Is the customer still king?
The question should be, who is a king? Almost every children’s book portrays a king as very kind or very cruel, who can issue decrees and give rewards either good or bad just as he pleases, also according to set laws. A king has authority at least in his domain. Starting up a business in […]
The question should be, who is a king? Almost every children’s book portrays a king as very kind or very cruel, who can issue decrees and give rewards either good or bad just as he pleases, also according to set laws. A king has authority at least in his domain.
Starting up a business in a wonderful economy like ours isn’t always easy because there are so many basic things we have to contend with. You name it. We all wake up every morning, sometimes in the mood, other times not, to provide services for as many who can afford it. If the customer says your service is good, it’s a decree issued out to friends and family; likewise, if the service is bad. The fastest and cheapest form of advert is “word of mouth”. I know we do our best but the service is to the customer which makes them the judge and jury. Really, our opinion as service providers does not matter.
Some service providers separate themselves from the customer like they are species from mars or something that cannot be understood as a result of being too difficult, forgetting that every day we interchange roles from customer to service provider. For instance I walked into a shop in the Hilton, a five star hotel where very important people come in and out on a daily basis. The shop, later confirmed by the attendant, was supposed to be opened at 8:30am the exact time I arrived, but of course, I couldn’t find anybody to attend to me. I patiently waited, sat right in front of the customer service desk, reading a book. At 9:00am, a customer service officer comes in, sits right in front of me on the other side of the desk and started her computer generally preparing for the day’s work. All this time I was looking at her hoping to get an eye contact or some form of recognition that I exist. When I didn’t, I simply went back to reading my book hoping for a miracle. At last she looks up and says “Are you waiting for me?”, I couldn’t help laughing, “yes”, I said, “I have been trying to get your attention since you got here and you didn’t even ask me anything”. Her reply was even more shocking; “that’s why I am asking you now” and she went on and on defending why she ignored me and came late, not one apologetic word. Bottom line is, I took my money where it was appreciated.
We should ask ourselves what our behavioral pattern would be if we are treated like a million bucks or like a kobo. You don’t have to lie to the customer or be devious; you would be surprised how far simple courtesies like a smile, ‘thank you’, ‘have a nice day’…… would go. Business owners must enforce service and communicate it passionately to their staff because staff will always take a cue from them.
Customers, like kings, respond to praises. In every playlet or movie I have seen, a palace always has an ambience of beauty to the best of their cultural abilities, to make the king feel comfortable and on top of the world. When the king shows up in the palace, he is so praised by his subjects that he is forced to give gifts and money. There is something about a good and warm atmosphere that just opens a person’s mind to absorb and process certain things easily than others. That’s why a spa always smells nice and cozy so the customer can relax and feel good about themselves.
Conduct an experiment, just walk outside right now especially if you are in Lagos and see the hostility in the air; everybody is rushing, hustling. Coming out of that horrible traffic wouldn’t you just rather see a smiley warm face that says “kpele, you must be tired would you like to have a glass of water?” Pause for a minute and take that picture in. We like difficult solutions like “12 steps to becoming a millionaire”, but we know it’s the simple things in life we take for granted that matter’s the most.
We can all do this in our little areas of service. Even if for nothing else, we should do it for selfish reasons. Selfish in the sense that good service keeps the customer coming back and that means money!
THE MANY FACES OF SERVICE: Like our very own shadow literally haunting us, SERVICE has become a word we cannot but think about as the world has long gone customer-centric with us lagging behind. It is for the service providers to concentrate on the customer but our attitude towards our fellow human beings is very important. I recently went on vacation to some country and I noticed quite a number of interesting things which I would like to call the many faces of service.
Irrespective of the time or day, people were simply nice and I am talking about. They took time to smile, make jokes even offering help! Amazing isn’t it! At the peak of time here, we act like the customers should be grateful we graced them with our presence. It is so important who we present as the face of the organization as that, to a large extent determines the customer’s experience. We must constantly put ourselves in the shoes of the customer.
We must understand that many of the attendants and or receptionists are sometimes less advantaged, oftentimes educationally challenged, unenlightened and unexposed, which may in turn create inferiority complex coupled with frustration and dashed hopes of a brighter future. They take up these jobs as a last resort with no training whatsoever. Business owners should therefore imbue them with the necessary understanding of service orientation or take advantage of training outfits especially for this purpose. Business owners get people to run their businesses so they take a part of the load off their shoulders, but unwittingly, they end up with ‘extra load’ when bogged down with the responsibility of training and development of the individual.
Still, the importance of excellent service cannot be over emphasized. We must go out of our comfort zones if we are going to experience a professional touch in service delivery as a nation. Happy customer, happy business.
Brenda Okiti, wrote this piece from Abuja