Customer Care: A Philosphical Perspective

[Unkotare]

Is there anyone on Earth who puts up with you other than the people on this board?

Go play somewhere else. I'm trying to have a discussion with an adult here.

Ironically, what you are doing is playing your little trolling game, not being an adult at all. Way to project.

Maybe the Philosophy forum isn't the place for you. Why don't you go back to critiquing President Bush's paintings or something else more your speed?

 

[Esmeralda]

Go play somewhere else. I'm trying to have a discussion with an adult here.

Ironically, what you are doing is playing your little trolling game, not being an adult at all. Way to project.

Maybe the Philosophy forum isn't the place for you. Why don't you go back to critiquing President Bush's paintings or something else more your speed?

Again, you project on to me what is your level. Pathetic.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I erased what I wrote because it sounded negative. The important thing about my experience was that I learned something from it. End of story.

- J.

 

[Unkotare]

Ironically, what you are doing is playing your little trolling game, not being an adult at all. Way to project.

Maybe the Philosophy forum isn't the place for you. Why don't you go back to critiquing President Bush's paintings or something else more your speed?

Again, you project on to me what is your level. Pathetic.

No, really, they need your help analyzing the colors and brushstrokes and whatnot. Run along now and let the adults get back to our discussion.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Ironically, what you are doing is playing your little trolling game, not being an adult at all. Way to project.

Maybe the Philosophy forum isn't the place for you. Why don't you go back to critiquing President Bush's paintings or something else more your speed?

Again, you project on to me what is your level. Pathetic.

Esmeralda, that is a lovely avatar. I like it!

 

[Roudy]

No not a business approach alone. There is a whole philosophy from my perspective. The business approach is results driven based on product or service rendered.

This is more how do you treat those who wish to visit your establishment/organization.

For example, Indian Motorcycles sent my son an official Motorcycle Riders Club pin that he will wear on his Cub Scout Uniform. These people spent a few cents and in return have all garnered my desire to help them in their venture. I already bought the bike I am not gong to buy another for a good long time and if I do it has nothing to do with the pin my son will wear.

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I don't know if it's me, since I've been a multiple business owner since I was young, but I can tell immediately when the business is managed well, and there is good teamwork. Usually it's when employees love their boss (and each other) and think of the business as their own, even more than the boss does. My employees are like that. I have to calm them down sometimes, in fact, when they get overzealous.

 

[Unkotare]

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I don't know if it's me, since I've been a multiple business owner since I was young, but I can tell immediately when the business is managed well, and there is good teamwork. Usually it's when employees love their boss (and each other) and think of the business as their own, even more than the boss does. My employees are like that. I have to calm them down sometimes, in fact, when they get overzealous.

Sounds like you run a very successful brothel.

 

[syrenn]

No not a business approach alone. There is a whole philosophy from my perspective. The business approach is results driven based on product or service rendered.

This is more how do you treat those who wish to visit your establishment/organization.

For example, Indian Motorcycles sent my son an official Motorcycle Riders Club pin that he will wear on his Cub Scout Uniform. These people spent a few cents and in return have all garnered my desire to help them in their venture. I already bought the bike I am not gong to buy another for a good long time and if I do it has nothing to do with the pin my son will wear.

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I worked in a very secessful restaurant.... never had a bad review and the head chef and i run it like clockwork..... a standing three hour wait says it all.

then then the money went to the owners head.... and he started making changes.... he took the reigns off..... things slid by...then MORE slid by.....

the chef and i warned him, told him what the problems were..... the GM needed to go. The GM's pets needed to go. He had to stop skimming off the money and forcing us to use inferior less expensive products.... Quality of product and employee morale were on a decline....and we were losing customer.

the chef and i left, we could no longer take it...... and he eventually closed.

The problem was the owner....all he wanted the money, not seeing that losing customers based on an inferior product and lazy service effected his bottom line. The other problem was his GM.....she was a yes man. What ever he said was RIGHT and she voiced no opposing opinion. She had her pets and they of course could do no wrong......

 

[syrenn]

and as a foot note to that sad leadership story.....

one of the line cooks while i was there..... an immigrant who worked hard and got his citizenship.....

bought the restaurant...gutted it....and has built a very secessful restaurant of his own. I am very proud of him!!!

 

[Statistikhengst]

You mentioned a "philosophy" a few times, but are you really just talking about a business approach?

No not a business approach alone. There is a whole philosophy from my perspective. The business approach is results driven based on product or service rendered.

This is more how do you treat those who wish to visit your establishment/organization.

For example, Indian Motorcycles sent my son an official Motorcycle Riders Club pin that he will wear on his Cub Scout Uniform. These people spent a few cents and in return have all garnered my desire to help them in their venture. I already bought the bike I am not gong to buy another for a good long time and if I do it has nothing to do with the pin my son will wear.

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

Both boldeds: strong agreement. Well said.

And thank you, [MENTION=40540]Connery[/MENTION], for the invite.

