Have you ever dreaded “talking to a
computer” on the phone? Endlessly selecting “other options” from the menu till
you get to speak to a real human being?
In this world of today, in which
everything happens instantly with almost all things being automated and so much
stuff is dealt with online, our experience as a customer can vary greatly, that
is, from a feeling of despair and helplessness to a feeling of relief and
satisfaction.
Obviously things like “a prompt
delivery”, “the quality of the product” or any other advantage we perceive
about this product or service will determine our satisfaction and likely our
loyalty as customers.
But sooner or later we find ourselves
having a “special requirement”; a “last minute change” or something comes up
that requires a “personalised” attention.
What comes next needs to be approached
with patience: selecting options from a menu either online or on the phone, keeping
calm until we finally get to speak or “chat” to a real human being.
In situations where you seem to be
hitting against a brick wall, it all comes down to the one person willing to
lend ears to you.
And this is when the magic happens.
Usually, a person will walk the extra mile for you in trying to meet your
requirement. The results will largely depend on how flexible the organization
is to adapt to customers’ requirements, but it will also depend by a great deal
on how much concern and willingness to help the person at the other end of the
line has.
I have found there are people willing
to walk out of their way, willing to walk the extra mile for you, in order for
you to get what you wanted.
I call this the personal contribution,
the personal touch. In a world of competition and marketing, companies
encourage “customer care” and implement procedures and systems to better
communicate with their customers but at the end of the day, it all comes to the
individual contribution, to the genuine concern of a person for making a
difference.
It is really as simple as that. A given
situation can have different outcomes depending on the integrity and commitment
of the individual dealing with it. Those acting from their willingness to be of
help, do the extra bit, get the job well done and walk that extra mile for
somebody, stand out.
I give to this “human factor” the
success of our daily endeavours through life.
Gratitude and appreciation goes out to
those anonymous people who want to leave a positive contribution to this society,
to all my colleagues at work whose daily commitment and disposition help to the
success of this company, and a massively big “thank you” to our customer base that
acknowledges and appreciates our commitment to service.
Because, what really counts and makes a
difference is people taking an interest in people.
A1 Minibus & Coach Services, in
business for 35 years, is a family run transport provider.
Contact us at: 01592 713443 or e-mail
info@a1coaches.com or visit www.a1coaches.com
