I do not understand the lyrics in the hit song Bohemian Rhapsody. The music is terrific and I am a major Queen fan. But off the beaten path words like Scaramouch, Bismillah, and Fandango are not in my everyday vernacular. Yet, their hit song Radio Ga Ga is one I completely get. Since everything I see in the world is a likely metaphor for customer service, I could not go very far with “Mama just killed a man!” Radio Ga Ga, on the other hand, makes a case for avoiding background noise…service ga ga.
Service ga ga is the phone operator with a “how may I help you” script but a “don’t bug me with anything out of the ordinary” tone. It is the flight attendant who speaks “thank you for flying Mayday Airlines,” but sounds terribly bored instead of sincerely grateful. It is the clerk in the grocery store who reminds customers how excited she is about punching out in an hour. Or, the dry cleaners who acknowledges they incorrectly pressed your shirt but fails to comp the charge or do it over for free.
“All we hear is Radio ga ga, radio blah blah,” sings Queen lead singer, Freddy Mercury. It communicates a boring sameness without depth, significance or an experience that remains in one’s memory banks. But, to be remembered passionately enough to become a part of a story of advocation, requires uniqueness. Customers today do not talk or tweet about good service, only service that is out-of-the-ordinary. Rely on strongly storied missions not blandly scripted mimics. Encourage employees to trumpet their personalities, not your procedures. Turn the cacophony of background blandness into the melodic symphony of imaginative experiences.