For SIX years I worked for well-known IT Company that prided itself on superior customer service. If a customer wanted to return something that we didn’t sell, we were to take the attitude of “Not a Problem!” If a customer wanted to return something without a receipt, the answer was: “Not a Problem!”
It’s the return policy, or should I say, lack of a return policy that kept the customers. For this company, yes, the customer was always right. There really was no point in arguing with customer because 99.9% of the time they ended up asking for a manager who in turn gave the customer what they wanted anyway.
Sometimes I stood and watched my colleague’s huff and puff about the customer who tried to take advantage of the “return policy”. They ended up wasting time and energy on an issue when they could have been back out on the sales floor making up that money that was supposedly lost.
Why did this company offer such great service? Elementary, my Dear “abc”. As a customer, when we’re given great service, we’re more likely to tell other people of our experience and more likely to return to buy more. It’s the attitude of “the customers are always right” that set this company apart from the rest. As sales people, even if we knew the customer was actually wrong, they were told that they were right. Isn’t it better to lose MRF300 than to lose MRF30,000? If you rubbed that customer the wrong way, he/she would tell five friends what awful service they received and then those five friends wouldn’t do business with you. That can add up to a lot!
If we can always keep the customer in the forefront of our minds, business would run more smoothly. After all, isn’t that what we’re here for, the customer?
The customer is NOT always right … however, how the customer is feeling right now is their reality, and we have to take the high road, being the good people we are, and figure out what in the world happened causing them to feel as they do. If we had any part in that cause and effect sequence WHATSOEVER, we are the ones who need to make it right. In fact, even if we didn’t, we still have to make it right, because this is about who WE are. And we are good people.
3 comments:
What you said is right to an extent. Customer is the first priority for building up sales circle. And that’s how it supposed to be. But is it only the return policy that makes a customer satisfied? What about other concerns? Yeah, as you said customer is not always right. I wonder how hard a salesperson should try to induce a mislead customer. How hard-hitting it would be to fetch that customer on track and have at least 50% of trustworthiness to the salesperson.
If you have worked six years in well-known IT company with so called superior service, I m sure you could pertain (or even try) the same policies at the current company. Isn’t it? And that’s a most probable possibility! if you are talking about “possibilities…..???” You can take as a challenge, as I m for sure, you will be competing with you former company too.
Another question that just popped up is why did you left such a superior company? May be their “not problem”? policies apply when you put forward your resignation letters too. This is just what happens when a company is too much customer based. Even if it maneuvers in competitive retail market, with the obtainable close brands and accessible substitutes, employees mustn’t be neglected at the cost of employees! Right! We need equal care for both in order to gain the paramount competitive advantage in the Market.
What you say?
s[u]jau,
Thanks for your comment...
i believed that the "return policy" is not only the way to Customer satisfied... there are many... and will post one by one..
I have written three paragrahs! why dont u answer for my second para?
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