| Reflexions
Customer – the Hub of the Wheel
Do you know me? Perhaps as part of your statistics.
I give money to buy your product or services. I am called
your customers. Oh, I see, now you recognize me. Yes, it could
be written on your wills or people above maybe talking about
- apparently. I am supposed to be always right. But do you
mean what you do. I have my doubts.
This is not a nasty letter. I am going to share my feelings
with you. If it is making you uncomfortable, stop reading.
That’s what you can do. That’s what you do. You
ignore me. You bother me. You only want my money, after that
I am your statistics. Those of you who are really concerned
about me will read on. They will agree with me too. Some of
them may even correct their ways. But how about you? No, do
not give me sympathy. I want your empathy instead of the apathy.
- I feel hurt when I walk into your expensive show room
to request you for demo of the scanner, which you are
displaying in your show window. You give me dirty looks.
Sure, your computer games are more exciting than my humble
query. You tell me that for a low margin of Rs.200/- you
cannot give demo. I feel insulted too when you give a
cold shoulder to my plan of buying a laptop. You resume
your game and I move out with guilt of bothering you during
your terribly busy preoccupation. May be, I am mad. Otherwise,
why would someone take the trouble of informing the company
whose scanner you are selling. I do that through its web
site. They are prompt in getting back to me. They apologize
too. They invite me too, to their office to demonstrate
the product. They even call you, the M.D., of the showroom.
You give a shrug off to my experience. I can feel that
as the call to you was made in my presence. You insult
me again. Yes, you are doing good business. You have a
lot of money……………You do
not need me. I am belonging to SOHO category. I promise,
I will never come back to you. You can keep playing your
computer games. A day may come you will have only that
to do.
- I feel hurt when I want to find out about your four-wheeler.
Only police & forces, generally buy that. I walk into
your showroom and I am directed by the guard to meet you.
You are busy on the phone. I stand near you. You ignore
me and continue talking about your last night’s
party experience with a friend. I keep standing. I am
crazy to wait for 15 minutes. But I do. Then I become
the patient of impatience. I look around and give a dirty
smirk on your poster “The customer comes first”.
I walk out. Somebody’s loss is the other person’s
gain. Enjoy your friendship. Long lives your friendship.
Don’t count this customer as a friend.
- · I feel hurt when you are prompt in getting
the advance cheque for the annual maintenance contract
and then think that all your “goals” (excuses)
will work for not giving the service on time.
- · I feel hurt when I call you for Information
and you toss me around the office as if I am not a customer
but a hot potato.
- · I feel hurt when you cheat me by talking about
extra features in your product ‘ service which are
non-existent when I buy.
- · I feel deeply hurt because you are a public
sector white elephant and I am a little nothing. You make
me wait for hours / days to give me information about
my own money, process my insurance, correct the mistakes,
which you commit in your accounts and charge me heavily.
You even charge me when you do not give me water, electricity
or live telephone connection. You keep disgruntled persons
to look after what you call customer service department.
I know your strategy, attach is the best part of defense.
I have been able to change the government that runs you
but I am not bale to change you. The day is not far of.
It may come soon. I will dump you the day I get an alternative.
The airline industry has seen it. Your great public dis-service
department will see it too.
I am a nice person. I generally do not complain.
No matter what you do to me. That’s what the American
research shows-only 1 out of 27 customers complain; most of
them could be serious in nature. In India, you do not believe
in such a research. It looks that you have given a new dimension
to the meaning of my name customers, i.e. Kustmar (In Hindi,
it means trouble and death). Do you want me to die because
of the Kusht you give me? Or do you have the perception that
I am the only source of all your Kusht? Think it over please.
People like me are docile. We can point out the shortcomings
in the hard quality of your service. Like small children,
we can be pleased easily. And we can stay with you. But when
you do not bother, your poor soft quality of service hits
us at the wrong toe. We only retaliate silently. We believe
in the Gandhian philosophy. We only reject you.
I laugh whenever I see great promises in your advertisements.
I know half of you will not even be having he right information
to satisfy my query when I call up. Or, no one will pick the
call. Or it will always remain engaged. O the operator will
rudely tell me about the closing time of your office, as she
would be getting ready to catch her chartered bus.
I do not get excited by your beautiful hoardings. Nice cards
or liberal give aways. My relationship wit you is for the
product / service. I want fork you. Check out your Attitude.
Your company can send you to very expensive foreign collaborated
training programmes. They will not work out unless you shape
up your Servitude. People like me can ship you out if you
don’t. Don’t you know the researched figures that
it takes 5 new customers to bridge the gap created by the
absence of 1 customer. Researchers have also revealed that
in 68% of he situations. I pull of because of your service
attitudes, your Servitude.
That old man in the loin cloth said it more that five decades
ago. Mahatma Gandhi may not be relevant in politics today
but his wisdom about customer would no less be a match for
the treatise written by Kotler and his like.
Keep your had down and read it through your soul.
“A CUSTOMER IS THE MOST IMPORTANT VISITOR ON OUR PREMISE.
HE IS NOT DEPENDENT ON US. WE ARE DEPENDENT ON HIM. HE IS
NOT AN INTERRUPTION ON OUR WORK. HE IS THE PURPOSE OF IT.
HE IS NOT AN OUTSIDER ON OUR BUSINESS. HE IS PART OF IT. WE
ARE NOT DOING HIM A FAVOUR BY SERVING HIM. HE IS DOING US
A FAVOUR BY GIVING US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
My counterparts overseas are much more agile,
active and demanding. The companies that are spoiling them
with great service are waiting to go whole hog into Indian
Territory. They have the right skills and the right servitude.
There is still some time for them to lure me. Don’t
hide behind “Swadeshi” if I shift later. You cannot
keep blaming me for your mistakes.
Courtesy : Rajiv Khurana
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