Keepin' the Customer Satisfied"

"Everywhere I go, I get slandered, libeled

I hear words I never heard in the Bible

And I'm one step ahead of the shoe shine

Two steps away from the county line

I'm just trying to keep my customer satisfied, satisfied"

 Listen to Simon and Garfunkel sing it here.

I was just thinking about an email exchange I had last night with a customer. In case you didn't know, we have a jewelry show every Tuesday at 7 pm est.  A customer had written me that an omega necklace did not fit but that the bracelets did. Since I had measured and stated that everyone could wear it, I promptly refunded her, although she did NOT ask. I emailed her back to tell her, and she was very upset. "Oh, no, can you undo it? I wasn't expecting that!" 

The Question is why not?

That is our policy with everyone. We don't ask questions, and we refund immediately. Whatever the reason, my husband and I want our customers happy.  Isn't that how businesses operate? Apparently, not so much.....

Thank you Kmart

I was "fifteen going on sixteen, innocent as a rose," but with very expensive taste! My parents did not want me to work yet, but I insisted. A phone call was made to my Dad's Kiwanis friend who was the manager of Kmart, and I started a few months before my 16th birthday.

While I don't recommend a student working a heavy work schedule during the school year for a million reasons, I did take away some valuable skill sets and general understanding that have been beneficial my entire life. 

Customer Service

This may be a very outdated phrase that now just hangs over the service desk. Being of service to your customer, complete with "please" and "thank you" is almost a lost artform.  Chick-fil-A has kept the idea alive, fortunately. And, look at the crowded parking lot there....

At KMart, the customer was always right. You, the employee, were there to serve the customer's needs. If you were finally getting your lunch break 2 hours late and fighting a throng of people lined back through the store, and a customer stopped you with a question, that was Job One! You WALKED them to the item they were seeking.

This was the normal business mindset, but no longer. Now, simple customer service sets a business apart from the others. I could take a tangent and talk about customer service nightmares, but we have all experienced more than our share of these. Draw from your own examples.

But, a simple formula for business success and general success in life is just an attitude of service, good manners and gratefulness. In a time when most employees are distracted, disengaged and totally uninterested in the needs of the customer, you will shine like a star!