Jim Harris and Joan Brannick say customer service is one of four core cultures in companies that align their staffing and retention processes. No one core culture is superior to another. None is more likely to guarantee outstanding financial performance than another. All are equally powerful in driving long-term organizational success. Harris and Brannick say the purpose of a customer service culture is to create customer solutions.
Competive advantage is gained through getting close to the customer.
These companies strive to think as their customers do, anticipate their needs and create value for them. Customer service cultures often empower the frontline service workers and create strong customer-employee partnership links that build high levels of repeat business. Competitive advantage comes from unleashing the power of technology to create new products, new markets and new niches within existing markets. Competitive advantage is in attaining process excellence from product or service creation and delivery. Competitive advantage is gained through unleasing people's limitless energy, creativity and enthusiasm.