SERVICEWISE - Much Ado about the Customer

‘The customer is always right’, ‘The customer is king’ and other such venerations of that entity called ‘the customer’ have been around for years. Well, we know from experience that the customer is most certainly not always right, in fact he can not only be wrong but downright ‘stupid’ at times; and his monarchy is not only questionable but exists only in specific situations and only under certain circumstances (remember, the customer is not always right so it makes sense that he is only king when he is).

So why still all the fuss about the customer?

Why is the Customer Important?

Every need is born of a demand. It might not be wise to start a business just because you can or want to without taking the resources that will help make your business a success into consideration. You need answers to the following questions:

·         Who needs the product or service? (People)

·         Where are they located? (Place)

·         How much are they willing to pay for the product or service? (Price)

·         What are their preferences in terms of functionality? (Product or Service)

·         How do I let them know what I’m offering? (Promotion)

·         Who can I get to help me? (People)

·     How do I get things to work in the most effective manner to achieve my objectives? (Process/Procedures)

So you need people to buy your product or service, people to sell it and people to promote it. Though these people can be grouped into end users, distributors and employees and seem somewhat disconnected, they are important components in the life cycle of a thriving business. This means the way you treat them is vital.

Who is the Customer?

The stereotype definition of a customer is someone who buys a product or service that is available in order to satisfy a need. Before, when products were not performing as predicted, companies simply made a ‘better’ product or slashed prices. Nowadays, business owners are realizing that it’s not only what you sell but how you sell that makes a difference. It therefore follows that you have to think not only about the end user of your product but also of the people that help you get the product or service to them. They are also your customers.

Types of Customers

The world of customer service recognizes three types of customers:

External Customer: They are the ones usually conjured up in the mind when one thinks about a customer. They are the ones who walk into a store to make a purchase that would satisfy his need. The objective of exceptional customer service here is customer loyalty or retention and positive word-of-mouth advertising.

Intermediate Customer: They are less readily acknowledged. They are the ‘middle men’; the distributors or vendors that aid a business in getting its product to the end user. Since you need their goodwill in order for them to move and recommend your product, they are customers as well. They form part of your delivery systems. You want to serve them right also in order to achieve positive word-of-mouth advertising.

Internal Customer: These are your colleagues or co-workers, your human resources. They are potentially overlooked as you presume that because you work with them daily in the same organization, you are working towards the same goals. But picture a scenario where a co-worker is rude, unhelpful to a customer, doesn’t work with you to ensure your customers get the best service you can offer and is in essence not exhibiting the organizational culture. This will handicap your business so you also need to know how to deal with them. Here, you’re gunning for creating job satisfaction and positive, healthy attitudes to work. This cannot help but influence how customers are treated.

In a nutshell, the customer is everyone you interact with who can, in one way or the other, contribute positively to the growth and success of your business.

So if you knew that someone could help increase your profits, wouldn’t you overlook a lot of their ‘stupid’ faults (within reason), look for creative ways to resolve their problems so that they benefit the both of you, cause them to leave your business feeling like ‘kings’ and come back, bringing their friends?

That, my friends, is the definition of customer service.

FROM THE HEART OF A YOUNG NIGERIAN MOTHER - Meet Rosemary Siggins, A Mom and a Half

Let me introduce you to a woman who helps me understand that, though I have a lot to deal with as a working 21st century mum, I've got what it takes to make it.

She is less than two feet tall but she remodels cars. She walks with her arms and rides a skateboard. Her name is Rosemary Siggins and she only has half a body.

Imagine a Barbie doll. Now imagine it with its legs taken out, leaving just the torso. That’s what Rose looks like.

Rose was born with a rare genetic disorder called Sacral Agenesis. This means that there was an abnormal development of her lower spine. Because her legs were severely deformed at birth and Rose was in danger of harming herself, her mother, after consulting several doctors, decided to have them amputated when Rose was two years old.

For years, she was forced to wear artificial limbs in a bid to make her look like everyone else. She rebelled when she was in the eighth grade and turned up for school one day on a skateboard. She insisted she wanted to be normal and refused to use a wheelchair. This meant that Rose uses her hands to move from place to place.

Rose met her husband Dave in 1997 and married him two years later; two years after that she discovered that she was pregnant. It was unprecedented for a woman in her condition to carry a baby to term, much less successfully deliver one. Only one doctor was willing to support the couple’s decision to have the baby as the foetus grew transversely, unlike normal pregnancies. Rose successfully delivered a baby boy and a few years later, a baby girl was added to the family.

After her mother lost the battle to cancer, Rose was faced with the added responsibility of not only running that family automobile business, but also looking after her mentally handicapped bother and her father who has Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s.

This Colorado native cooks for her family and cleans her house. She goes to her local supermarket to buy her groceries. She gets her kids ready for school and drives a car she and her father adapted with hand controls for her use.

Her bravery, sadly, is not without a price. Walking with her hands means that she has been using her shoulder joints like a pelvis. This has led to a lot of wear, resulting in a weakening of her joints. Rose will eventually have to use a wheel chair to take the pressure off them.

Her response to her situation is this: "A lot of people with disabilities feel that life owes them something, and I was raised in a way that no, no-one owes you a dime. The world doesn't owe you anything, this is what you have and you use your resources and you get through life. My personal opinion is, get up and go for it, just do it." 

It was William James who said,”The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude of mind.”

Rose Siggins; wife, mother, business owner and primary caregiver has certainly made this discovery. I hope you do too.

Sources: UK Channel 5’s Series ‘Extraordinary People’

              THS Investigates (E! Entertainment Network Documentary)