Customer Service Stories... From Nepal with Love

I go to restaurants but do not frequent them.

Two days back I went to the A2B Restaurant at Velachery. Most of the servers here are from Nepal.

The server in charge of my table approached me and said: Sir, aap kya khayenge? (Sir, what will you
like to have?)

Me: Mein paper roast khavuunga. (I wish to have a paper roast)

He: Sir, wo tho bahuth bada rahega. Aap kha nahin payenge. Ghee roast le lijiye. Paisa kyoon
waste karna? (Sir, paper roast will be pretty big. You may not be able to eat it all. I suggest you
go in for Ghee roast. Why waste money?)

I immediately realised my mistake in order and how nicely he had suggested what I should have.
How many people will take such a stance and how many more will realise that what he said is indeed true
in their case (if it is so, as in my case?).

I related this to a friend of mine who said that he went to Apoorva Sangeetha in Greams Road with his
family and his friend's family. After completing the meal, a young girl in the family was asked if she wanted
any thing else. She ordered for a family dosa. Nobody noticed this and a three foot long dosa was brought
out of which she could eat hardly 5%. The rest was taken away as parcel!!

I appreciated this guy from Nepal for his excellent service and blessed him saying one day in the future
he will have his own restaurant. Is it not such people who come up in life?

Holding the customer...and acquiring new ones

One among the most important business tactics is retention of customer and continuous service
in making him a life-long customer. Others are ready to grab a customer at the drop of a hat.

I buy milk regularly from a near-by shop and requested him to stop supply for a few days since
we were away.

Today morning I needed some milk and took it from another shop whose owner had informed
me in the past that milk would arrive at about 5 a.m. and kept in front of the shop. I could pick
up and pay later.

And this is what I exactly did today. I picked up 3 packets around 5.30 a.m (with a guilty feeling!!!)
when no-one was around.

I went at 6.30 a.m. to pay for the milk and told him that I had taken the milk earlier in the morning.

"Sir, you are one among us. Anytime you have the liberty to pick up the milk".

My usual guy who was back by then in the adjoining shop was a bit cut up. Sir, if you had told me, I would have supplied you. To which I said that we are still away and that from 1st of July you may resume supply.

It is a small business. But did you notice the attitude of the two shop keepers??

My friends in business, are you listening?!!

Sale is not over till....

Sale is not over till...
================

Yes you know that.

The age-old adage is that the sale is not over till the payment is collected in full.

A customer walked in and after discussions purchased an air-conditioner. He made the full payment in advance.

My salesman was happy that the sale has been closed. He thought that his job is over!!

I told him: No. Your sale is not over. In this case your sale is over only when you have supplied and installed the unit in customer's place and he is happy with the product.

You may help others........but!!

Yes, you may help others, but they should deserve to be helped.

A friend of mine had a few air-conditioners unsold for quite some time. I thought
I will help him and took four air-conditioners from him.

Today I voluntarily phoned him and told him that I'll take one more air-conditioner.
Further I told him to send the fifth unit and also collect payment for one unit.

He agreed to this arrangement.

In the evening he did not send the fifth unit and asked me to pay for five units (!!)
whereas he had supplied me only four.

Well, you see, such people do not deserve to be helped!

Take only what is due to you....

I note down my daily expenses meticulously.

A few days back, I had hardly done one or two purchases and the next morning when
I jotted down my expenses, I found that I was short of Rs.500.

I raked my brains but could not figure out where I had spent a sum of Rs.500.

Two or three days later I went to the petty shop from where I buy bread regularly.

The moment she saw me, the shopkeeper immediately handed me a 500 rupee note saying

that I had handed over a 1000 rupee note and had vanished after she had given change for 500

and had herself gone to the next shop to change the 1000 rupee note!!

These days this is a very rare gesture. There is a proverb in Tamil which says: "Ainthil valayathathu

Imbathil valayuma?"  A rough translation could be that habits die hard.

I at once knew that this lady and her husband will always do only fair business. 

Needless to say, nowadays, I try to patronise that shop as much as I can.

One's hard earned money will always come back.

You may play tricks - but never be tricky.

We were on the lookout for a good microwave oven.

We chose one in a huge showroom but did not buy it then and there.

A few days later we went to an exclusive showroom of the Brand and wanted that model number.
They didn't have it, but said they would get in a week or so later and supply after phoning us. Since we
were not in a hurry we accepted. But even after ten days there is no phone call.

Yesterday we happened to pass by another exclusive showroom of the same Brand and we walked in.
They too did not have that model but suggested another model which we were ready to take. They said
they would check up and confirmed one piece was available. We swiped the card.

Immediately, much to our chagrin, they said the piece is not there but they would source it and send it to
us the next day. I said okay.

The proper way of playing this trick would have been for them to tell us that it is not in stock but that they
would source it and supply within a day or two. Everything would have been fine.

The next day they never phoned me. When I phoned the guy said he would get back in five minutes.
Two hours later when the climate it hot and when my mood is hot, he does not pick up the phone.
When I get them on the landline they say they will give tomorrow!!

I have two questions:

(1) Who will teach them proper customer service??

(2) When will companies stop bringing in umpteen models, so that items could be readily given??

The mark of a confident salesman

Recently we visited a leading retail showroom in Madipakkam to check out the latest models
of washing machines and driers.

I could easily make-out that the salesman in charge of the washing machines was pretty sure within
a minute of our beginning to converse with him that we are not going to buy a machine that day.

His knowledge about washing machines was quite admirable. He patiently explained the features of
the various machines and tried to assess what combination of washer and drier would suit our requirements.

By helping a customer with profuse product knowledge, a good salesman can easily gel with the customer
and ensure that he gets the business when the customer is ready for the same!