingness to make difficult sacrifices.

The Role of Leadership in Service:

1. Setting the Priority: Top management must establish service as a core corporate value. Employees will only prioritize serving the customer if they know that leadership does.
2. Making Strategic Sacrifices: The leadership team must be willing to make tough choices that favor service over other goals. This might include:
   • Investing in service for an older product instead of funding a new one.
   • Delaying the launch of a new device because the service program is not ready.
   • Forgoing entry into a new market because the company cannot build the proper service structure to support it.
3. Allocating Resources: Leadership must be willing to make the significant, long-term investments required to build and maintain a robust service infrastructure.

Good service is not a bottom-up initiative. It is a top-down cultural and strategic imperative. If the conviction that the company's objective is to serve the customer does not exist at the highest levels, it will never permeate the rest of the organization.