The “Customer First” Myth

How many times have you seen companies proudly boast that they “put their customers first”? How many of those companies do you suppose actually do that?

Besides feeling that people who need to shout about it probably don’t do it, if they do take it on board in compliance with the edict of the management gurus of the 1980s and 1990s, I believe they are ultimately sowing the seeds of their own downfall.

Well intentioned it may have been, for those old enough to remember 20 to 40 years back, can you honestly say that there has been a significant improvement in service during that time? In my experience, the reverse is true. Companies tend to provide freefone numbers that assume that it is acceptable to keep us holding because they are paying for the call, not thinking that our time is valuable. Others have us work through complicated automated answering services or, even worse, outsource their customer relations to places where cultural and language differences make communication even harder.

Another impact of “putting the customer first” is that, where companies really “go for it”, is often met by employee resistance and even resentment, partly because of the significant pressures it puts on them and the failure to fully engage people in the process. In effect their employer is saying to them: “You don’t matter. You have to do everything to please the customer”.

In my own profession, “putting clients first” has resulted in young lawyers being some of the most stressed professionals in the country with high addiction rates for alcohol, drugs and other compulsive disorders including sex and gambling. These young lawyers receive a very handsome reward for surrendering their lives to keeping the law firm’s clients happy, except that, judging by client responses, they don’t always do that.

My proposition is simple: put your staff first. Be concerned with their fulfilment, their happiness, their problems, their freedom to contribute. The impact of this is perhaps controversial proposal is to engage all people working in the company (including the owners and managers) in a process that spreads far beyond their worth. The stress is reduced, our sickness reduces, staff turnover reduces and (all associated costs), work motivation increases substantially and, last but not least, customer service levels rocket having a resultant impact on sales and after-sales service.

Making this happen is all about great relationships internally and externally. Instead of the traditional divisive role of our legal system, law (the ultimate governor of relationships) can be used a tool to help create effective relationships, effective staff fulfilment programmes that allow our company to fulfil its true potential.

For more information contact Maitland Kalton on 07957 124426.