A friend of mine just quit her job. She was working in the consulting field like me also, and I know from mutual friends that she has been doing a good job at making her clients happy with all the deliverables she was responsible for. What I remember most from the last time we met were two things: one, the deepening furrow in the middle of her forehead that had not been there before. Two, her frustration with her clients’ demands. The poor thing would go on and on, ending every vignette with a resigned sigh, “what to do, the customer is always right,” in her soft, sing-song voice.
Naomi Karten, author of books on managing SLAs (service level agreements), managing expectations and closing communication gaps, mentioned a list that made sense to me in her article, What do Customers Want Anyway? on her website. When she asked participants to her seminars, they told her that when they are customers, they want:
1 to be taken seriously
2 competent, efficient service
3 anticipation of their needs
4 to be kept informed
5 explanations on their terms
6 follow-through
7 basic courtesies
8 honesty
9 to be informed of the options
10 feedback
11 not to be passed around
12 professional services
13 to be listened to (and heard)
14 empathy
15 dedicated attention
16 respect
17 knowledgeable help
18 friendliness
Read the full article at http://www.nkarten.com/mce.html#WHAT to find out more. I visit her website because after so many hours of Newsweek-, John Naisbitt-, Fortune-style of reporting, it’s a relief for me to read things in simple terms (remember list item #5?).
For many of us, we put on our own ‘I’m a customer now’ hat in order to feel for our customers and get in their shoes. My friend took it to the extreme! Wearing her ‘customer is always right’ cape, she let her clients’ issues and constraints limit her own thoughts and ideas. She contradicted herself; went against her own values. In the end, she got too overwhelmed and frustrated when things never moved the way they should have.
She asked me how I got through MY days. I told her that I quit the ‘customer is always right’ maxim a couple of years back. There are just times when all the thinking and feeling hats in the world will not help me get into the shoes of come of the characters I talk to. Honestly. No friggin’ way. When wearing that blasted hat didn’t work for me anymore, I decided to kill the frustration by looking at the situation from new eyes. I realised that whenever I decided to do the best I could with what I had, and do my best to go the extra mile when I could, a heavy load rolled off my shoulders. So I started going with that outlook more consciously. Things started to change. We started to understand each other better. I see my customers as more collaborative; they see ME as more collaborative. This view also influenced how I treat my colleagues and bosses, because they are all part of my work. The most important thing for me is, this point of view influences my behaviour in the way that I don’t have to tell my clients or my bosses that I have their best interests at heart. I don’t need to say it when I already behave it.
It worked for me – maybe it can work for some other people too. Try it – replace ‘the customer is always right’ with ‘I’ll do the best I can with what I have, and I’ll do my best to go the extra mile’. Think it now. Picture that in your mind now take note if your body feels any different. You’ve got to mean it though. Really mean it. And then, go back to the list of the 18 things customers say they want. If you’re more open and relaxed about those items, you’re off to a good start.
Good luck!
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