Renowned management guru Peter Drucker said the following:
"The single most important thing to remember about any enterprise is that there are no results inside its walls. The result of a business is a satisfied customer."
I couldn't agree with this more! Unfortunately, during my lengthy career, I have come to the sad realization that this type of attitude is all too often absent from many organizations.
Sadly, I have heard employee's complaining about a specific customer because they seemed difficult to deal with, or had expectations that were seemingly too high. The comments often gave me an indication that they wished the customer would simply go away. Each time I witnessed this situation I immediately provided my own quip that "if it weren't for those darn customers we wouldn't have any problems!" Many times the person laughed as if I were in agreement with their angst, but soon after realized that if it wasn't for the customer that we wouldn't have any business either!
Without happy customers a business cannot have long term success. If your customers leave an interaction with members of your organization and they are unsatisfied then over time they will not continue to purchase products from you. Customer service and making customers happy must be a key aspect that is driven home each day. People need to ask themselves, "what have I done to make a customer happy today?" This may be as simple as providing them with quick, accurate technical support, information about a delivery, or simply making them feel that they are important to you and your organization. It does not necessarily mean that you have to discount your product or give things away to make them happy. A simple "thank you for your business" can go a long way!
Years ago I saw a brief quiz to illustrate how important the customer should be to every organization. Ask your team to complete the following statements. Many of you will be surprised by the results.
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I work for...
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The most important person at our organization is...
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I get paid by....
Some people may view this as a bit of a "trick", but if the answer to each question is not "the customer" then you may not have the correct emphasis on making them happy.
Customer Focused
Quotes
“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.”
Sam Walton
"It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages."
Henry Ford
“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful."
Jeff Bezos