As a businessman running a three-pronged (soon to be four pronged) small-business all on my own and due to the nature of my field, all of my clients are repeat clients - they are supposed to be - it's not just the Golden Rule that applies, which I think most all of us would agree to. But in my line of work, my clients appreciate honesty AND the follow-through that I do after an appointment. My business continues to grow (I started in October 2013) almost completely by word-of-mouth referrals and it is my clients who like the kind of attention that is paid to their needs not just during the appointment, but rather, in between as well.

Also to be noted is that in Germany, there is an entirely different mentality than in the USA vis-a-vis customer care. Often, people jokingly call Germany a "Service Desert" or a "Service Wasteland", but I find that the situation is improving.

Final observation: I think that customers are more likely to come back or give referrals when they honestly sense that you are concerned about their needs not just because of the profit you will make from them having bought your goods or services. As my best friend, who is a high powered businessman in the Mid-West says: "all transactions are a form of communication, make it a good communication".

So, those were my two Eurocents.

 

[Connery]

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I don't know if it's me, since I've been a multiple business owner since I was young, but I can tell immediately when the business is managed well, and there is good teamwork. Usually it's when employees love their boss (and each other) and think of the business as their own, even more than the boss does. My employees are like that. I have to calm them down sometimes, in fact, when they get overzealous.

That is the lynchpin between enjoying a successful business and continuously endeavoring. I can think of a few teams I was on and everything flowed seamlessly. We enjoyed each others company off work and had many great times. You bring back some nice memories.

 

[Connery]

I have to agree with you, Connery. Customer service really begins AFTER The sale. I was in car biz years ago and when I sold them the car I would wash their license plate. It was a new car. Why put a dirty license plate on their new car? It is the small things. A call the next day. How was the drive home? Do you have any questions about buttons, switches, etc? Anything they didn't know how to work? Do you need help to set up your garage door opener? All the things they may not have thought of.. will make them tell others about you. You'll have a customer for life. They are the people who build your clientele and your business. I would also send them business from my networking clubs and invite them as speakers if they owned a business or were in sales. I got referrals from these people too.

My boss appreciated my efforts but began to side with the managers against customers which grieved me because I knew these complaints were valid. Later he found out those same managers were stealing from him. He learned the hard way although I do not see his business has rebounded from the damage they did to his reputation. I left in the midst of it. ( one of the managers keyed the paint on my cust. car because it was my sale and he was jealous of me. He did that to my customer! She told me she knew he did it even though she couldn't prove it. I felt he did it but didn't let her know that. So I was late getting that delivery and sale finished. It had to be fixed. )

* Good customer service

The key is what do your customers remember about their experience? The memory of the experience far outlasts everything else.

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I worked in a very secessful restaurant.... never had a bad review and the head chef and i run it like clockwork..... a standing three hour wait says it all.

then then the money went to the owners head.... and he started making changes.... he took the reigns off..... things slid by...then MORE slid by.....

the chef and i warned him, told him what the problems were..... the GM needed to go. The GM's pets needed to go. He had to stop skimming off the money and forcing us to use inferior less expensive products.... Quality of product and employee morale were on a decline....and we were losing customer.

the chef and i left, we could no longer take it...... and he eventually closed.

The problem was the owner....all he wanted the money, not seeing that losing customers based on an inferior product and lazy service effected his bottom line. The other problem was his GM.....she was a yes man. What ever he said was RIGHT and she voiced no opposing opinion. She had her pets and they of course could do no wrong......

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

 

[syrenn]

You bring up a great point: Team building! If there is poor leadership it trickles down to the customer base through those personnel that come into contact with the customers. There is no excuse for that and it erodes psotive flow and inertia that builds when team or member is doing the right type of job.

I worked in a very secessful restaurant.... never had a bad review and the head chef and i run it like clockwork..... a standing three hour wait says it all.

then then the money went to the owners head.... and he started making changes.... he took the reigns off..... things slid by...then MORE slid by.....

the chef and i warned him, told him what the problems were..... the GM needed to go. The GM's pets needed to go. He had to stop skimming off the money and forcing us to use inferior less expensive products.... Quality of product and employee morale were on a decline....and we were losing customer.

the chef and i left, we could no longer take it...... and he eventually closed.

The problem was the owner....all he wanted the money, not seeing that losing customers based on an inferior product and lazy service effected his bottom line. The other problem was his GM.....she was a yes man. What ever he said was RIGHT and she voiced no opposing opinion. She had her pets and they of course could do no wrong......

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

 

[Connery]

I worked in a very secessful restaurant.... never had a bad review and the head chef and i run it like clockwork..... a standing three hour wait says it all.

then then the money went to the owners head.... and he started making changes.... he took the reigns off..... things slid by...then MORE slid by.....

the chef and i warned him, told him what the problems were..... the GM needed to go. The GM's pets needed to go. He had to stop skimming off the money and forcing us to use inferior less expensive products.... Quality of product and employee morale were on a decline....and we were losing customer.

the chef and i left, we could no longer take it...... and he eventually closed.

