In ancient times, my high school chemistry teacher shared his experience working in research and development. They were developing a revolutionary new laundry detergent that out cleaned every other product on the market while using nearly half the amount of detergent. They were so excited to get the public’s reaction. But when the test marketing results came back negative they were stunned. One of the comments read, “It was like washing clothes in tap water” and that was when they realized the problem. They added a chemical to the product that produced luxurious suds when agitated and tried again. That product became the best-selling detergent in the country. Those suds had absolutely nothing to do with the cleaning power of the product, but they had everything to do with public perception of the product. Perception is reality to people.
I used that example of perceived value when teaching customer service skills. The service might be effective, but the customer must perceive its value. I gave them a few of my suggestions for adding “suds” to their service. The most important one was a smile. On the phone a smile softens your tone and adds a friendly feel to the conversation that is perceived as a pleasant experience. In person a smile softens your appearance and gives the impression you enjoy what you are doing. The natural assumption is, “If he or she enjoys their work, they must be pretty good at it”. Another way to improve perception is to simply listen carefully to the customer to discover what they expect from the service then try to meet their expectations.
Why am I sharing this? I have always believed that if you apply good customer service skills in your personal relationships, the quality of those relationships and your life will greatly improve. Why do we treat strangers better than we treat those closest to us? How do family and close friends perceive your love and service for them? Does your smile tell them that you enjoy what you do for them? Do you listen carefully to learn what they really expect from you? You just might discover it is easier to meet their expectations than you thought. Your time and encouragement might mean much more to them than that latest device or an expensive trip. When you set the example by adding suds to your relationships your perception of their love and service for you just might improve as well.
Unlike us, God’s perception is complete and perfect (no suds required). But as our Creator He understands our need for them and it pleases Him when we demonstrate our love for Him and for others by doing these little things that mean so much. He knows when we worship Him with all of our heart in spirit and in truth. However, we feel the need to demonstrate our worship of God with smiles and tears of joy, clapping our hands in appreciation; then raising our hands and voices in shouts and songs of praise and thanksgiving. The psalmist makes it clear that all of those things are pleasing to God even though it is simply our love, obedience and service that He expects from us.
By the way, the shed blood of Jesus Christ was, is and always will be the most effective stain remover in existence!