In these pages a few years ago, my friend Ron Kleiman was quoted saying “self service is not service.” The improvements in technology are blurring that hard line, but then consider how businesses that have built ways to make their people have succeeded in recent years.

Southwest Airlines, for example, started as a low cost airline, but through a people-based approach to service it has become the go-to carrier for many business travelers—and the fares we pay are not bargain savers, either. The Southwest employee culture of having fun while they do an efficient job is welcome, especially in light of so many airlines where employees don't seem to enjoy their work. PaaS is a differentiator—a lever bringing repeat business in a business where there are always choices of providers, like air travel.

I've often observed there seems to be two fundamental models of customer service. I call them “what do you want?” and “how can I help you?” The former represents someone that wants to handle issues as quickly as possible and get a customer off the line. The second wants to solve the customer's problems. The second is the foundation of PaaS.