No Shortcuts and No Shortchanging
Customer service makes the world go 'round. For me, customer service is defined by the quality of service that you pay for. When you go into a business and pay someone for a service, you should get the best - no shortcuts and no shortchanging. Growing up on the farm, my dad would ask me to rake leaves every fall. He expected me to do a good job. He told me, "You want to be the best at raking leaves, not because someone's watching you, but because it's the right thing to do."
My dad's advice applies to just about anything. When you pay someone for a service, they should give you the best, not because you're watching over their shoulder (or their boss is watching over their shoulder), but because it's the right thing to do.
I've been to plenty of establishments where the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. The employees are not giving it 100%. They couldn't care less that you paid for a service. These are the types of businesses where you, the customer, feel like an inconvenience. These are the businesses you don't go back to.
You could say good customer service is the ultimate key to success. If you do a good job, people come back. When people leave my shop, my goal is for them to leave happy. We're here with our, "Yes, ma'am!" and "Yes, sir!" We listen to what you have to say, and we know that you're relying on us to get the job done.
And there's one thing that I know makes happy people: when you listen. When a customer comes in with a problem, we listen to every word. If you want to do a good job, you have to listen and be attentive. If one of my guys misses something because they weren't listening, they can't do their job to the best of their ability, and the customer isn't going to walk away happy.
Over the years, I've found that I'm more willing to pay extra to a business if they have great customer service. This is any business whose employees are attentive and listen and deliver quality service. On top of that, they're polite, courteous, and honest. Chick-fil-A is a great example. The truth is, even if a place like this - makes a mistake, I'll be fine with it. That's because I know that if they make a mistake, they're going to fix it and make it right.
I learned a lot about customer service while working on the family tobacco farm. It was there that I learned the importance of courteousness and honesty and how important it is to go above and beyond. I still live by these lessons in my own work, and it's what I expect from others.
There's one guy who does work for me every now and again. He's my go-to electrician. I don't even ask how much he charges because I know his customer service is better than anyone else's, and I know I'm going to get what I pay for.
Just imagine if every business made it that easy!
