--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Customer service is not a department…" description: "\"Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.\" — Ken Blanchard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png" --- # Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job. ![“Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.” quote by Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png) > “Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.” [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Customer service is a collective responsibility, not confined to a single department. **In simple terms:** Everyone should serve customers. Key Takeaway Make service a shared duty. Themes service teamwork responsibility Mood professional determined Type leadership motivational When to use this quote - retail - hospitality - call centers - online support Key Concepts customer focus organizational culture Questions to Reflect On - How can you empower all staff? - What systems ensure consistent service? A Different Perspective Shared responsibility can blur accountability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Customer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) [Customer experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer-experience/) [Customer loyalty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer-loyalty/) [Customer service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer-service/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Inspirational customer service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational-customer-service/) [Inspiring customer service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring-customer-service/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Loyalty in business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loyalty-in-business/) [Motivate employees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivate-employees/) [Service](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service/) [Service culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/service-culture/) ## Related quotes > [A customer is the most important visitor on our premises, he is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/a-customer-is-the-most-important-visitor-on-our-premises-he-is-not/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [There is only one boss. The customer...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-walton/there-is-only-one-boss-the-customer/) [Sam Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-walton/) > [Revolve your world around the customer and more customers will revolve around you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-williams/revolve-your-world-around-the-customer-and-more-customers-will/) Heather Williams > [The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/the-complaining-customer-represents-a-huge-opportunity-for-more/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [Customer satisfaction is worthless. Customer loyalty is priceless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-gitomer/customer-satisfaction-is-worthless-customer-loyalty-is-priceless/) [Jeffrey Gitomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-gitomer/) > [Profit in business comes from repeat customers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/profit-in-business-comes-from-repeat-customers/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) > [Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/get-closer-than-ever-to-your-customers-so-close-that-you-tell-them/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might each tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the Internet, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-you-make-customers-unhappy-in-the-physical-world-they-might-each/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them - preferably in unexpected and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/the-key-is-to-set-realistic-customer-expectations-and-then-not-to/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Loyal customers, they don't just come back, they dont simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/loyal-customers-they-don-t-just-come-back-they-dont-simply-recommend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If put to the pinch, an ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/if-put-to-the-pinch-an-ounce-of-loyalty-is-worth-a-pound-of-cleverness/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [Being on par in terms of price and quality only gets you into the game. Service wins the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-alessandra/being-on-par-in-terms-of-price-and-quality-only-gets-you-into-the/) [Tony Alessandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-alessandra/) > [Customer service should not be a department, customer service is everyone's job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/customer-service-should-not-be-a-department-customer-service-is/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Customer service is not a department, it's everyones job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/customer-service-is-not-a-department-it-s-everyones-job/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The main difference between service and manufacturing is the service department doesn't know that they have a product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-edwards-deming/the-main-difference-between-service-and-manufacturing-is-the-service/) [W. Edwards Deming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-edwards-deming/) ## More by Ken Blanchard > [Good thoughts not delivered mean squat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/good-thoughts-not-delivered-mean-squat/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [People who produce good results feel good about themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/people-who-produce-good-results-feel-good-about-themselves/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Start your day with good intentions and set yourself up for a good attitude. It's not what happens to you that matters but how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/start-your-day-with-good-intentions-and-set-yourself-up-for-a-good/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [All good performance starts with clear goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/all-good-performance-starts-with-clear-goals/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Anything worth doing does not have to be done perfectly - at first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/anything-worth-doing-does-not-have-to-be-done-perfectly-at-first/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Positive thinkers get positive results because they are not afraid of problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/positive-thinkers-get-positive-results-because-they-are-not-afraid-of/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Empowering means helping teams develop their skills and knowledge and supporting them to use their talents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/empowering-means-helping-teams-develop-their-skills-and-knowledge-and/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Your role as a leader is even more important than you might imagine. You have the power to help people become winners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/your-role-as-a-leader-is-even-more-important-than-you-might-imagine/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Catch people in the act of doing something right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/catch-people-in-the-act-of-doing-something-right/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [It never hurts to toot your own horn once in a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/it-never-hurts-to-toot-your-own-horn-once-in-a-while/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Too often in business, only financial data is gathered - and then it is distributed only to management. Other key indicators that relate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/too-often-in-business-only-financial-data-is-gathered-and-then-it-is/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [The biggest obstacle that stalls leaders' growth is the human ego. When leaders start to think they know it all, they stop growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/the-biggest-obstacle-that-stalls-leaders-growth-is-the-human-ego-when/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Everyday do something in relation to everything that's important to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/everyday-do-something-in-relation-to-everything-that-s-important-to/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [Leadership is anytime you seek to influence the thinking, behavior, or development of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/leadership-is-anytime-you-seek-to-influence-the-thinking-behavior-or/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) > [The only job security you have today os your commitment to continuous personal improvement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/the-only-job-security-you-have-today-os-your-commitment-to-continuous/) [Ken Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) [Explore all 140 Ken Blanchard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/) ## More Customer quotes > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Amongst the financial Twitterati, the term 'muppets' has come to describe any client used and abused by some financial predator. I've adopted the term…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-ritholtz/amongst-the-financial-twitterati-the-term-muppets-has-come-to/) [Barry Ritholtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-ritholtz/) > [Many early-stage entrepreneurs make one simple mistake: Describing this 'big picture' in vague concepts and words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunil-nagaraj/many-early-stage-entrepreneurs-make-one-simple-mistake-describing/) [Sunil Nagaraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunil-nagaraj/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [The exact details of how you practice value investing will vary investor to investor, but the fundamental principle of scouring the world, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-tilson/the-exact-details-of-how-you-practice-value-investing-will-vary/) [Whitney Tilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-tilson/) > [The best way to hold customers is to constantly figure out how to give them more for less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-kotler/the-best-way-to-hold-customers-is-to-constantly-figure-out-how-to/) [Philip Kotler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-kotler/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [When the dollar collapses, it's not doing it in a vacuum. If the dollar loses value, it's doing so relative to some other currency.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/when-the-dollar-collapses-it-s-not-doing-it-in-a-vacuum-if-the-dollar/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Corporations invest in sophisticated CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, programs to effectively oversee their relationship with their customers at every point during the buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-ostrofsky/corporations-invest-in-sophisticated-crm-or-customer-relationship/) [Marc Ostrofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-ostrofsky/) > [I believe confusion is good. Worldwide market leaders gain when there is confusion in the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/subhash-chandra/i-believe-confusion-is-good-worldwide-market-leaders-gain-when-there/) [Subhash Chandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/subhash-chandra/) > [Damn inflation, full speed ahead,' Greenspan has said in both action and word. I think an investor should believe him and invest accordingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gross/damn-inflation-full-speed-ahead-greenspan-has-said-in-both-action-and/) [Bill Gross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gross/) > [“When companies get big, they devote most of their care and feeding to the business that got them big. This is as it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/when-companies-get-big-they-devote-most-of-their-care-and-feeding-to/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) [Browse all 9,257 Customer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/customer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Blanchard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/customer-service-is-not-a-department-it-s-everyone-s-job/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Customer" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/customer-service-is-not-a-department-it-s-everyone-s-job/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce4/ken-blanchard-3099_customer_customer-service-is-not-a-department-it_1406143.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Customer service is not a department, it's everyone's job.” — Ken Blanchard", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Ken Blanchard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-blanchard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Customer service is not a department,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/customer-service-is-not-a-department-it-s-everyone-s-job/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-blanchard/customer-service-is-not-a-department-it-s-everyone-s-job/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```