Any executive working in any type of service industry learns that there are certain business etiquettes to follow to keep the customers satisfied which ensures a long, happy and prosperous career. Years of study and hard work does not ensure that we start off our professional lives with ease. Neither does it ensure that working according to our learned behavior would ensure continued professional life.
Being in the service industry requires the individual to have a very high ‘learn ability’ factor to start and survive in the industry. Obviously some of the behavior is gained through osmosis peers and leaders in the trade. But we consider ourselves lucky to be able to attend knowledge transfer workshops conducted by the best in the business. Business houses spend quite a bit of money to make all of us ‘customer savvy’. There have been proper disciplines established in the course of many years and there are specialized institutes that teach us these skills – skills that we have to willingly or un-willingly learn in order to survive in the industry.
After attending one such session I was enthusiastically telling my father as to what I have learned. In summary, I told him the following things are necessary to achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction:
1) ‘LISTEN’ to what the customer has to say. He might tell you what all he has already tried out and failed. This would reduce the time that you take to resolve the issue.
2) Be ‘EMPATHETIC’ instead of ‘SYMPATHETIC’
3) Follow up to ensure that the issue has been resolved in its totality. This guarantees customer satisfaction.
4) Put forward suggestions to the customer, where ever applicable, to prevent future occurrences of the issue.
Both of us had a long and fruitful discussion on the topic which left me completely satisfied and contented in the fact that I have learnt something useful that day. While we were having our discussion, we were being interrupted by our regular mason who had just finished renovating our home. He had come again to address a complaint lodged by my father for the newly installed taps. He ‘listened’ to what my father had to say and gathered more information by asking a couple of pointed questions to my father. He was able to give us a solution almost immediately but wanted the taps to be turned off for the day. He showed enough ‘empathetic behavior’ for us to actually agree to the inconvenience of dry taps for the entire day. He called the plumber himself, instructed him and left. He returned in the evening again to ‘follow up’ whether the problem had been resolved now. He also made ‘additional suggestions’ in order to avoid such an issue again.
The following day, as I sat in a reflective mood, I realized that the mason had demonstrated all of the qualities of an effective executive in the service industry – listen, empathize, follow-up, suggest. I had a practical demonstration of the theory learned in an expensive class from a guy who was educated enough only to sign his name, had never been to college, did not hold a white collar job nor did he attend any high end knowledge transfer workshop. Yet he had the wisdom – wisdom that he would pass to his children without spending a penny.
Additionally, I realized that although I have more degrees beside my name than him, yet I can learn a lot from him about surviving in the cut throat service industry. It is a very humbling realization and I am proud to admit that life teaches its lessons via un-expected sources and it is all the more important to remain simple and humble for continued success.
Being in the service industry requires the individual to have a very high ‘learn ability’ factor to start and survive in the industry. Obviously some of the behavior is gained through osmosis peers and leaders in the trade. But we consider ourselves lucky to be able to attend knowledge transfer workshops conducted by the best in the business. Business houses spend quite a bit of money to make all of us ‘customer savvy’. There have been proper disciplines established in the course of many years and there are specialized institutes that teach us these skills – skills that we have to willingly or un-willingly learn in order to survive in the industry.
After attending one such session I was enthusiastically telling my father as to what I have learned. In summary, I told him the following things are necessary to achieve a high degree of customer satisfaction:
1) ‘LISTEN’ to what the customer has to say. He might tell you what all he has already tried out and failed. This would reduce the time that you take to resolve the issue.
2) Be ‘EMPATHETIC’ instead of ‘SYMPATHETIC’
3) Follow up to ensure that the issue has been resolved in its totality. This guarantees customer satisfaction.
4) Put forward suggestions to the customer, where ever applicable, to prevent future occurrences of the issue.
Both of us had a long and fruitful discussion on the topic which left me completely satisfied and contented in the fact that I have learnt something useful that day. While we were having our discussion, we were being interrupted by our regular mason who had just finished renovating our home. He had come again to address a complaint lodged by my father for the newly installed taps. He ‘listened’ to what my father had to say and gathered more information by asking a couple of pointed questions to my father. He was able to give us a solution almost immediately but wanted the taps to be turned off for the day. He showed enough ‘empathetic behavior’ for us to actually agree to the inconvenience of dry taps for the entire day. He called the plumber himself, instructed him and left. He returned in the evening again to ‘follow up’ whether the problem had been resolved now. He also made ‘additional suggestions’ in order to avoid such an issue again.
The following day, as I sat in a reflective mood, I realized that the mason had demonstrated all of the qualities of an effective executive in the service industry – listen, empathize, follow-up, suggest. I had a practical demonstration of the theory learned in an expensive class from a guy who was educated enough only to sign his name, had never been to college, did not hold a white collar job nor did he attend any high end knowledge transfer workshop. Yet he had the wisdom – wisdom that he would pass to his children without spending a penny.
Additionally, I realized that although I have more degrees beside my name than him, yet I can learn a lot from him about surviving in the cut throat service industry. It is a very humbling realization and I am proud to admit that life teaches its lessons via un-expected sources and it is all the more important to remain simple and humble for continued success.
No comments:
Post a Comment