A SATISFIED CUSTOMER IS BETTER THAN PROFIT

I sell Pizza. I own a restaurant that makes pizza and when I can I do deliveries myself. Even while I lived in Nigeria I have always been a people's person. In all the jobs I did in Nigeria I was always the one junior workers came to when they had issues that needed to be resolved. 

I did quality assurance. The job comes with lots of training, compliance, retraining and sometimes punishment for non adherence to quality standards. My policy was to record 3 infractions against someone before thinking about punishment. I had people around me who felt this approach was wrong. They felt it was good to exercise the authority they have. There's nothing wrong with exercise of authority but that's not my style. I know when to use my authority, what to use it on and when not to use it. When I notice a default or an infraction is reported to me I do what my dad used to do to me when I was a kid. My dad and mom were a good combination. My dad didn't speak much and whipped me only once in my life. My mom didn't tolerate nonsense. Do as you are told and have peace or don't do as you are told and get what's coming for you. After mom had done her whipping, dad would sit you down and explain to you why you were whipped. He would extract a commitment from you to not do what you did to deserve whipping. That commitment he extracts from you is what will stand up to you the next time you had a sit down with him. They were uncomfortable moments. Together they raised me to who I am today. 

I bring defaulters into my office and ask them to feel comfortable. Then I bring out the training form they signed. Then I point out the infraction and they agree they erred. I simply ask why they refused to abide by rules. Many times they admit they erred, apologise and promise to be better. In that moment, a new advocate for quality compliance is born. They not only start complying but also encourage others to comply. Sometimes I punished people when it was absolutely necessary. Keep the above in mind. 

A customer ordered pizza from me and posted a review that said it was one of the best pizzas he's ever had. I replied and said, "I am happy to read this. A satisfied customer is better than profit". It's a very controversial statement when taken at face value. What business doesn't want profit? The sole aim of business is no longer to make profit but to maximise it. Right? I believe so. I have a different approach. I worked for Shoppers Drug Mart for about 2 years. I saw first hand how powerful customer service can be if used properly. Under Dave, the Manager, I learnt how to 'weaponize' customer service. It became a tool for driving sales in the sense that you don't look at how much money a customer is going to spend but how satisfied the shopping experience is. He made us treat customers like Kings and Queens. Make eye contact, ask what they are looking for and walk them to the item, make sure they are ok before you walk away, make eye contact all the time. If they want to talk then that becomes your job. Everything we did was centred around customer satisfaction. I did my best in these to the point customers started asking for me by name. 

A satisfied customer will tell people about your service with so much joy that people are usually convinced. There's no marketing technique that is stronger or better than a satisfied customer selling your product to others. Profit is wonderful but it does not talk to anybody. It sits in your bank account and will gladly convert itself to bills at the slightest opportunity. If you focus on customer satisfaction you will get referrals and profit will come. If you focus on profits customers will irritate you because all you will see is how much time you are wasting on a customer. Time is money. I have had a customer spend over 30 mins to decide on an order. I waited. I have got two referrals from her. "He is so nice and has wonderful pizza". I don't open on Saturdays but because of one satisfied customer I have 6 people to service this Saturday. 

Thank you Dave. You taught me so much while I worked for you. I truly appreciate the lessons. A satisfied customer is better than profit.