N any business we know that if we fly by the seat of our pants, that's usually the first place we'll get kicked at some undetermined later date.

Most of us paid the taxes related to our business last year, or are in the process of looking after that.   When we follow through on our obligations, we like to think we are backed up legally and we dont want to worry about things coming back on us at a later date due to sloppy methods.  Following all of what could be seen as the “obvious laws of business” is a necessity for survival.  But what about other less obvious laws for which enforcement is seen only in our own conscience?  These are the 7 Laws of Service.

Whether we like it or not we all agree that there do exist certain laws or behaviors that allow us to continue operating.

How many of us have really thought about service as a series of real, concrete laws that can allow us to be competitive, profitable and to enjoy long term success in our respective industries?  Is it really true?  Can it make a difference? We are pretty convinced that paying our taxes, operating with the correct legal authority, and generally following the rules of the game are necessary.   How convinced are we that service is something real and can affect us just as much?   We would know that wed have a chance at being out of business or in serious trouble if we didnt pay our taxes. Are we aware that the same thing is true for the laws of service?  

Over the years I've become somewhat of a fanatic on the concept of service and see it as the basis of our business. Not just as something we say, but always as something we do. Every day and in an ever-growing variety of ways. If we want to be successful the only way to do it is to understand what we need to be aware of how important the laws of service are. 

This comes from an understanding that there are service laws that keep any company functioning in the most efficient and profitable  way, and if they are broken, chaos or chronic under-functioning and even being out of business  results. If we don't know what the laws of service are, or we think they don't matter, and thus continually break them, we will pay the consequences.   Our opinion on the matter won't make a difference. Without knowing the laws of service and how they impact our business, we will most surely fall into chaos, lose our competitive edge and cease to be profitable.

The reality is that businesses are like people. They possess an identity that is perceived by others and directly influences their effectiveness. Any company that understands that its service profile is its identity can begin to understand the supreme importance of service. It is better that the purpose of a company and what it uses as it's key service and marketing strategies be known by its owners and controlled very carefully.

