If you’ve ever watched American Idol, you’ve seen the judges struggle to articulate the difference in an Idol-worthy performance and a performance that is just technically accurate. Replay any piano recital, talent show, or high school play and you’ll see this principle at play: Accurate action is not enough; it’s the interaction that counts.

I think of this when I consider Corporate America and the common approach to what most executives say is their #1 priority, customer service: Mandate a detailed service process, train your front line on THE set of actions (some even prescribe the exact words), then, if you’ve really got your act together, have your managers coach and measure against that set of actions.

Sound familiar? The results may sound familiar as well: Greeters sporting plastic smiles reciting “Welcome to our store”: service professionals who provide only what the customer specifically asks for; specialists who respond to customer problems by quoting policies, rather than providing solutions; people who seek to please management rather than the customer.

The paradox of customer service training is that the instant a set of actions is prescribed to deliver extraordinary customer service, in-focused, rather than customer-focused, behaviors result. Attention goes to the action, not to the interaction.

So, what do Fantasia Barrino, David Letterman, and your top service professionals have in common? They do more than sing the notes written on a page, read the blue cards and deliver that approved set of actions. Superstars do what it takes to create a genuine connection: They focus on the interaction, and, as a result, consistently create extraordinary experiences. They make it personal.

Delivering great customer service isn’t hard; we just have a tendency to make it hard. These guidelines can help you bring to life a thriving customer-service culture in your organization:

· Personalize

Hire people who like people: In your interviews, look for people who engage you in a conversation, rather than just answering questions. Screen for patterns of helping others and delighting in others’ successes. Look for empathetic patterns as they describe their interactions.

· Authenticity

Focus on the interaction, not the action: Every person in your organization should know and be able to explain the type of interactions or experiences you want to create for your customers. Is it sales focused or service focused? Do you want to provide one-on-one personal service or one-on-ten? Eventually, your customers’ expectations should be so high, they complain when their interaction is less than great.

· Empathy

Walk in your customer’s shoes: Everyone talks about examining their processes from the customers’ perspective. (Although as a customer, I often wonder how real the examination is – think mystery shops, the great myth of retail customer service) Again, when the focus is on processes – even customer-focused processes – it is not on each unique customer, what that customer wants, what that customer needs, what that customer feels. Walking in the customer’s shoes means every person in your organization – from the CEO to the person who stocks the shelves - is tuned in to and responds to every unique customer in every interaction.

· Vision

Provide service skills as tools to shape the interaction: The art of customer service is using the skills as tools to create an interaction masterpiece for every customer. I think of it this way: Paint brushes and oils, when used with a clear vision and purpose, in the hands of someone who cares, can create a masterpiece. So, if I use the same tools, will I be an artist? No. A paint-by-number set allows some of me to pretend that I am an artist. After all, the tools are the same and the end product is a painting. Yet, the individuality, personality, and responsibility for making it truly special and unique have been all removed. Ensure your people have the tools and the purpose to create a masterpiece for every customer. The vision should be sales through service, not service through sales.

· Commitment

Think about what you tell your people: Do you talk about pushing items per transaction, decreasing call time, and moving old inventory… or do you talk about understanding customer needs, living the brand, going a step beyond the requirements and doing the unexpected? Make no mistake: Your customers and your people know how committed you are to customer care by your words.

· Model Customer Focus

Think about what you show your people: Do you give attention to every aspect of the customer experience (like providing clean, well-stocked bathrooms or having umbrellas ready to escort customers to their cars in a rainstorm), or do you only give attention to the numbers you are rated on? Does your management team come into a store and begin to review sales numbers on the floor with customers standing near by? Ask yourself this: Who is more important when senior management is in the store, the customer or the vice president? Your commitment to the customer interaction shows 24/7 and is multi-dimensional. Your customers and your people know how committed you are to customer care by your actions.

When mistakes are made, make them on the side of the customer: Equip your people; give them appropriate boundaries to make their own decisions, ensuring they know to err on the side of the customer. Then, stand behind them when they act on the customer’s behalf.

Next time you want to review the “level” of customer service in one of your stores, watch your customers first. If the customers are engaged, your employees are doing the right thing. Then watch your employees. If the level of engagement or interaction is not what you want, ask yourself two questions: What is getting in the way and why aren’t our customers complaining so that we can fix it?

Although processes are important for the efficient running of a store, they should be processes that have the customer’s engagement in mind. What you are striving for is a self-fulfilling prophecy where the customer sets the standards and lets you know what is working and what is not.

Lastly, for any “customer service training” to be successful it must start at the top. Specific training is a tool, not the whole solution. Cultural changes require everyone’s commitment. Involve all of your business partners from Human Resources, to Operations, Finance and Executive Leadership in the strategy and execution. One of my mentors summed it up best for me, “involve at the point of creation, not at execution”.