The customer is king. The customer can be the king or the emperor or the person who is always right. No matter the importance we want to assign for the customer, there is one thing we often overlook. We should revere and not fear the customer. While reverence makes us treat someone with respect, fear would force us in hiding the truth. It is always best, to tell the truth. If you speak the truth, then you don't have to remember what you have told someone. Recently, my friend froze up and was afraid to tell the customer the truth.
My friend's weekend was interrupted by a few calls from his customer. According to my friend, it was not an issue which should not have been blown up and the interruption to his weekend was not justified. When he complained to me, I asked him to bring up this topic during the recurring weekly call. As for me, the customer needs to help him identify which are the items that have the focus of the gods above. If he knows which things are volatile, then he can plan accordingly.
When I met the friend after his weekly call, I asked if he mentioned the inconvenience to the client. He sheepishly replied he didn't, but the customer brought it up at the end of the meeting. I asked if this item was part of the agenda. He promptly replied no. On hearing this, I was curious about how this topic surfaced. The answer is unbelievable. The customer realized the inconvenience to their service provider and brought this subject for discussion towards the end. The customer only instructed on how to handle such events in the future.
My friend was lucky to have a great customer who values him and his team. Not everyone is fortunate. In such cases, you will have to nudge your customer. To steer them in the desired direction, you have to overcome your fear of the customer.
Picture Courtesy: Pimthida
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