Ravi Pratap Singh

Anticipating Customer Needs

Last week i was one of the millions of victims of the dreaded New Delhi fog. When my early morning flight to Jabalpur got cancelled (not surprised), i hurriedly booked myself on the afternoon train. As luck would have it, the train too got cancelled (surprised and shocked!). Refusing to get cowed down by Mother Nature, i decided to make the 900+ kilometer journey in a cab (everybody except me was surprised and shocked!!!).

Considering the fact that i had to be on the road for 15-18 hours, the first thing i asked the cabbie was if he had a mobile charger in his car. As expected, he didn't. Actually, i've asked this question to dozens of cabbies in India and am yet to get an answer in the affirmative from any of them. Fortunately, i was carrying my mobile charger via USB port so i could plug it to my laptop and charge my phone along the journey, which by the way, took 29 hours!!!

As a customer, i believe that a mobile charger in a cab would add tremendous value to me irrespective of the fact whether i travel in it for 29 minutes or 29 hours. Moreover, the investment the cabbie would have to make in a universal charger would be quite insignificant in comparison to the satisfaction it would offer me, the customer. So how is it that the cabbie is missing out on such an obvious opportunity of delighting a customer?

Well, let me assure you, the cabbie is not alone in this situation. Most of us are sailing in the same boat (or should i say, driving in the same car). Recognising what our customers want NOW is important, but anticipating what they will need NEXT and offering that to them in advance is what will ultimately keep us ahead of the pack!

The Customer Is Always Right? Wrong!

Diwali season is not the greatest of times to go shopping in India if you are as finicky about your personal space as I am. For years I have religiously avoided stepping into malls and shops during festival periods. But last weekend, a surprise birthday party invitation from my son’s classmate sent me scurrying to a retail store in the hunt for a suitable gift.

The store, one of the largest in the city, was bursting at the seams with human beings… obviously someone had forgotten to tell these guys that the world was experiencing it’s worst recession in history! After a nerve-wracking 45-minute pursuit, I was delighted to find the “right” gift for the six-year old and dashed across to the billing counter.

As luck would have it, I chose the wrong counter! While people in the other queues were completing their billing process and disappearing before one could say “diwali shopping”, my queue just wouldn’t move! The young lady in-charge of the counter was clearly a newbie and very obviously lacked adequate training on the billing application. She was punching one key every 32 seconds! To make matters worse, each of the four customers ahead of me seemed to be under the impression that shopping was going out of fashion and had picked up cartloads of stuff. And here I was… waiting not-so-patiently for my turn to bill one little box of magic tricks. Hmmm, at that point of time it was I who desperately needed a magic potion to keep my cool. And then it happened… 

The guy standing behind me lost it completely! He stormed the counter and made his displeasure felt to… well, the entire store!!! I was about to join in and support “our” cause when without warning the guy unleashed a barrage of expletives at the stunned girl. The tantrum worked. Within seconds the floor manager appeared and started apologizing profusely to the irate customer. The manager then promptly arranged for another team member to take charge of the billing counter just as the humiliated girl vanished in thin air right in front of dozens of piercing eyes. The drama ended as abruptly as it had begun and life was thankfully back to being mundane again.

The floor manager was obviously a proponent of “The Customer Is Always Right” philosophy. But was it the right approach in handling this particular customer? I don't think so.

“The Customer Is Always Right” phrase was originally coined by Harry Gordon Selfridge, founder of the Selfridges department store in London in 1909. Though this adage has now deservedly assumed iconic status and is probably the most recited mantra among businesses across the globe, I feel it is not relevant across all situations… certainly not against abusive customers. 

It is justified when a customer loses his/her temper when the service received is not up to the individual’s expectations. Though unpleasant, it is also understandable when a customer under duress screams his/her guts out at the service provider. But even the most unacceptable level of service does not give a customer the right to hurl personal abuses at employees.

A management not standing up for its employees against an abusive customer actually adds insult to the employees’ injury. Because apart from being disgraced by the customer, the employees feel betrayed by their own management, thereby leading them to believe that the management does not value or respect them enough. This adversely affects their morale and could finally lead to worse customer service. Hence following “the customer is always right” policy blindly can actually turn out be counter-productive!

So what do you think? Is the customer always right? Or, like you and me, can s/he be sometimes wrong?

