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Customer Indignation
By John W. Kennedy | July 16, 2008
It’s the wise business that treats customers with respect and dignity. And it’s the savvy consumer who doesn’t get his nose bent out of joint over a perceived slight.
On occasion, I’ve become angry and exasperated at the rude and indifferent treatment from employees at the three major airlines on which I fly. If I had chosen to do so I could have made threats, become angrier and walked away unsatisfied.
Instead, I realized that every business has a few lemons and that’s not the way to judge a company. In other instances, I’ve also had workers from those same three airlines go out of their way to accommodate my needs, making an extra effort to help me even though it provided no reward for them beyond customer satisfaction.
In my journalism career I’ve witnessed many magazine and newspaper readers who have become irate at a story. Sometimes the indignation is justifiable because of an error that has been printed; other times it’s someone being upset that we would print a certain quote from someone or cover a particular topic. Whatever the case, it’s best for the editor not to get into an escalated argument, even if the reader is off base. I’ve learned that a sincere, gentle answer usually turns away wrath (Proverbs 15:1).
Subscribers also sometimes become incensed when something isn’t covered in our magazine that they think should receive attention. For instance, Today’s Pentecostal Evangel doesn’t run articles about pastors who have been preaching at the same church for 50 years. As awesome a feat as that is, it’s not unique. I receive a call or letter several times a year from someone in a local congregation asking for such a story.
We also typically don’t cover the deaths of district officials. Nor do we single out district Bible Quiz or Fine Arts winners. That doesn’t diminish the contributions those achievers have made; it’s simply a matter of limited space. If we ran one article on such an event our magazine would be filled with nothing but that kind of material.
So please understand we’re not trying to be insensitive. We’re trying to do it fairly. And I hope with compassion and integrity.
Topics: business |