Of all of the jobs I have held during my lifetime, the ones that gave me the opportunity to provide a needed service for others were by far the most gratifying. Service jobs are often looked down on as menial and demeaning, but there is something truly noble about helping others; making their needs a priority. After all, Jesus tells us, “The greatest among you must be a servant”. (Matthew 23:11) He demonstrated that by washing His disciples’ feet.
Providing excellent customer service was my favorite class as a trainer. The most important things I taught about serving others were these: Listen carefully to the customer to learn what they need and their expectations for you to help them fulfill their need; Then do your very best to exceed their expectations. If you do those two things, your service will always be perceived as valuable and effective.
The owner of the company whose employees I trained was a great example in his interaction with his employees. As a result, most employees passed his empathy and kindness onto their customers and we received so many referrals from happy customers the company didn’t have to spend money on advertising. When he died shortly after my retirement, I was asked at the last minute if I wanted to say a few words at his memorial service. This is a portion of what I had to say, “Dick Jennings was a very humble man whose pride was in his family, his sailing accomplishments and in the company his grandfather founded in 1888. I had the privilege of working with him on the history of his company titled, ‘In the Company of Good People’. Most of us here have a dear connection with that company. He believed in and lived by the Golden Rule every day. He always treated others with respect and kindness. I know he offered help to many of you, as he did to me. My faith teaches me that if a man does good deeds for others publicly, his reward will be the praise of men; but if he does his good works privately, God will see them in private and reward him in heaven. By those criteria, Dick Jennings is doing very well right now.” He was a man of wealth and influence, but he had the heart of a servant. I’m pleased to have gotten to know him and become his friend as well as his employee.
As Christians, we are commanded to love one another; but we are also called to serve one another. Peter wrote, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” (1 Peter 4:10) Nothing I know is more gratifying than serving another person; that is because it is actually God you are serving with your kind acts or encouraging words. I sometimes regret the fact that I can no longer help others physically or financially, but I pray that by sharing my gift with you through this blog, I have been able to provide you with strength and encouragement.