Three levels of service responsibility

So I might have lied a little yesterday. There is ONE MORE thing I want to share from the 'Delivering A Great Experience' course I took through my work (there may even be yet another tomorrow).

The instructor talked about THREE LEVELS OF SERVICE RESPONSIBILITY:

1. Commoditized - This is when there is nothing explicit to create value for others. It is focused on efficiency for rules and production. In other words, work is work and you do just enough to keep your job. You're not going to go out of your way for anyone, and neither is the company.
2. Competitive - This is slightly better in that there is a focus on creating value for others, but it is described in a mass way. For instance, you may provide a service that can be beneficial to people, but it isn't individualized at all. It's a take-it-or-leave-it kind of thing.
3. Differentiated - This is top level, where you focus on delivering your promise and an outcome for the customer... one customer at a time. A sort of "we are here to serve YOU" approach.

I like this. It fits with the coaching training I have received, and should be fundamental to what the YMCA is supposed to be about. Unfortunately my boss, in particular, seems to operate more on the commoditized or competitive level - he's not willing to do anymore than he really has to, or at least anymore than his boss is going to ask him to do.

I believe my boss is the way he is because he is not at all "outcomes" focused. For instance, say a piece of equipment breaks. His response is to send a text or email to maintenance... and he thinks he has fulfilled his responsibility. Then, if it isn't fixed right away, it's no longer his fault... because he told someone about it.

The instructor states: "By being responsible for the outcomes our customers desire we can deliver a differentiated customer experience. Merely 'checking off' our duties will never ensure we are all delivering great service and collectively a great experience." So, if a piece of equipment breaks, it is up to us to make sure it is repaired in a timely manner - if that is something that our customer needs in order to meet their desired outcome.

Of course, the thing that makes this work is that ALL employees have to be willing to take responsibility. It isn't just the boss, but needs to be ME too!