THANK YOU for the recent article relating to customer (dis)service in Jamaica. The experience related in the June 8 feature, unfortunately, is typical. Please allow me the opportunity to share some insights gained through years of experience.
Human nature would lead us to believe that a complaining customer is a nuisance, but an astute businessperson, with a vision to growing his or her company would have the wisdom to see a complaining customer as a valuable tool in the expansion and development of the business.
A complaining customer will tell you, for free, if you are wise enough to listen, what many business consultants will charge a fortune to tell you. They will gladly point out the shortcomings in your customer service delivery. Some will even go as far as making valid suggestions on how you could improve your service. Listen and learn.
Customers who complain are customers to be valued. These are customers who care enough to take their time to tell you where your efforts didn't measure up and to give your organisation a chance to make amends and do better next time . They are telling you that they want there to be a next time .
Customers who don t care will just swallow the disappointment and take their future business and all future business referrals elsewhere. Plus, they will be spreading a negative message about your company as they go. Industry statistics show that a happy customer might tell one or two people about their shopping experience, but a dissatisfied customer tells between eight and 10 others.
THE NEED TO FEEL RESPECTED
Inside the messy details of any dissatisfied customer s story is the unmet human need to feel respected. For a business transaction to be successful, both parties must feel that their business and human needs are being met. Yes, it is important to fulfil business requirements with details such as customer information, product or service required and payment agreements. But, if the intent is to grow a business based on long-term relationships with your customers, which allows for repeat business as well as their referrals and recommendations to friends and family, you must also pay close attention to the human requirements.
I have spent more than 25 years developing, writing and delivering customer service lessons that are being used by both BellSouth Telecommunications and AT&T, two U.S. multi-billion dollar corporations that have won numerous prestigious customer service awards. Customer service is a subject I know intimately.
Business owners should impress upon every employee that it is really the customer who pays their salaries, not the owner. The owner only signs the cheque. Without customers, payroll and other expenses cannot be met. Customers don't expect companies to be perfect, but they do expect some recovery effort to be made when promises haven't been kept. You will find sales increasing when you make customer care the core of your corporate culture.
CUSTOMER NOT ALWAYS RIGHT, BUT YOU WANT THEM TO ALWAYS BE THE CUSTOMER
Just for the record, I am not one who subscribes to the adage that "The customer is always right." No, sometimes the customer is wrong, but they are always the customer and we want them to remain our customer, whether they are right or wrong.
- L. M. Robinson, Roots Corner Technologies
