The Customer Is Always Right!

Customer Service is ........

Putting the customer first!

I had just moved to Gilroy and decided to stop by a local farm market which I had passed many times but never stopped at. I heard that the produce there was the best and one day on my way home from a swim meet in San Jose I stopped on Masten Avenue to visit the farm stand.

Everything looked so fresh and yummy and I filled up my basket. When it was time to pay I realized I didn't have enough money to pay for the produce. I don't know if you every found yourself in this situation but I was totally embarrassed. I started to put what I didn't immediately need back in the shopping basket. The nice lady who helped me (later I found out she was one of the owners) told me that I could take everything home and just pay her the next time I came in. She told me that "it would bother me more than her" if I didn't repay her. Of course I made an extra trip two days later to pay her and she gained a loyal customer. That is customer service!

Now I don't mean to tell you that you need to do this in order to serve you customers well but I have never forgotten the extra effort and kindness the owner extended and that is what we need to do in our service oriented business. Stand out from the rest by providing excellent customer service and put the customer first. We can't expect to be rewarded for every little thing we do or only work if the result is a sale or instant gratification.

Too often we forget the saying that "The Customer is always right!"