What happened to common sense?
I once met the manager of one of the nation’s largest airports. I asked him what his job was like. He said, jokingly, “If it wasn’t for the passengers, it would be a great job.”
I get what he’s saying but today, it seems like we have forgotten that the customer is critical to the success of business.
A couple in Florida had modified their mortgage and by doing so, had reduced their monthly payments. When they sent in their first payment, eight days early, the bank said it invalidated their modification and began a foreclosure. The couple contacted the bank president who said he could not stop the process. They finally went to her congressman. Eventually, eight months later, bank officials admitted that they had made an error when posting the check.
So, why didn’t someone in the bank look at this situation and say, “This doesn’t make sense.”? Has business gotten to the place where it’s all numbers and no one cares about the people anymore?
It’s important to remember that satisfied customers come back. Satisfied customers also tell other people about the businesses they like. And so do dissatisfied customers.
I never liked the phrase “the customer is always right” because sometimes, they’re not. But I do like the phrase, “the customer is always the customer” because they are and by remembering they are the customer, we treat them as a valuable asset to our business.