Everything seems to have a day, doesn't it?

Today is national noodle day, which is an example of the kind of PR nonsense that makes it easy to pour scorn on the idea of having days (or weeks) dedicated to a particular issue. It's also World Cerebral Palsy day, which feels much more meaningful, doesn't it? That's because it provides a focus to help raise awareness, not to sell more noodles.

Today is also day 3 of National Customer Service Week (NCSW), which is our annual chance to focus on the importance of customer service. It's great to see more and more momentum gathering around it every year.

Isn't every week customer service week?

NCSW doesn't imply that the other 51 weeks of the year are not about customer service. Instead, it's a chance to raise awareness of the importance of customer service within your organisation, to make a splash, and to recognise and celebrate people who really make a difference to customers.

The daily themes provide a focus on different aspects of customer service, and there's an opportunity there to launch initiatives that can keep going far beyond the end of the week.

Isn't customer experience about more than service?

It can sometimes feel a little old-fashioned to talk about "customer service" as opposed to "customer experience". While it's true that I sometimes prefer the way "experience" emphasise how customers feel rather than what you do, the flip side of that is that it can sometimes lose sight of the fact that the experience is created by people.

Turning the focus onto service reminds us that the biggest influence on the experience is what your people at the frontline decide, do, and say. However good your products and processes are, if the service experience lets them down then customers will turn elsewhere.

If the last 18 months has taught us anything, it's how much we rely on customer service professionals in every aspect of our lives.

What did you do?

We'd love to know what you did for NCSW, so get in touch if you've got some good stories. We might even feature you in Customer Insight!

And if you haven't made the most of NCSW, well you've still got time to do something about it. More importantly, put a note in your diary for next year to make sure you take advantage of the opportunity that NCSW presents.

It's a landmark event focused on your customers and the people who serve them, and a great chance to show how much you appreciate that.

About NCSW

NCSW is a campaign by the Institute of Customer Service to raise awareness of customer service and the important part it plays for businesses around the UK.

This year NCSW focuses on 5 different themes:

1. The Changing World of Work

2. Service with Respect

3. Skills & Capabilities

4. Effective Strategy & Focused Leadership

5. Recognition

Find out more and how you can get involved on the on the NCSW website. There are also lots of activities and resources available for you to access.