ers. Minimizing the expense means that customer service organizations tend to define their functions in terms of the lowest-paying job description. According to this model, if you can define the customer service job in such a way that non-professional, lower-paid, often temporary workers can be used, then you can minimize the expense. The problem with this is obvious. If the customer service organization is to be your front line for the maintenance of customer relationships, then what happens when the customer service group has your least professional, least dedicated staff? Exactly the opposite of what you want. Maximize the Contacts The maximize-the-number-of-customer-contacts rule has an impact similar to that of the minimize-the-expense rule. Because of this rule, most customer service organizations have eliminated customer service centers where customers can come in and meet a person face to face. Instead, huge call centers are created. This way, the number of contacts is maximized. Again, this means is that the customer service rep's primary mission is to get the person off the phone as quickly as possible SO that the next call can be taken. That is not very conducive to quality relationship building. Minimize the Organizational Impact The final rule is also a devastating one. Most customer service organizations are encouraged to take care of the customers' problems, but are also discouraged from bothering the people in marketing, sales, network maintenance, and billing when problems arise. The customer service group is perceived as a buffer designed to keep out customer disruption of activities rather than as the primary agent for change in the business. eXcellence in Telecommunications The Telco Churn Handbook Customer Service Vision The more appropriate vision for the customer service organization needs to be almost the opposite of what it is today. If it is to function as the true front-line maintainer of customer relationships, then the quality of staff must be upgraded and a culture developed that hol