Customer service is service to self

 The customer is seen as the lifeline of every organisation be it private or public, profit or non-profit. The relevance of customers, therefore, cannot be over-emphasised.

Customer service requires meeting the needs of the customer. Customers are sophisticated in their demands. These demands must, however, be met promptly, politely and professionally in a personalised manner.

To the organisation, each service encounter must be worth remembering. Organisations place high demand on employees, especially with the ever-popular maxim in the customer service repertoire: The Customer is Always Right. Employees break their backs in the quest to satisfy the customers because the organisation demands so. Often, these services are cosmetic. Agents offer fake good customer service because they are being pushed to do so.

No organisation will sacrifice good customer service on the altar of employees’ inefficiency. A worker who fails continuously to offer the expected kind of service is guaranteed the exit door.
The employee must not see good customer service as doing it to please the employer or the customer but as a service to himself/herself.

Service at the morgue

Somewhere in 2007, a customer with challenges visited the organisation I was working in. He was pleased with the service he received from a colleague. He then promised her of superior customer service should she visit his work place in appreciation for her ‘kindness’. She looked at how the man was dressed, imagined the kind of work he was into and the kind of service she could possibly need from him.

“What work do you do?” She quizzed. The man replied, “I’m a mortuary attendant”. She was hit by the statement. She nearly got offended but thanked the customer and he left. After he had left, we made mockery of her and had a good laugh. Months later, she lost a close relative and there she appreciated the offer the customer granted.

At the morgue, she realised the exceptional service she offered the man had actually opened doors for her. She looked on while others who had lost their loved ones went through frustrating procedures at the morgue. It seemed as if they were being intentionally frustrated. Her “mortuary man” customer readily identified her and gave her that superior customer service he had promised. She had a cause to smile even in the midst of sorrow.

Anytime you encounter a customer, it’s an opportunity not only to promote the organisation you serve, but also to engrave one’s self in the hearts of the people being served. In serving a customer under any circumstance, the question to be asked is: “How do I want to be served when I happen to be the customer?” By empathising with the customer, you develop positive customer service attitude.

Experience at Ghana -Togo border

After going through some frustrations at the Ghana-Togo border, a customs lady came to the aid of this middle-aged man. Later in the course of interactions, she discovered that the man was an orthopaedic surgeon. He eventually helped the lady’s mother who had been battling with an arm problem for over a decade.

It must be understood that the person being served could be the one sitting next to you at the next church service or kneeling on the same mat with you at the mosque after work. He could be the visiting preacher at your local church on Sunday.

A young man encountered a man he thought was a difficult customer because he had walked in late with a lot of complaints. He was not patient with the man and was in a hurry to close ostensibly to visit the girlfriend to be introduced to the prospective in-laws. The service he rendered was below expectation. The man was eventually requested to leave and come the following day. He walked away disappointed. He got home later that evening and saw this young man with his daughter in the hall in a hearty chat. The young man immediately missed a heartbeat. The rest of the story is history.

Always bear in mind that we live and work in an open society. No one is self-sufficient. We all need someone at a point in time. But we do not know who that someone will be. It could be that person who needs service from your company today. The process you will go through to get that service or product delivered will endear you to him and open doors for you.
Do not lose the opportunity to delight a customer today. Do not see good customer service as a demand from the organisation but as your planted seed to be reaped someday.

Writer’s E-mail : cgarshong@ssnit.org.gh>