What your customer is thinking but won’t tell you (part 2)

In my last post I began the story of a negative customer service experience I had renting a car from a company that I, in the interest of preserving the company's anonymity, am calling Schmudget Rental Car. Not a clue who I'm talking about, right? I didn’t think so.

After two frustrating hours of not getting the kind of car I had reserved, the customer service rep at Schmudget actually made the statement, “You don’t pay my paycheck. The company does.”

Amazing.

I cannot even begin to imagine that the manager of that particular rental location knew his employees were dispensing this type of:

A] Customer non-service, and
B] Fairy-Tale notions about where money comes from.

So, I called their regional office and related the story to their regional manager who didn’t sound happy to hear from me.

Handy Customer Service Tip #213: If, per chance, a disgruntled customer happens to complain to you about your company’s product or service, get down on your knees and thank them profusely. Whether you know it or not, they are doing you a huge favor. For every customer who actually speaks up and tells you what he is actually thinking, there are hundreds who will walk out the door and keep their own counsel.

And I don’t mean to pick on poor Schmudget Rental Car. I’ve rented from them scores of times and have been perfectly satisfied with the experience.

My point in relating this particular situation is that if a customer is standing in front of you, you must tacitly concede that they are the reason that you have a job. They are the ones that allow you to provide food, shelter, transportation and healthcare for your family. They are the ones that allow you to go on vacation, go out to eat, or do whatever it is that really flips your switch.

In short, the customer is your boss and should be treated with all the deference, respect, and loyalty that is due to the person handing you your paycheck.

In a challenging economy, this one principle might be all that stands between a prosperous business and one that is forced to close up shop.

Feel free to reprint this article in your organizational publication. We only ask that you use the following attribution blurb at the bottom of the article:
© 2010 Charles Marshall. Charles Marshall is a nationally known humorous motivational speaker and author. Visit his Web site at http://www.charlesmarshall.net or contact him via e-mail at charles@charlesmarshall.net.