Customer Service Strategy, as Taught by Star Wars

Even a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, they knew about the importance of great customer service.

It’s May the Fourth, so you know what that means: we’re talking about customer service strategies, as taught by Star Wars movies. Original trilogy, prequels, sequels — hey, we’re not discriminating!

Thanks for tuning in, and may the Force be with you.

In my experience, there is no such thing as luck.

Gut feeling is one things, but luck has nothing to do with customer service. So while you’re talking about how some of the results were “flukes” or “happy accidents”, there’s always more to that than this.

Leaving your customer service strategy to chance is nothing short of amateur hour. You need numbers. You need hard data.

You need any piece of evidence you can lay your hands on to build a real-deal customer service strategy that would bring you the results you want.

But apart from all that, sometimes making a customer service strategy requires you to just go and do it. In the immortal words of Han Solo: “Never tell me the odds.”

I find your lack of faith disturbing.

Customer service does not tolerate half-heartedness. You either commit to it fully, or quit the game altogether.

Sure, some of the things you’ve planned to do may not pan out quite as well as you thought. So what? What is life without taking risks?

If you don’t believe in your own customer service strategy, what do you believe, then? Even Han Solo has outgrown his cocky college atheism somewhat.

Bottom line: sometimes, you’ve got to keep on keeping on, even if you “got a bad feeling about this”.

Do or do not, there is no try.

Same as you don’t change horses mid-stream, you don’t change the core of your strategy mid-service. Innovations and changes are always welcome, but you need to give your customer service strategy time before you discard it.

That’s the thing about not only service but life in general: your decisions matter only inasmuch as your commitment to them.

There’s no greater sin than flip-flopping between several positions without ever taking any side.

Afraid your strategy is going to fail? Listen well, young padawan: Fear is the path to the Dark Side. And even if your strategy does fail and misses the target, remember…

There’s always a bigger fish.

Late Qui Gon Jinn may have meant something else entirely when he said that, but his lesson still applies here: don’t miss the forest for the trees. No matter what happens now, there is always something waiting for you around the corner.

After all, failure is the best mentor there is. You may stumble and fall a few times, but picking yourself up only builds character.

Your focus determines your reality.

Obi Wan wasn’t lying when he said “Your eyes can deceive you. Don’t trust them.”

Unless something has been scientifically verified, it is your duty to doubt, test and experiment. Never take something for granted, not if you

There is this term in psychology, confirmation bias, which refers to the way we mainly seek evidence that supports our own opinions.

If you feel like this is happening to you, that you only pay attention to things that validate you, take a step back and tell yourself: “These aren’t the droids you’re looking for.”

Great, kid. Don’t get cocky.

Also: “Stay on target.”

Look, we get it. You’re totally killing it. You’re on top of the world, and no one’s going to stop you now. But no need to be so full of yourself just yet.

Self-assurance that skirts on pridefulness has rarely led to anything worthwhile. There are always things you can do either better, faster or both. Refusing to shake things up because you supposedly have everything under control leads to stagnation.

Another important lesson here is “You can’t stop the change, any more than you can stop the suns from setting”. (Thanks for the advice, mama Skywalker!)

It’s one thing to be against chasing trends, and another to deny they exist in the first place.

Don’t get relaxed and don’t think you’re smarter than everybody else.

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Well, there you go. You’re all clear, kid.

And to think your parents didn’t believe these movies could teach you some things!