Service Excellence

Of late, the bank has been instilling in us the important values of 'Service Excellence' that we should deliver to our customers.

Service Excellence, obviously is something essential and a priority to people who work in front lines who needs to cater to customers' never-ending queries and thirst for assistance. Of course we should be part of all these - but wait, strictly speaking my customers are debtors who are at my mercy. So where should I draw this skeletal line? I'm perplexed.

Based on banking perspectives, I help the bank to minimise losses and maximise profits by ensuring the delinquency rates decrease with time and also ensuring the amount of provision required is within budget. How impressive it sounds. However, from a layman's view, I'm deemed as a 'legalised loan shark' who collects money from people who have defaulted on their payments to the banks. Hey, how wrong is that? It is also a noble job isn't it, to withstand the arrogance and frustration of these people who can't pay and yet putting up a tough front with you. It's not the end of the world, just admit it.

I finally reckoned after much thought that I can also deliver Service Excellence to my 'customers', that I'll be more empathetic and patient towards their plight but only if they deserve it. I suppose we'll be delivering 100% Service Excellence to people by telling them they do not have to pay for their defaulted amounts and that they can take their own sweet time to pay us back? You see, it's so intricate.

I remembered quite a number of customers complimenting me on my work attitude and readiness to assist them, but on an ending note, they still never fail to curse and swear the bank for their rigour and unbreakable policies. Well, they are actually also scolding me in a way since I'm part of the bank. Hence, by complimenting me and reproaching the bank just simply makes me more perturbed.

On a societal view, I'm just befuddled at how Service Excellence can differ such worlds apart in the same industry. For example, there are irritating and inconsiderate bus drivers who doubles their speed recklessly on a busy road without sparing a thought for the congested crowd in the bus. But just this afternoon, I was being greeted amicably by a bus driver when I boarded the bus. How rare is this phenomenon? Kudos to him.

I guess we can never finish pin-pointing the lapse of service prevalent in various industries, so why not just put in effort within your means to make someone's day if you're in the service line? It could just lead to tremendous significance. :)

My D&D event's pictures on the way!

"Sow good services; sweet remembrances will grow them." - Madame de Stael