When Customers Matter - The Service Provider

For years I have preached that good customer service is the key to growing a business and ever so often when I enter a restaurant, deli or clothing store and I am treated like a “friend just passed by” I am appalled that in this day and age, people still have not seen the relevance of the customer’s role in business.

As an employer, I have always had one rule of thumb – “customers pay you, I don’t” and yet I wonder in 2010, why businesses are still not getting this rather crystal clear picture.

Let’s take this little scenario,

• Business opens at 10:00 a.m.
• At 10:30 a.m. – there are no customers
• At 12:00 noon – there are no customers
• Lunch at 12:30 p.m. and still no customers
• Five minutes to closing, and still no customers.

What’s wrong with this scenario? No customers, no money!

Is the lesson so hard to learn? If we do not give good service, we get no customers; if we do not recognize how important customers are we have no business. I've heard service providers say that if a particular customer does not buy, another one will! That's a bad attitude anyway; whether a customer purchases or not should not be dependant on your bad approach!

Therefore, when I enter a store, even though you need to give me time to look around, it is still your duty to find out whether you can be of assistance to me – furthermore, it doesn’t hurt to hurry over to me as I enter the business to greet me, it is amazing how far this initial greeting goes. You don’t get a second change at first impressions – this is always a great time to impress.

I told a group recently that you should always put your best performance on for your customers – you never know who will be your next boss and that person that you are giving 110% service to, could be so impressed that he might instantly see you working in his organization.

Customers matter. Treat them with respect. Don’t take them for granted, because if you do, you are taking your job for granted. Actually that’s another thing that tugs at me ever so often; why do you have to take the job for granted – you provide a service to a business for which you are paid. Luckily, in some organizations, it is not only a service which you provide for a fee, sometimes there are several benefits that go along with it, hence the reason why you should give even more.

It is known that we have problems in our small society with customer care; giving of service must come from the heart, you must want to do it – it is your obligation to the business to give service to the customer – it is all part of the service you are paid for. No one says you need to go through the day “grinning” at every customer, but a smile goes a long way, especially when people are spending money.

Let’s start today to be more aware of what is expected. Try putting your foot in the customer’s shoe and ask yourself, “would I patronize a business that gives me such poor service?” I am sure as the customer your money would stay in your pocket.

Therefore, be a bit nicer, smile a bit more give service as you would expect it to be given to you and if you find this little task difficult to perform, you might very well be in the wrong job.

Let’s be kinder human beings to each other and to our customers and you will see that your life is one of contentment and gratitude and furthermore, they very small island of ours, will become more productive, more prosperous, a better place to live. Try it today!