I don’t care what industry your company, non-profit, government agency, etc. is in, the bottom line is that everyone needs to provide the best customer experience.
Although I have blogged about values, and mission and vision statements, the sole purpose of any organization really is to give their customers/clients/partners the optimal effort necessary to make them feel fulfilled.
This not only includes external customers but also internal ones as well.
As an example, if your role is to provide IT or accounting or other services to help those that are more customer facing then you still have to work at peak performance.
If you provide mediocre assistance, wrong or not complete information, or don’t respond in a timely manner then that affects how others work.
In today’s world, I strongly feel that many work in their own little bubble and don’t realize the impact they have on others for them to effectively get their job done.
So how does one accomplish this consistently?
First, you have to know your customer which is not an easy thing to do.
It takes time to build a relationship with someone which then helps to better understand their needs, wants, priorities, and timelines.
In today’s fast paced world and possibly working with many customers, it is very challenging to figure all this out. On top of it, people can change over time which adds to this issue.
Internally this may be a bit easier, but it takes a proactive approach to know who you not only have to provide customer service, but also who in turn needs to do the same; this could be a boss, external partners, vendors, etc. 
It is like creating a flow chart of each person your “customer” has to deal with and what that interaction looks like.
For those that interact with external customers, it may be an interesting idea to prepare a customer journey map.
This can be time consuming so I suggest only preparing this for your top clients.
The objective of this is to visually illustrate customers’ processes, needs, and perceptions throughout their interaction and relationship with your company and with you!
By doing this, you can determine where they might need assistance beyond what you already provide and/or tweak existing services especially if your customer is facing growing pains or a downturn in their operations.
I see too often that employees and leaders don’t circle back with their customers to get feedback.
Surveys really don’t provide an accurate 360-degree view of the customer experience.
It is necessary to have personal interactions with them so you can not only hear what they have to say but also determine if they are holding back and not giving their total assessment of the services you provided.
Most people don’t ask for feedback for the following reasons – they are too busy, they don’t see the point of it, and most importantly, they fear they will only hear negative feedback.
To combat this, approach the customer in a way that shows you want to continue this positive relationship, you personally want to learn and grow from them, and that you truly value their opinion.
Lastly take a cue from others.
As a customer yourself, determine times when you have had THE BEST customer experience which can be a store, a restaurant, business service, and/or interaction with your colleague.
Jot down not only what they did but also how you felt.
Now identify ways you can modify your behaviors while still being genuine to yourself.
After your next interaction with your customer, self-reflect on this experience.
As my business advisor once said to me, “I never give out 5 out of 5 on a survey because I feel we all can always improve”. Wise words for all of us to follow.