Perhaps the clearest way a company can distinguish itself in today's hyper-competitive marketplace is through the provision of outstanding customer service. I'm not talking about adequate service, or friendly service, or even timely service. And I'm not confusing consistent service with fantastic service, like so many customer service organizations appear to do. I'm talking about high-touch, mind-blowing customer service—the kind that leaves an indelible imprint on the mind and emotions of your customer and keeps them engaged long after the customer service interaction is over.

How is such service possible? What are the secrets to its delivery?

Obviously, there are many factors in the customer service equation. Many books have been written about the importance of creating a 'culture of service', including all the technological tools, human infrastructure, quality assurance, and organizational values that form the platform for outstanding service delivery. Here, we will zoom in to a more tactical level, to find out how individual service providers deliver outstanding service in the moment, often despite a breakdown in the other elements I have mentioned.

In a recent training with a group of award-winning customer service providers, I asked them to recount their top customer service stories. Although the details of each scenario were often different from one another, it quickly became apparent that there were common denominators in the behaviors and mentality of the outstanding service provider. I call these common denominators the "Three Commandments of Outstanding Customer Service", because they are prerequisites that should never be ignored. They are, as follows:

1. "You must quickly identify what your customer wants and needs." One of the critical errors in customer service delivery is failing to rapidly define what it is that the customer really wants from you. Generally, this stems from poor listening skills and an over-emphasis on efficiency. It is vital that we recognize that our customers have both tangible and emotional needs. Sometimes a customer will appear to be asking for one thing, while in reality looking for something completely different. Outstanding customer service providers are flexible and sensitive to the shifting dynamics of each interaction. They take the time to treat each individual as an individual and know how to satisfy their customers throughout the entire spectrum of their needs.

2. "You must take accountability."  We've all had customer service interactions where the service provider refused to take accountability, and we all know how frustrating and infuriating such experiences can be. It could even be said that a lack of personal ownership is the very stuff from which all poor customer service interactions arise. To deliver outstanding service, the buck must stop with the service provider: They must either provide the customer with what they need, or take full responsibility for ensuring that they get it through other means. This means staying with the customer all the way to a satisfactory conclusion and often providing emotional assurance along the way.

3. "You must pleasantly surprise your customer." This is one of the most obvious, and yet most commonly overlooked, aspects of providing genuinely outstanding service. Many organizations confuse consistent, reliable service with outstanding service. Nothing could be further from the truth! Make no mistake: Outstanding service exists nowhere outside of the mind of the individual customer! It is a completely subjective thing. It's the chemical total of various emotional and intellectual perceptions. Yes, consistency and reliability are necessary starting points, but they mean little if the psychological principles of human interaction are neglected. One of those principles is that, 'Happiness is about expectations'. In order to delight our customers, we must exceed their expectations—and make sure they know it! Quite simply, we must deliver a pleasant surprise. On the surface this appears to run contrary to our standards of consistency and reliability. This needn't be the case. Customer service providers can deliver the pleasant surprise through special attention to the customer, under-promising, and by taking unexpected steps to ensure the customer's delight.

With commitment and creativity, the possibilities for creating an unforgettable outstanding customer service experience are endless. With that pursuit, the individual and organizational dividends that result are sure to be equally incredible.

John Bridges is the CEO of Natural Persuasion Technologies, a global training and consulting firm specializing in persuasive communication. 

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Edited by Juliana Kenny