The problem was the owner....all he wanted the money, not seeing that losing customers based on an inferior product and lazy service effected his bottom line. The other problem was his GM.....she was a yes man. What ever he said was RIGHT and she voiced no opposing opinion. She had her pets and they of course could do no wrong......

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

Sometimes it takes just as much work to break down a business as it does to build it up. Listening to the wrong people and continuously doing the wrong thing despite of all evidence to the contrary. Then poof....gone.

That is why developing a philosophy and sticking to those principles will always outlast the wrong personnel.

 

[syrenn]

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

Sometimes it takes just as much work to break down a business as it does to build it up. Listening to the wrong people and continuously doing the wrong thing despite of all evidence to the contrary. Then poof....gone.

That is why developing a philosophy and sticking to those principles will always outlast the wrong personnel.

good lord did he ever listen to the wrong people!!! He lost everything.....

he listened to the yes men.... the people who "had his back" ..... he did not want to listen to the "complainers" or anyone who did not fall into line with what ever crazy shit he wanted to do.....

In short.... he did not want to listen to the hard truths of running a business.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I worked in a very secessful restaurant.... never had a bad review and the head chef and i run it like clockwork..... a standing three hour wait says it all.

then then the money went to the owners head.... and he started making changes.... he took the reigns off..... things slid by...then MORE slid by.....

the chef and i warned him, told him what the problems were..... the GM needed to go. The GM's pets needed to go. He had to stop skimming off the money and forcing us to use inferior less expensive products.... Quality of product and employee morale were on a decline....and we were losing customer.

the chef and i left, we could no longer take it...... and he eventually closed.

The problem was the owner....all he wanted the money, not seeing that losing customers based on an inferior product and lazy service effected his bottom line. The other problem was his GM.....she was a yes man. What ever he said was RIGHT and she voiced no opposing opinion. She had her pets and they of course could do no wrong......

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

That was my boss's problem except they were men! They did flatter him all the time too now that I think about it.

 

[syrenn]

Reminds me of an the adage, "the road to success is always under construction". Once a person or organization sits on their laurels erosion starts to set in. That erosion eats away the mission, the service, the very principals on which the business/organization was started on to begin with. To recapture that is near impossible without a drastic work up and overhaul.

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

That was my boss's problem except they were men! They did flatter him all the time too now that I think about it.

Anyone who surrounds themselves with yes men are FOOLS.

They flat out dont want to hear the truth....hard as it may be.

he did not understand that taking care of his customers was the ONLY thing keeping him in the lifestyle he was enjoying.

 

[Connery]

The biggest issues was having him admit that there WAS a problem. He would never let the GM go becasue he liked her...... she stroked his vanity.

All he saw was the money rolling in and the 3 hour wait line..... what he did not GET was that to keep it coming...there had to be controls on quality and staffing.....

Sometimes it takes just as much work to break down a business as it does to build it up. Listening to the wrong people and continuously doing the wrong thing despite of all evidence to the contrary. Then poof....gone.

That is why developing a philosophy and sticking to those principles will always outlast the wrong personnel.

good lord did he ever listen to the wrong people!!! He lost everything.....

he listened to the yes men.... the people who "had his back" ..... he did not want to listen to the "complainers" or anyone who did not fall into line with what ever crazy shit he wanted to do.....

In short.... he did not want to listen to the hard truths of running a business.

I do not care what the product or service is, business is business. A person can always hire brains the trick learning what it is that will keep those core customers happy and coming back then using that to grow on and develop a wider and loyal base.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

On the bright side the job I mentioned was the exception as I had my own wallpaper business for over 2 decades and was very successful. My clients were all referrals and decorators. I did go out of my way for them as well. I would leave the room cleaner than when I arrived and wash the baseboards, floors by hand so there was no residue of glue or water stains. I was very much a perfectionist in my work from start to finish. So that was very gratifying. That is what perhaps some business owners do not understand or value. The gratification of knowing you gave people the very best work / service you had to offer and they appreciated it. That is a very rewarding feeling.

 

[syrenn]

Sometimes it takes just as much work to break down a business as it does to build it up. Listening to the wrong people and continuously doing the wrong thing despite of all evidence to the contrary. Then poof....gone.

That is why developing a philosophy and sticking to those principles will always outlast the wrong personnel.

good lord did he ever listen to the wrong people!!! He lost everything.....

he listened to the yes men.... the people who "had his back" ..... he did not want to listen to the "complainers" or anyone who did not fall into line with what ever crazy shit he wanted to do.....

In short.... he did not want to listen to the hard truths of running a business.

I do not care what the product or service is, business is business. A person can always hire brains the trick learning what it is that will keep those core customers happy and coming back then using that to grow on and develop a wider and loyal base.

oh i agree... business is business. And if that means cutting the problem people lose.... well, it is what it is. He was never going to cut this GM loose, he liked her far to much. Hiring a "brain" would have told him the same things the chef and i were telling him.... sorry you cant skim off the top to support an ever growing and expanding lifestyle and the customers would KNOW when you were not supplying a top quality product.

Hired brain or no brain.... if the person calling the shots will not listen or understand what they are being told.... the ship is sunk.