Olivia: A study found that 85% of us are willing to pay up to 25% more for something if we're guaranteed a better experience. That means for a thousand-dollar laptop, we'd happily pay an extra $250 just to be treated well. That's not a rounding error; that's an entire business model. Jackson: Wow, 25% more? That's a huge number. It feels like most companies are in a race to the bottom on price, not a race to the top on experience. They're fighting over pennies while leaving hundreds of dollars on the table. Olivia: Exactly! And that's the central premise of the book we're diving into today: 'The Customer Service Revolution' by John R. DiJulius III. What makes his perspective so powerful is that he's not an academic. He built his own chain of upscale spas into a national success story purely on these principles before he started consulting for giants like Starbucks and The Ritz-Carlton. Jackson: So he actually walked the walk. He wasn't just theorizing from an ivory tower. Olivia: He was in the trenches. And he argues this isn't just about being nice. It's a fundamental shift in thinking, what he calls the first step of the revolution: seeing service as your most valuable asset, not a cost.

Olivia: DiJulius makes a powerful point right at the start. He says customer loyalty is your strongest asset, especially when the economy gets shaky. He looks at the Great Recession from 2008 to 2010. While most companies were slashing budgets and laying off staff, the ones that actually thrived were those that doubled down on the customer experience. Jackson: Okay, that sounds good in theory, but during a recession, isn't cutting costs the most rational thing to do? How can a business owner justify spending more on service when their revenue is plummeting? It feels counterintuitive. Olivia: It does, but that's why he calls it a revolution. He has this fantastic quote: "Price is what you offer when you have nothing else." If you're only competing on price, you're in a death spiral with everyone else. But if you compete on experience, you build a moat around your business that no competitor can easily cross. Customers stick with you not because you're the cheapest, but because they feel valued. Jackson: They're loyal to the feeling, not just the product. Olivia: Precisely. Think about the flip side. Remember when Netflix suddenly hiked its prices by 60% back in 2011? The customer backlash was immediate and brutal. Why? Because the experience didn't feel like it justified the new price. People felt taken for granted. Social media exploded, and Netflix lost a ton of subscribers. They failed to make the experience so valuable that the price became a secondary concern. Jackson: That’s a perfect example. When the experience is just average, any price increase feels like a betrayal. But when the experience is exceptional, a higher price can feel justified, even fair. Olivia: And that's the core mindset shift. You're not running a cost center called "customer service." You're funding your most powerful marketing and retention department. The book argues that happy, engaged employees create happy, loyal customers. As he puts it, "Your Customers will never be any happier than your employees." It's an ecosystem, not a line item on a budget. Jackson: I love that. It connects the internal culture directly to the external perception. It’s not just about a script or a return policy; it’s about the entire company's health. Olivia: And that health is what makes you resilient. When everyone else is panicking and cutting, you're strengthening the one thing that will carry you through the storm: your relationship with your customers.

Jackson: Alright, I'm sold on the 'why.' The philosophy makes perfect sense. But 'provide a great experience' is still pretty vague. How do you actually do it? How do you stop your employees from becoming, say, the 'restroom police'? Olivia: Ah, I'm so glad you brought that up, because DiJulius tells this hilarious and horrifying story about his own niece. She was working as a hostess at a restaurant, and her boss told her one of her duties was to "police the restrooms" to make sure only paying customers used them. She even chased someone out once! Jackson: Oh no. That's a nightmare. The poor girl was just doing what she was told, but she became the villain in some stranger's day. Olivia: Exactly! And DiJulius uses this to introduce a core concept: Service Aptitude. He defines it as a person's ability to recognize opportunities to exceed customers' expectations, regardless of the circumstances. His niece had low Service Aptitude in that moment, but it wasn't her fault. It was the company's fault for teaching her the wrong things. Jackson: So Service Aptitude isn't something you're born with? It has to be trained? Olivia: That's his biggest point. He says it's the company's job to teach it. And you can't just say, "Be nice." You need concrete, non-negotiable standards. This is where he introduces the idea of a "Customer Bill of Rights," which he often frames as a "Never and Always" list. Jackson: So the 'Never and Always' list is basically like the bumpers in a bowling alley? It keeps everyone heading in the right direction and out of the gutter. Olivia: That's a perfect analogy. And the rules have to be specific and actionable. For example, a useless rule is "Always be professional." What does that even mean? It's completely open to interpretation. A brilliant rule is "Always use the customer's name if you know it." It's simple, black-and-white, and makes a huge difference. Jackson: Right. One is a vague platitude, the other is a direct instruction. Olivia: And the "Nevers" are just as important. "Never point, always show." "Never say 'no problem,' say 'my pleasure' or 'certainly'." These small shifts in language and behavior create a consistent culture. He also talks about eliminating Negative Cues—the subtle messages that make customers feel unwelcome. Jackson: Oh, I know exactly what he means. It's like those signs in a shop that list ten different ways you're not allowed to pay, or a sign that says "Don't even think of parking here." It just makes you feel like a potential criminal before you even walk in the door. Olivia: He uses the example of a restaurant restroom with four different signs all saying, "Employees must wash hands before returning to work." The customer's immediate thought wasn't, "Oh, this place is clean." It was, "Wow, they must have a serious problem with employees not washing their hands if they need this many signs." The negative cue completely backfired and the customer left without ordering. Jackson: That's fascinating. The intention was good, but the execution created the opposite effect. He suggests rewording it to something positive, right? Olivia: Yes, something like, "Cleanliness is important to us. We wash our hands before leaving." It conveys the same information but from a place of pride, not suspicion. It's these small, deliberate choices that build a foundation of great service.