Customer Delight - A Case Study

“After an hour spent navigating the traffic of a swarming, dusty grey city, there's probably little else you want to do besides tumble into a 10,000-sq.ft turquoise swimming pool. Even more tempting, when you can get to the said pool by simply leaning off your balcony.”

 

 

These were the opening lines of a newspaper article I read late last month… and they most certainly did the trick! I HAD to get to the resort… and SOON… before my enthusiastic city mates discovered the “turquoise heaven” and swamped it!!!

 

So last weekend I was off with my family to drown all my “recession induced” stress and pressure in a 10,000 sq.ft. watery grave! We started early on Saturday morning in the dreamiest weather Chennai had experienced in months. We couldn’t have hoped for a better start to our jaunt… but there was a sense of apprehension and anxiety within me about the kind of facilities and service awaiting us at our destination. Working on my mind was the fact that the resort was barely a couple of weeks old… moreover, it was not part of any popular national/international hotel chain. Having done more than my share of traveling, I had braced myself to face the inevitable teething problems at the brand new property… but how bad these would be was the million dollar question. Would our dream turn out to be a nightmare? Hmm… only time would reveal.

 

Saravanan, the Front Desk Executive I had called to book the cottage, welcomed us with a warm smile. As I handed over the filled-in guest information form, he requested for the advance payment to be made in cash. Wait a second… CASH??? Did I hear that right? Yes, I did! And no, the nightmare couldn’t have begun so soon!!!

 

I was informed that the resort’s credit card payment facility would be functional in another week’s time… until then they could only deal in cash. But hey, I didn’t have enough cash on me (does anybody walk around with wads of currency in their pockets anymore???)… and more importantly, I wasn’t informed about the mode of payment when I called to make the booking! We were in the middle of nowhere (or was it heaven?)… so where the hell would I find an ATM machine? The calm and unfazed Saravanan acknowledged his mistake of not informing me about their “cash only” policy while taking my booking. But he also graciously enlightened me that there was an ATM approximately 6-km down the highway. Excuse me? Was he expecting me to drive 12-kms to bring him the cash before entering water world? Now, I was beginning to lose it… completely! And things weren’t looking too good for friendly and mild-mannered Saravanan.

 

But just before the volcano could erupt, the Operations Manager happened to pass by and immediately came up to investigate the issue. He heard out my problem patiently, empathized with my situation and apologized for the inconvenience. He then asked me to forget about the advance payment and just check-in and enjoy the stay. What’s more, he said I needn’t worry about the payment even at the time of check-out… he’d send somebody on a mobike when we drove back home… I could withdraw cash at the ATM on the way and hand over the money to the staff. WOW!!! I was floored!!!

 

The room was beautiful and cozy. And the pool, simply spectacular… like nothing we had ever seen before! We were also offered a DVD player in the room at no extra cost… but we weren’t here for blockbuster movies… we were here for a blockbuster holiday. And a blockbuster holiday it sure turned out to be!

 

We spent most of our 24-hour stay at the resort in the sparkling blue pool. The food was delectable… the waiters at the restaurant were vigilant and helpful without ever being intrusive… the room service and housekeeping staff were prompt and efficient. The attitude and demeanor of every single staff we encountered were exemplary.

 

As we checked out at noon the next day, Saravanan volunteered to accompany us on his mobike to collect the payment. After a 5-km drive, we had to take a 1-km diversion off the highway to reach the ATM… this meant that we had to pass a toll gate and pay the requisite fee. On reaching the ATM, I withdrew the cash and was handing over the money to Saravanan when he asked me to deduct Rs.100/- from the bill amount towards the toll fee I had just paid. Man, was I impressed!!! This was not about the meager sum of Rs.100/-… this was about the attitude and care towards a customer. This to me was about “CUSTOMER DELIGHT”… at its best!!!

 

The staff at the resort was faced with an angry customer and a situation that was fast spiraling out of control. But they not only managed to salvage the scene but also won over the customer. So what did they do right?

• The Executive immediately acknowledged his mistake of not informing me about the payment mode.

• Though I was beginning to lose my temper, the Executive remained calm and unfazed.

• The Manager recognized the problem, empathized with my situation and worked out a solution.

• The Executive reimbursing the toll fee meant that he was not only given responsibilities but also empowered to take decisions.

• Last but not the least, the resort had great facilities, well-trained staff and outstanding service.

No wonder I was not only satisfied but DELIGHTED!!!

 

I  will be back again… and soon!!!