The other day I took my car to the car wash and witnessed a possibly trivial episode, but in my opinion, it reveals to a great extent what the attitude of many companies is towards the largest and most lucrative business in the world: satisfying a customer.
A lady and her 2 children came to the establishment and asked the manager to please wash the car on the outside, inside and underneath. In response to this request, the employee clarified that he could not please her because they did not have the washing service "below." The lady insisted: "put a little wash underneath because the car is full of sand" to which the employee reiterated his refusal, without justifying further arguments.
The woman in question then asked him in which other car wash could they provide this service, whereupon the employee pointed to another establishment located approximately five blocks away.
Almost as a final act, the client asked the employee where his supervisor was.
To talk to him and probably recheck all the previous information, to which the employee ineffably replied: "I'm the supervisor" (!).
Faced with this scenario, the lady took her car and left the business, directly and most likely towards the competitor's car wash, sent “as a courtesy” from the employee himself!
Do you think the lady will return to this establishment again? And, should she return, do you think this car wash will be your first choice? Or he will go there "because there is no other remedy." Additionally, if by chance someone else, a neighbor, a relative, asked you as a reference, “where is a car wash”, what do you think your answer will be?
In summary, what teachings does this anecdote reveal to us, to which you will surely not feel alien? In my opinion, before choosing the path of blaming the employee, first you have to make several reflections directed at the owner or businessman who owns the car wash and these questions start by knowing if at any time in his life he will have given the employee instructions on what it is his true and perhaps only mission as a "manager" of the business.
It is that many of the problems in companies, arise precisely because of the little or no knowledge of our mission in the organization where we work.
For example, in order not to detach ourselves from the aforementioned example, the employee of the car wash does not know that his mission is not to wash cars but rather to generate maximum satisfaction, a feeling of happiness in the client that guarantees his business with his money and to understand this makes a truly conceptual difference.
Mission and attitude of service?
On another occasion, my wife and I were in an establishment of these so-called hypermarkets or rather “Makro markets” making some domestic purchases and we decided to buy a metal cart of those that are used as a wheelbarrow to transport heavy objects.
I was also interested in a stereo for my son, I liked the price that I saw on the shelf label and I took a box. After making a line for about 25 minutes, the cashier informs me of the price of the stereo and I point out that the price that she is giving me is different from the one I appreciated 30 minutes before on the product display shelf than if I wanted to test In my good faith, we will approach the site to verify the product data. Her response was not at all surprising: "Wait a moment while I call the supervisor." I don't know how long after the supervisor arrived with everything and her Walkie Talkie and we went to check the price that the sound equipment indicated in its display.
Indeed, I was right, the price tag was located just below the merchandise and also clearly marked with a little red arrow. The supervisor's explanation was that "sometimes, people move the merchandise" so that's why it didn't match the price tags. Then I was forced to bring the box back myself and take another with the product that "according to the system" if it corresponded to the price on the label.
Returning to the metal cart, the first problem arose to know the exact price of the product, since due to its size, it was difficult to take it to the device that indicates (when it indicates) the prices. The second obstacle is when we try to ask an employee since we did not see a thousand square meters around. Taking risks, we took the cart to the checkout as part of the purchase so that the cashier would inform us of the price and if it was convenient for us, to purchase it. We liked the price and decided to buy it. While my wife made the other line to check and test the merchandise at the exit of the establishment, I went to look for the truck in the parking lot so, even for security reasons, not to cross the entire parking lot with the amount of items purchased.
What would be my surprise: an employee "helped" my wife to transport the merchandise to our car when, lowering the metal cart, he literally threw it on her feet. He was very close to causing an injury. Very little.
At the exit of the establishment there is the manager's office and to one side of his desk there is a huge painting with the mission and vision of the company. In total I counted 17 items about it.
On a new occasion when I visited the hypermarket, I found a former student working as a clerk in the "customer service" area. I took the opportunity and asked him a well-intentioned question: What is your mission in this company? To which she replied: "Stay here until I get something better."
Customer satisfaction: our business
The examples mentioned exemplify in part the serious effects of failing to assertively communicate the mission of our companies, organizations and service institutions to our employees. In other words, communicating means that they understand, are clear, agree and guarantee that this mission is fulfilled in the exercise of their functions.
And the sole mission of a service company is to create as great a sense of satisfaction as possible in its customers. For the rest, everything is secondary, alternate and even surplus. We say satisfaction because it is not about making our clients happy or at least not completely happy, since our mission is not - unless the company is a religion or a deified cult that abounds these days - to solve the client all the problems in your life.
The cycle is very simple to understand: High levels of satisfaction generate happy customers, who generate new sales, which in turn generate new profits for the company, these must be reinvested in training, compensation and motivation of human resources, which in turn With an attitude of satisfaction in customer service you will generate new satisfied customers and so on.
This cycle can be applied and is perfectly valid for new or established companies, huge emporiums or companies the size of a small car wash.
The emphasis not simply on service, but on satisfying customers who invest their time and money in our companies is real business. Continuously and sustainably training all members of the organization - starting with the owners or presidents of the companies - to be specialists in services is the master key that will lead us to be part of a successful and competitive organization.