Olivia: Exactly. And once you have those bumpers in place, once you've eliminated the negative cues and established your 'Nevers and Always,' you can start aiming for strikes. That's the final part of the revolution: moving beyond just good, reliable service to creating unforgettable emotional connections. Jackson: This is the part that feels like magic. How do you systematize a 'wow' moment? Olivia: You start by developing empathy. And one of the most powerful tools he describes is creating a "Day in the Life of a Customer" video. He tells this incredible story about TravelCenters of America, the big truck-stop company. Their employees were becoming numb to the drivers, who were often stressed and demanding. Jackson: I can imagine. It's easy to see them as just another transaction, another broken-down truck. Olivia: Right. So the company created a short training video. It followed a truck driver through his day. You see him on a video call with his family, promising his young son he'll be home for his big basketball game. You see the stress, the loneliness of the road. And then, his tire blows out, and he has to pull into a TravelCenters location, defeated, knowing he's going to miss the game. The video ends with the driver looking at the service desk, and the screen says, "Now, it's your turn." Jackson: Wow, that gives me chills. Suddenly, a flat tire isn't a mechanical problem; it's a human one. You're not just fixing a truck; you're getting a dad home to his kid. The entire context of the job changes in that moment. Olivia: It changes everything! Employee morale soared, driver satisfaction went up, and sales increased. That's the power of empathy. And once your team has that empathy, you can empower them with what DiJulius calls Secret Service. Jackson: That sounds intriguing. But how does a company even start gathering that kind of 'Secret Service' intelligence without being creepy or invasive? Olivia: It's simpler than you think. He introduces a low-tech tool: the FORD method. It stands for Family, Occupation, Recreation, and Dreams. The goal is for employees to simply listen for clues customers drop in conversation. A customer mentions their daughter is graduating, or they're training for a marathon, or they're excited about an upcoming vacation. Jackson: So you're not interrogating them. You're just paying attention. Olivia: You're just paying attention. And you jot it down. The next time that customer comes in, you can ask, "Hey, how was that trip to Orlando?" or "Did your daughter enjoy her graduation?" It's a tiny gesture, but it creates a massive emotional impact. It tells the customer, "You're not just a transaction to me. I remember you." Jackson: And that's the kind of thing that makes price irrelevant. You can't get that kind of personal connection from a cheaper online competitor. You feel seen. Olivia: You feel seen. And that's how companies like Zappos, Apple, and Starbucks revolutionized their industries. They didn't just sell shoes, computers, or coffee. They sold a feeling. They created an experience so personal and so valuable that customers couldn't imagine their lives without it.

Jackson: So it seems the 'revolution' isn't one single act, but a chain reaction. It starts with a leadership mindset shift—seeing service as an asset. That mindset then allows you to create clear, non-negotiable standards for your team. And those standards give your team the foundation and the freedom to create genuine human connections. Olivia: Precisely. It’s a ladder. You can't get to the 'wow' moments of Secret Service if your foundation is full of negative cues and your employees have no Service Aptitude. Each step builds on the last. Jackson: It really reframes the whole idea of what a business is for. It's not just about profit maximization. It's about creating value in people's lives, both customers and employees. Olivia: And it forces every business leader and employee to ask a powerful question, one that DiJulius poses throughout the book: What if your business ceased to exist tomorrow? Would your customers just find a cheaper, faster alternative online, or would they feel a genuine sense of loss? Jackson: That's a heavy question. Olivia: It is. But the answer to that question tells you if you're just in a business, or if you're leading a revolution. Jackson: We'd love to hear about a time a company created a 'wow' moment for you. What did they do that went beyond the transaction and made you feel truly seen? Find us on our socials and share your story. We'd love to read them. Olivia: This is Aibrary, signing off.