EVERY NOW and then, we get to learn about customers getting viral for all the wrong reasons. Regardless of where the incidents take place, the common denominator of this particularly breed of customers is self-entitlement. They think very highly of themselves like gods and goddesses descending from their heavenly thrones, expecting and demanding nothing but the best service from their mortal subjects.
Just last December 30, 2023 a man berated and hurled invectives at the female staff of a restaurant in Angeles City. The reason? He was politely told by the staff to stop smoking his cigarette inside the premises as this was simply the policy they enforce to all their clients. In that viral video that has now reached more than 115K views and gained close to 2K comments, the man was so enraged by this very basic instruction. Claiming to be a businessman inside the Clark Freeport, he went further to yell at the staff for being a mere employee. What made the situation even worse is that his male companion, instead of pacifying and telling him to stop and just follow the instruction, joined in the fray and told the staff that his friend was this some big-shot personality who was never asked to stop smoking in any place he went to, including banks. Really?
For the record, customer service is one mantra that all businesses believe in and adhere to. Whether it is a start-up business firm or a well-established corporation, business leaders recognize that good customer service continues to play an increasingly critical and significant role in the continuous success of their company. Good customer service improves customer retention, stimulates business growth, lowers acquisition costs and increases revenues. It is not surprising therefore that business firms go beyond the extra mile to provide their customers the best experience by treating them with courtesy, respect and professionalism.
When I was an operations manager for one of the country’s top universal banks, my staff and I would always remind ourselves not to lose our patience when dealing with customers whose wide range of demands, concerns and complaints would always test our limits. The head office even instituted the mystery client survey wherein a randomly but carefully picked bank client was assigned to go from one branch to another, observe how the bank staff dealt with the customers from the second they entered the bank, to the time they completed their transaction and left the premises. With a checklist and a rubric at hand, they did not only measure the service time but also evaluated if the guard greeted the customers, if the staff attended to them with a smile and gave the correct information to the queries, if there were enough forms on the stand, if the pen was actually working, and the list goes on.
I honestly think that this is also the reason why some customers go beyond their boundaries, believing that they will always have the first and the last say since the operations of a business is highly dependent on their sustained patronage. Sensing that business firms will always be afraid to earn their ire and lose them, their attitude sometimes turns into shameless pride, self-conceit, egocentricity and arrogance. Thank goodness for technology that the December 2023 incident in Angeles City was captured on video and posted on Facebook for all the world to see. In effect, it sends the right message to all customers that respect begets respect.
Similarly, there are also valid complaints and objective feedback that business firms must attend to and consider very carefully. But a caution to dissatisfied customers – there is always an appropriate way and a proper venue to do this if your ultimate objective is for an establishment to improve its service. You can call the attention of the staff, talk to the manager right away, write them a letter, answer the feedback form or survey sheet, and many other ways. If, as customers we consider ourselves an integral part of the business community then, let us do our part to ensure its growth and let us play our roles the right way.
