I remember when I was transitioning a Medical Underwriting function from a large US based Life Insurance company to India, the first thing that I was told is that each application has to be processed as if you are processing it for your mother. A few years later when I was transitioning a Supply Chain process from a large UK based pharma giant, I was reminded that our own family members are at the end of our supply chains. In a sense, we all are the producers, the managers, the coordinators as well as the consumers of the products that we are either producing or managing. So when we are being customer centric, we are actually serving ourselves.

Secondly, many a time I have observed a lax attitude when we are at the “giving” end – a general resistance to go above & beyond set targets, keeping self above service and a tendency to be tolerant with a mediocre work culture cleverly disguised under employee centric well being policies. Not only is this highly detrimental to the organization but it is not doing the employees any favour as well; who, the minute they are on the “receiving” end, demand a white-gloved treatment from service providers. We as customers always demand value for money, we expect 100% quality, we demand best-in-class services. It is but a paradox when we fail to realize that if we are not getting the kind of service we so desire, its because we ourselves have failed to set up the mechanism to enable it.