Be a Good Customer | Working Principles

At the weekend I was walking into a small shop where I have been several times, it’s a bit of a favourite of mine, a place I’ve recommended to many people.

As we arrived something was clearly going on between the proprietors of the shop and a male customer who was being asked to leave. Eventually one of the owners stood up and pointed out to him that as the shop was Private Property and he had been asked to leave, that he was now trespassing.

Yet the man stood there, all the time complaining about something. In time the man was ushered out of the shop onto the pavement from where he continued his complaining from, telling the owners that they were rude and needed to go on customer care courses.

With a flourish one of the owners of the shop closed the door on the man, turned to us, sighed heavily, and put on a smile.

We looked at the proprietors and asked them if they were OK, they said they were, but you could tell that it hadn’t been an easy encounter.

We chatted a bit longer, they gave us some great advice on my purchase, helped me to find exactly what I was looking for, and we left happy. They were genuine, pleasant, helpful, amiable, expert, and professional.

What was the difference in these two encounters?

“The Customer is always right” or “The customer is king” are two phrases that are familiar to anyone who has done any form of customer care training. They represent ideas popularized by department store owners Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker and Marshall Field. While the original intention behind these phrases may have been a good one, in recent years I’ve seen much more of their ugly side with people demanding their right to be “king” and using the phrases as an excuse for some awful behaviour.

Personally, experience tells me that I get better outcomes from people when I’m a good customer.

These are my working principles for being a good customer:

• Be polite and respectful – There’s no need to be rude, the person serving you is a person.
• Listen – When your supplier is talking it’s best to listen, it’s the only way you are going to learn something. What you learn may save you from a whole heap of trouble.
• Takes advice – The person serving you has probably seen your need before. Your desire may feel unique to you, but it’s likely to be something already known for which there is already a great answer.
• Be clear about what you want – There’s a skill in asking for things. Too precise and you miss the advice. Too vague and asking clarification questions can become embarrassing for the supplier.
• Make decisions – Your job as a customer is to decide, it’s not the supplier’s job. Sometimes the right decision is to not decide, but don’t waste people’s time doing it.
• State your time expectations – So many people expect immediate service, but some things take time. If you need something by tomorrow, you need to state it, you can’t expect your supplier to discern it.
• It’s not all about business – The person supplying you has a life outside work. A chat can be so valuable.
• Time is valuable to you and them – In your interactions be mindful of the time that you are taking. There’s a need to be balanced here – don’t outstay your welcome, but good service can take time.
• Ask good questions – I think we’ve been there before.
• You don’t need to be rude to be firm – When things aren’t going to plan you may need to be firm but that’s no excuse for being disrespectful.
• Gratitude is free – When you receive what you need saying “thank you” doesn’t cost anything.
• A smile is free – In most situations a smile will make a huge difference to the conversation. This is also true for voice only interactions, people can sense a smile in your voice.

In business many interplays don’t involve a retail transaction, but they are still customer-supplier interactions. When you need to ask someone for advice you are the customer, they are your supplier. When you need your boss to approve something you are, again, the customer. When you send a message to someone asking a question you are a customer.

Every time you are a supplier, you are also a customer. When someone needs you to answer a question or is looking for your advice, they are telling you something. Even if all they are telling you is that there is a question that needs answering you are a customer of their feedback.

How much healthier would our workplaces be if we were all better customers?

The purpose of a business is to create a customer.

Peter Drucker

Header Image: This is Ullswater as the rain leaves over Kirkstone Pass, having overstayed its welcome on a summer’s day.