The customer is still king

By Robert Lalah

So there hasn't been much good news recently where the economy is concerned. Watching the slide of the Jamaican dollar alone could leave you nauseated. And worrying over just how much this will continue to affect prices in the weeks and months ahead is a full-time job.

There's certainly no shortage of pundits and experts making predictions about the challenges that are ahead of us. We're also getting a lot of tips on how we can best weather the financial storms.

A lot of these are commonsensical strategies, like cutting back on unnecessary spending and, where possible, increasing the amount we put away as savings.

We've also been hearing a lot about the need to 'buy Jamaican'. It's not hard to understand how important this is, especially these days. If we can support our local businesses, we might be able to lower our import bill while protecting the jobs of thousands of Jamaicans. And saving jobs is a real and urgent concern now.

With the number of small businesses being opened all across the country, you can't help but wonder how they'll be able to manage in a time when people are cutting back. I'm sure this keeps many business owners up at night. How do they keep the customers coming and their staff employed?

Well, as a consumer who genuinely wants to see these businesses succeed, let me offer one very basic yet critical piece of advice: It's customer service, stupid.

With so many options available these days, any business place that offers poor customer service is going to be first up on the chopping block of shoppers. It's not rocket science. If I want to buy a pair of pants but feel like I'm a bother to the person who works at the store in which it's being sold, all I have to do is go somewhere else. And quite often, that's usually just next door.

It seems simple enough. Even business owners are consumers themselves and certainly appreciate good customer service. Yet, somehow, the message doesn't seem to be getting to everyone.

BAD EXPERIENCE

Last week alone, I visited two business places for the absolute last time. One's a take-out restaurant and the other is a clothing store, both in the Half-Way Tree area. The reason I've decided never to return to either place is that I've consistently had unpleasant experiences with staff members there. I know that people have bad days and sometimes get irritable. That's understandable. Why these employees have so many bad days, though, and how they can so carelessly cause it to impact their work, is a mystery.

For all my good-natured smiles and cheery greetings, all I've ever got in return are grouchy directives and sour looks. And I've seen them treat other customers this way, too. Lots of them. Well, I've decided that I'll just stop trying. I'm neither a lover nor a family member of these people, so I have no reason to grin and bear it any longer.

Now, of course, I'm just one person, so fortunately for the owners of these businesses, my decision won't cause an immediate crash. The stores will remain open and other people will continue to shop there. But for how long? Will customers put up with this, even as the economy gets tougher? That's not a gamble I'd be willing to make if I were the owner of these places.

The truth is, I hate complaining about poor customer service. I think a lot of people do. But it's critical to the survival of businesses, so we shouldn't stop talking about it.

What's most perplexing is the attitude of the ones creating the problem. Don't they realise that the success of the business is directly related to the security of their own jobs? How stupid do you have to be to diddle around with your job when there are countless others who will gladly take your place? Who are they going to blame if they do lose their jobs?

We have to start being more sensible if we hope to make it out of this rut and usher in a more prosperous time. It might be too simplistic to say that your economic survival could come down to a friendly smile and warm greeting. But it certainly won't hurt. In these times, we each need all the help we can get.

Robert Lalah is assistant editor - features, and author of the popular 'Roving with Lalah' series. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and robert.lalah@gleanerjm.com.