Last fall CSL Express Line celebrated its 18th year in business by inviting all the employees to Las Vegas for a two-day holiday and a special anniversary luncheon. During the keynote speech by one of the CSL owners, he explained how the founders operated on a handful of core customer service principles. One of those principles was that “at CSL every incoming phone call is answered by a real person”.
I had never really thought about that much, but eighteen years ago when electronic voicemail and auto-attendants were becoming the norm, CSL decided that having calls answered by a machine removed us one step further away from serving our customers instead of bringing us one step closer to providing a remarkable customer experience. Sometimes when I answer the phone people are shocked when they realize they’re talking to a real person. I know that truck drivers, railroad engineers, pilots and ship captains move the cargo, but I like to think customer service is what drives every shipment.
