Customer Service Week Is Good — But Real Service Is Every Day

 

By: Emmanuel Klomey

A few days ago, during an event conversation with industry colleagues, an interesting thought was sparked. The conversation reflected on Customer Service Week and how it is widely celebrated across various sectors by public and corporate Ghana.

Every October, social media is awash with photos of employees dressed in old-school outfits, themed costumes, and colour-coordinated office decorations. There’s always excitement in the air with cheerful faces, group photos, and hashtags celebrating “Customer Service Week.” While these undoubtedly boost employee engagement, the focus seems to have tilted inward, celebrating staff more than the very customers whose experiences the week was designed to highlight.

While employee recognition is undeniably important, especially for frontline teams who are the face of any organization, the heart of Customer Service Week should remain firmly aligned with customers. After all, without them, there would be no service to deliver.

 The 2025 Theme: Mission Possible

This year’s global theme for Customer Service Week, “Mission: Possible,” highlights that the Week is about celebrating the dedication and resilience of customer service teams who go the extra mile to meet customer needs.

It’s a powerful reminder that great service isn’t accidental; it is intentional and often delivered under pressure. It’s about people who turn challenges into solutions and complaints into loyalty.

Yet, in many institutions, the focus has quietly shifted toward internal festivities rather than genuine customer engagement. While team bonding is valuable, the true mission to connect with, appreciate, and better serve customers often fades amid the celebration.

 Who Should Lead the Celebration

From a Public Relations (PR) perspective, the way most institutions manage Customer Service Week calls for a strategic rethink. In many organizations, the event is typically championed by the Human Resources (HR) department, and understandably, HR focuses on employee welfare and engagement. However, Customer Service Week is not just about internal morale; at its core, it’s about relationship management and brand perception, which fall directly under Corporate Communications and PR.

PR professionals are uniquely positioned to translate internal excitement into external engagement. They ensure that celebrations are not just visible but strategically communicate to customers that their loyalty is appreciated and satisfied.

When PR leads or collaborates closely with HR and Service Quality teams, the celebration becomes more balanced in motivating staff internally while engaging customers externally.

Bringing the Focus Back to the Customer

If we are to make the 2025 theme, “Mission: Possible,” truly resonate, institutions must re-center Customer Service Week around the people it’s named after — the Customers: The King.

Instead of focusing solely on themed dress-ups and internal games, organizations could introduce customer-centered initiatives such as:

• Customer Appreciation Draws: Simple, engaging activities whether in-branch or online where customers can win gifts or service vouchers. These small gestures leave a big impression.
• Customer Feedback Forums: Engage customers (Host open sessions, both physical and virtual) directly to share experiences, offer ideas and co-create service improvement. Listening is the first act of service.
• Community Impact Projects: Invite customers to partner with staff in social initiative projects like school donations, clean-up exercises and health awareness campaigns. This reinforces shared values and builds relational equity beyond the transactional.
• Storytelling Campaigns: Share and celebrate authentic stories of customer service experiences, highlighting customers, not just employees. These stories build brand trust and emotional connection.

Together, these activities bring the celebration to a full circle, transforming Customer Service Week from internal enjoyment to external impact. They say to every customer, “We see you, we value you, and we exist because of you.” That’s how the mission becomes possible, not just in theme, but in practice.

The Business Case for Customer Experience

Customer experience is no longer a “nice-to-have”, it’s a strategic growth driver. Data consistently shows that how customers feel about their interactions with a company directly influences their loyalty and spending.

A PwC Global Consumer Insights Survey found that 73% of consumers say experience influences their buying decisions, yet fewer than half believe organizations deliver excellent service. That gap isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s a competitive risk.

Companies that invest in elevating their customer experience benefit from stronger brand reputation, revenue growth, and operational efficiency.

Redefining the Mission

Our collective mission across all institutions, like banking, telecommunications, insurance, healthcare, and beyond, is to make Customer Service Week about the customer again. Let HR continue to lead in employee engagement, thus recognizing and energizing the teams who power customer interactions every day, but let Corporate Communications and PR step up to own the external narrative, ensuring the celebration strengthens customer trust and deepens brand connection.

The competitive landscape shows that Products can be copied, Prices can be matched, and Technology can be replicated. But customer service experience cannot be duplicated. Customer service is not an event. It’s a culture.

The writer is a PR Manager with Global Media Alliance