What is true customer
service? Let me illustrate with two real
life incidents that occurred earlier this morning.
As soon as my elder daughter
returned from school, we went to a nearby grocery shop to purchase a small
item. Being in a rush I did not take my wallet but took a 100 rupee note.
En-route to the shop, we handed over an empty bottle to the local sugar cane
juice wallah requesting him to fill it up with three glasses of juice. Both these places (the established-pucca
grocery store as well as the makeshift-kacha sugar cane juice outlet) are
frequented regularly by us.
At the grocery shop however the
mid aged grumpy lady scowled at the 100 rupee note as though it was something evil.
“Don’t you have change?” she asked. The item cost Rs 13. I informed her that I
did not take my wallet. “Do you have three rupees” I patiently repeated the
earlier statement. Instead of billing the item she went on and on about the
lack of change and the insignificant amount that I had spent. After I raised my voice slightly and ticked
her off on the customer service angle she reluctantly billed the item.
As we were walking back my 10
year old daughter had only remark. “When the lady opened the cash counter for
the change I saw a wad of change and a bag full of coins. Why did she not give
it in the first place?” I told her that sometimes the smaller roadside vendors
are more customer focused than organized shops.
I was proved right moments
later when we reached the sugar cane juice vendor. He had filled up the bottle
to the brim and said “Saab there were 4 glasses of juice in the vessel and I
have poured it into the bottle but since you asked for 3, please pay only for
3”.
