The Daily Telegraph published a story last week about a newsagent demanding payment from a customer for three towels used to keep his head off the concrete floor during an epileptic fit.
The story does not read well for the newsagent. She wants $60.00 for the towels plus $1.00 if they are to be paid for using a credit card. She’s has reportedly pursued the epileptic for three months.
By association, this story reflects badly on all newsagents.
I don’t know the real story – given that the report was in the Tele I have doubts that it covered all the facts.
What I do know is that in customer service you’re only as good as your last contact. One negative contact with a customer can undo a day of cheerful customer service.
I know newsagents who have gone to extraordinary lengths to help customers who have fallen ill in their shops. Their efforts won’t be reported by the Tele because they’re not news. Why is it that one slip up is more interesting that fifty or one hundred hero stories? I guess we’d prefer to read the negative stories, they must sell more newspapers.
We are local businesses, more community connected than most. Our decisions about challenges we face every day ought to be made within the framework of this community connection. A mantra of, say, putting our community first, is under the shingle, on letterhead, on business cards and reflected in every decision.
While such a mantra may seem cheesy, it would guide how we react when faced with a challenge such as whether to charge for the towels.