	The Law of Customers “Treat everyone around you like a customer, or someone else will.”
This is perhaps the starting point of having a successful business.   This states that every actor in your business, inside and out, is a customer.   Each of these customers is to be served and in return will reward your business with a value for value exchange of support.   All growth in your business is going to come exactly and in direct proportion to the quality and quantity of service that you provide.  What do the majority of businesses do?  Youve seen it.  They have an us and them attitude.  They have their suppliers.   People who lend them money.   People who do the books.  They have their clients.  Employees.  People they deal with to keep the logistics of the company going.  Everyone seems to be different.   This is a mistake. The winning company knows that it is a fact that everyone in their sphere is a customer.  Everyone is there to be served.    Nothing is taken for granted.   The teamwork that emerges out of adopting such an attitude is nothing short of amazing.   This will build the business when and where it needs to be built.  How?  At crunch time.  How many of us have needed something at a crucial time but find a supplier or an employee either stalling or putting in a less than ideal performance.  This may not hurt us most of the time, but it hurts us in crunch time.  When we really need something.    The “everyone is a customer attitude” will ensure that when the going gets tough, we are going to have support.   People are going to come through for us because they want to.   Its as simple as that.  What makes people want to help us?   When they feel that they are consistently and genuinely respected through being served.  Then they will bend over backwards for us right at the precise moment when our business needs them.  It may not be often, but there could be a time when an employee or supplier who was previously not given much thought, will give us the edge at the right time. It may mean the difference between having an edge and being on one.   We may get a new client, or keep an old one in the time of crisis.   Seeing everyone as a customer pays.   It is the first cornerstone towards building “the service attitude”.   Set yourself apart from your competition.  See everyone you come into contact with as a customer.
	The Law of Consistency “Don't just make it a priority.keep it a priority.”
Weve all been pleased in the way we have been served  by a business  in the past, only to be disappointed in the future.and eventually never use that business again. The business you are in shares many aspects with just about every business. Think of the new restaurant that opens up and is committed to giving the best steaks in town and service with a smile. It develops a booming business. The owner loves the restaurant business and wants to be known for quality product and a great attitude in his staff. His company becomes enormously profitable and soon it is known as a hallmark of success in the local community.  The business expands and grows and gets a good reputation. With success the owner begins to take things for granted and starts to hire staff without concern for quality, and begins to reduce the quality of his cuts to gain even more profit.  He reasons that there are lineups out the doorwhat difference does it make? Soon people catch on and the momentum begins. This business that boomed now is doomed. Once you have lost the confidence of your customers, it rarely can be regained without huge luck and effort.  Most of these businesses feel that “the market shifted” or that something mysterious happened.   Few ever understand what went wrong. If there is to be no consistency it is much better to offer a mediocre product or service. The fall from grace by starting out well and not maintaining that standard of service will always kill a business. If you start out mediocre, you will gain a client base that accepts mediocrity and will go on about the business of surviving. This is what most repo businesses do. Survive. They gain a few clients that happen to accept what they are doing and dont necessarily choose them for being exceptional.   The companies then make a living but are not considered successful and dont ever really enjoy a sustained growth curve. A big mistake that many businesses can make is to start by making service a priority but not have mechanisms in place to make sure that this level is maintained.  Such a mistake can literally kill a business.   All that happens is the invitation of conflict and firefighting.
	The Law of Expectation “If you are going to assume anything, assume customer loyalty.”
Whatever you expect your customers to do is exactly what they will do.   Giving them what may appear to be exaggerated and consistently high (over a long period of time) service levels is a way of saying that you expect your customers to be loyal to you.  You expect them to pay you on time.  You expect them to enjoy your product or service.  You expect them to be happy.  Lo and beholdthey will be.  Service as a philosophy engages the Law of Expectation.   Customers do arrive with expectations .often negative ones.  At that point it is key to be providing them with what you view is exactly how the relationship works.  You dont wait to see if they are loyal.  You assume loyalty.  When you serve a customer with dedication and you are relentless about it, that is seen as a sign that you think you deserve their business - that you value it.  In return you will have the most loyal customers you can imagine.  You dont just aim this at your paying clients.  You aim this at your employees.  You give them the clearest job definitions possible and have incentives built in to the employment process.   You expect your employees to comply and excel and as a result they do.  But it is you that starts the ball rolling.  It is you that assumes the best.   You never wait for any of your customers to “show their stuff”.  You assume they have the stuff and they will rise to the occasion to prove it to you that they have it.
	The Law of Challenge “Good customer communication means bridging service gaps, not falling into them.”
All problems become challenges in the eyes of customers inside and outside the organization as long as there is expedient communication.   You will always know a company that is not operating on the law of challenge, because they will see themselves as beset with problemsand more often than not they will feel isolated and reactive in this perception.   This is usually true.  What has happened is that communication has broken down.   If there is trust, a customer can be told of gaps in service.and these happen in every company.   If there is not, a customer will always have the tendency to adopt an “us and them” position.   You will not be able to serve them effectively.  Always attempt to reframe problems.such that they never even reach the problem stage.   With communication and trust the gaps in service will be perceived as shared challenges.   Communication and trust brings transparency.   The customer no longer feels that there is some hidden agenda that your company is operating under and that with the emergence of a situation where something goes wrong each takes a side.   The customer wont reason that he has “ paid for your services and you are contractually obligated to provide this service and that is the end of it”.    The customer must like doing business with you.  The customer must like you.   He must want to be served by you.   He wants to help you serve him.  He wants to tell you what he needs and wont hold back in telling you he has a problem.    If this is the case in your company, he will more than likely do what he can to become a joint actor in solving the problems that do come along.  He wont see them as problems; he will see them as challenges.  Something to rise to.   Because he has an outcome in mind: continuing to deal with you.   This means your customer has to have wanted to deal with you in the first place. Its your job to make your customers want to deal with you, not theirs.
	The Law of Control “If your house is in order, your customer's house is in order.”
Your business is successful only to the degree to which you feel you are in control of events that occur within it. Customers pay you to help them be in control over something in their lives. If you do that well, you are in control. Using your service, your customers gain control over some facet of outcome that the service you offer is supposed to satisfy. As within, so without. If you are in control inside your company, and know where you are going and why, you will tend to solve the control problems of your customer. You can never do for them what you are not doing for yourself. This often goes back to the expanded definition of customers. If you see your employees as such, they will help you. They will let you know what is happening in your business. You will have more than just your perspective and more eyes to see what is really occurring “out there”. You will be in control.
	The Law of Image “Nobody knows where the beef is without the sizzle.”
Every company has an image. The best image you can give is one that you plan to give. If you leave your image to chance it is more than likely that you are leaving the success of your business to chance. So the first point is to take control of your image. Your image isnt something you sell that turns out to be an empty package. It has to be connected to something real. The problem in a business that doesnt pay attention to its image is that customers often dont have time to know the real story. They may feel they dont have a reason to get to know your company better. An image is nothing more than a way to show your customers how you feel about yourself as a business and a way to gain contact with them on a playing field with many actors vying for attention. Once they have noticed and accepted your image, then they will turn their attention towards what you do. If you have followed the other laws this will be a seamless shift. If you have not, your image-building will be all for naught. You want your customers to hear the sizzle and then present them a juicy steak. Without the sizzle you may have the steak, but nobody is going to care.
	The Law of The Basics “First things first, second things not at all.”
There is an old saying in time management practice that says “first things first, second things not at all”.   The Law of The Basics is a bottom line aspect of service that is related to this.   It means that you decide what it is that you do, and you do that.  You dont try to focus on something that is outside your skill set.    You dont ever serve your customers in less than optimal ways.  If you are handling aspects of your business that you dont feel comfortable with or for which you feel under qualified, outsource.  Find the best people around to do it for you.   The extra profit you may have gained by doing it yourself, in an uncertain environment due to a knowledge or skill shortfall, will not make up for your loss of credibility when things go on tilt.   In fact, the attempt to do something you arent good at will only make people doubt your abilities in the areas you are good at.   Instead of shoring up your basics and making it something you are proud of, you will instead experience an on-going erosion.   Any service that isnt offered in an optimum way should be outsourced or eliminated.   It just isnt worth it.   Many businesses dont follow this and continue to operate.   Dont be one of them.   Survival mode is not attractive and doesnt generate a future for you.