Service. As a customer-service philosopher, expert and educator, I love the many nuances of the word and the profound sense of purpose and nobility it represents. I’ve also heard the concept of customer service taken a step further: customer care—a term that denotes an even deeper connection, occurring when one person helps another. The word care introduces an emotional component that breathes life into the process. Similarly, in my work, the focus always comes back to the Spirit of Service—the feeling state that can and should underlie even the seemingly most mundane transaction.
I’d like to advance the spirit of care even further. Recently, I heard of a perfect example. A friend of mine, in the throes of a difficult divorce, called her wireless network to remove her soon-to-be ex-husband’s name from the account. Though on the surface a simple request. it was a difficult phone call for her to make. While I wasn’t privy to the details of the call, I do know that after it concluded, my friend felt understood, validated, even comforted after it concluded. It seems the representative at the other end was sensitive to the emotional charge underlying the request and had responded with compassion.
Compassion is defined as the feeling we experience in response to the suffering of another, motivating a desire to help. While emotionally laden, pivotal life events may not underlie the majority of customer-service situations, compassion can still infuse the response to them all–whether the suffering involves a death, divorce or simply a trying inconvenience.
Thus, the title of this post: Why not a Compassion Department? Think about how compassion might add depth and meaning—not only for the recipients of your services—but also for those providing them, In the words of the Dalai Lama: “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
Indeed.