Its been almost a year since I came to this wonderland called Singapore. I am done with my Masters in Business Administration. My curricular and extra-curricular involvement helped me to identify my passion towards Marketing.
With the advent of globalization and many countries liberalizing international trade, customers are getting more options and customer loyalty is becoming an alarming issue.
Companies are spending millions of dollars to gain customer loyalty. My question is can customer loyalty be gained by respecting them??
I would like to share one incident with you.
I had been to this Indian Restaurant Mr. XYZ (named changed to protect identity) in the afternoon to have some Indian vegetarian food; this place is near my hostel. I sat there and ordered my food. My order was:
1. Chapati with dal worth S$ 3
2. Chana Masala worth S$ 2
Total with GST (Goods and Service Tax)= S$ 5.40
I was having my meal and saw a man in his 30's; he was a contract labour working on the ongoing MRT expansion project who came there to have food. When that man ordered his food he was told to pay his bill first and then have his food. Maybe the Manager thought since he looks poor and didn't wear expensive clothes; he would run away without paying the bill. Was this discrimination on the grounds of colour? clothes? futile worry of the restaurant manager? Anyways, he paid the bill and then enjoyed his meal; I could see the satisfaction of having that meal in his eyes.
Meanwhile, I completed my meal and went up to the cashier to pay my bill. It showed this:
1. Chapati with Keema worth S$ 4.50
2. Chana Masala worth S$ 2
Total with GST = S$ 7.00
I was surprised and I told the cashier/ manager that I hadn't ordered Chapati with Keema but Chapati with dal and my bill is supposed to be S$ 5.40. He didn't believe me and called the waiter to check it and to my surprise the waiter said I ordered chapati with keema and to prove me wrong he even went to the extent of checking my plate to see whether it was dal or keema? I just told the manager, S$ 1.60 isn't a big deal for me and if he wants to charge me more I will pay it because I was insulted and then finally he said I think you are right and your bill is S$ 5.40.
How would I feel when the waiter when to the extent of checking my leftover plate to see whether I am lying?? I as a customer? Yes I am a student and S$ 1.60 would matter to me but here I just wanted him to charge me for the food I had.
Will I go there to eat again? NO!! Will I give good reviews about that place to my friends? NO! Did that restaurant lose one customer and all other customers related to me? YES!
Companies spend plethora of money to build their brand and sell their products to the customers. What if the customer is insulted by the way he is treated? My advice to all companies and hotel chains out there, would be to learn how to respect the customer. when I was a kid, I always used to read this quote in one of our regular grocery stores, "Customer is God!" In order to gain customer loyalty, companies first have to earn the respect of their customers. Respect isn't gained, its earned.
Do not discriminate your customers on the basis of colour, clothes or profession.
Its the customers who make and break the market! Respect them!
1. Chapati with dal worth S$ 3
2. Chana Masala worth S$ 2
Total with GST (Goods and Service Tax)= S$ 5.40
I was having my meal and saw a man in his 30's; he was a contract labour working on the ongoing MRT expansion project who came there to have food. When that man ordered his food he was told to pay his bill first and then have his food. Maybe the Manager thought since he looks poor and didn't wear expensive clothes; he would run away without paying the bill. Was this discrimination on the grounds of colour? clothes? futile worry of the restaurant manager? Anyways, he paid the bill and then enjoyed his meal; I could see the satisfaction of having that meal in his eyes.
Meanwhile, I completed my meal and went up to the cashier to pay my bill. It showed this:
1. Chapati with Keema worth S$ 4.50
2. Chana Masala worth S$ 2
Total with GST = S$ 7.00
I was surprised and I told the cashier/ manager that I hadn't ordered Chapati with Keema but Chapati with dal and my bill is supposed to be S$ 5.40. He didn't believe me and called the waiter to check it and to my surprise the waiter said I ordered chapati with keema and to prove me wrong he even went to the extent of checking my plate to see whether it was dal or keema? I just told the manager, S$ 1.60 isn't a big deal for me and if he wants to charge me more I will pay it because I was insulted and then finally he said I think you are right and your bill is S$ 5.40.
How would I feel when the waiter when to the extent of checking my leftover plate to see whether I am lying?? I as a customer? Yes I am a student and S$ 1.60 would matter to me but here I just wanted him to charge me for the food I had.
Will I go there to eat again? NO!! Will I give good reviews about that place to my friends? NO! Did that restaurant lose one customer and all other customers related to me? YES!
Companies spend plethora of money to build their brand and sell their products to the customers. What if the customer is insulted by the way he is treated? My advice to all companies and hotel chains out there, would be to learn how to respect the customer. when I was a kid, I always used to read this quote in one of our regular grocery stores, "Customer is God!" In order to gain customer loyalty, companies first have to earn the respect of their customers. Respect isn't gained, its earned.
Do not discriminate your customers on the basis of colour, clothes or profession.
Its the customers who make and break the market! Respect them!
