The following checklist describes an organisation that consistently provides its customers with more than satisfaction: Legendary Service.

Rate yourself, or pass it around to your colleagues and compare notes.

1. Widely respected as a trend setter in serving the needs of the community
   
2. Famous for taking the lead in serving the environment.
   
3. Consistently delivering World Class Service; i.e. outsiders and competitors see the organisation as setting the standards they would love to emulate.
   
4. Providing a unique service experience that creates devotees of customers – loyalty for life.
   
5. Inspiring customers with the positivity and pride of all those who work in the Legendary organisation.
   
6. Demonstrating superior levels of empathy for a customer’s situation and needs.
   
7. Partnering customers in a way that transcends Service Level Agreements, and operates on the level of the heart.
   
8. Sharing business goals, successes and failures with suppliers.
   
9. Creating systems that are intuitively loved by customers. Far more than just ‘customer friendly’.
   
10. Operating transparently where the promise to the customer is explicit, and the customer is happy with the deal.
    
11. Generating a culture where people find real meaning in giving service to others.
    
12. Becoming a positive Legend Creator – generating an unstoppable belief in your people that they can ‘invent their own future’ rather than be restrained by outside forces: the market, competition, industry regulations, management dictates, etc.
    

Scoring code

• 0 - 25%
  Go to jail. Do not pass GO or collect any money whatsoever, as your business probably can’t afford it, but don’t feel guilty about calling Service Legends for immediate help. Although not trained therapists, we are good listeners.
• 25 - 50%
  Work to be done. Perhaps pick the three items that you most need to work on and put them on the agenda for your next Away-Day/ Team Meeting. Therapy not needed, but you’re unlikely to be showing a clean set of heels to the competition. . . especially when they’re in front.
• 50 - 75%
  Pretty smart! We could learn a thing or two from you. However, remember that today’s successes can be the enemy of tomorrow’s triumphs and focus on one aspect you score well on, and attempt to make it world class.
• 75 - 100%
  You probably don’t think you need to call us. However, do email us with your successes: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Health warning!

• We don’t know an organisation in the world that is truly legendary, but some exhibit one or more of these characteristics. This list is constantly being updated and revised as we believe that the ‘achievement horizon’ is always beyond today’s performance, and measuring yourself by today’s winners is a sure recipe for being tomorrow’s loser. We take full responsibility for having frightened you a little.

Originally published: 19 Jun 2006
http://www.nigelbarlow.com/rants-serviceproviderquiz.html