The following is from a  2000 business advice column in the The Hindu newspaper: 

Dear Hilka,

Whoever said the customer was always right never worked with my customers. Half the time I just feel like screaming at them to behave or go away, but I realise this is inappropriate. However, how can I get them to be more polite so that I stop dreading going into work every day?

Sincerely,

Needs-a-Vacation

Dear Needs,

IT was Mahatma Gandhi who in a speech in South Africa in 1890 said: “A customer is the most important visitor on our premises. He is not dependent on us. We are dependent on him. He is not an interruption of our work. He is the purpose of it. He is not an outsider of our business. He is part of it. We are not doing him a favour by serving him. He is doing us a favour by giving us the opportunity to do so.”

Yet, don’t you wish that certain customers would just spare us the favour of this opportunity? Unfortunately, there is little to be done to correct someone else’s bad behaviour unless our products or services are in such demand that we can risk alienating them. A recent article in a New York newspaper described the owner of shoe repair shop whose work was so superior that the rich and famous line up to have their very expensive shoes repaired by him. He orders these society ladies and superstars to stand in line and wait their turn, to stop making so much noise with their chatter, and generally to be polite. Any individual who does not behave, risks not being served. Few of us have the luxury of being so superior to our competition that we can afford to alienate customers. If, unlike this shoe repair owner, your products or services are not the best by far, you can only work on your own attitude.

Think of extending enlightened hospitality to your customers. Greet them when they enter, offer to help them and then be sure to do so. Some customers are cantankerous or rude by nature, and there is little you can do except remind yourself that they have the problem, not you. Keep your emotional responses in check and try being extra nice; it may be a novel experience for them. It is important not to respond in a hostile or defensive manner. You are only the sounding board for whatever it is that has made them so disagreeable. Listen without interruption to make the person feel valued. Courtesy and attentiveness help make the customer happy, though not necessarily more polite. If your efforts all seem to be in vain, a mood booster for you might be to remember that they will soon be on their way out the door again. If nothing else, you’ll feel virtuous for your efforts.

If, however, the customer has a legitimate complaint, listening attentively is crucial to help you get to the heart of the problem. Then, emphathise with the customer. Acknowledge that you, too, would be upset if something like that happened to you. Once the customer feels understood, it is much easier to progress to a resolution. Don’t forget, though, to clarify and reiterate the points of the complaint as you perceived it and ask the customer for confirmation to make sure you really did understand one another correctly.

Ask the customer how the problem can best be resolved. Too often, we assume we know what it will take to make the customer happy and offer them the world when an apology would have been sufficient. And, when we go to extremes to try to make a customer happy, we are often left feeling abused by and resentful to that customer.

Once you are clear on the required course of action that needs to be taken, stay with the customer if at all possible until the problem is resolved. If you have to go to another department or seek someone else to help you, ask the customer to accompany you so the person does not feel abandoned. If that is not possible, explain where you are going and how long it will take. If the customer is on the telephone, offer to call back promptly rather than leaving the person on hold interminably.

In conversation with the customer, be wary of spouting “company policy” or telling them that they are the only one with this problem. Avoid, too, a litany of excuses. Blaming your supplier will cast doubt on all your merchandise. Blaming the problem on being so busy makes them feel as though they don’t matter. Focus instead on a simple apology and on the resolution.

Should a customer become verbally abusive, extricate yourself politely and firmly. Avoid getting huffy. Comments like, “I do not have to tolerate such rude vulgarity,” will only inflame the person further. The best solution with abusive or difficult customers is to turn them over to your supervisor or manager as quickly as possible. Never engage in a verbal sparring match, even when you have an overwhelming urge to do so. It is a losing battle for you.

One of the great lessons for you in this is to make sure that you treat other people well when you’re the customer. All too often, people who serve others become the rudest and most demanding when they are the customer…but then, some are also the nicest because they remember what it feels like to have to tolerate intolerable behaviour.

Cheers,

HILKA KLINKENBERG
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/10/15/stories/1315046y.htm

We currently have lens data for HOYA, AO, Sola, Zeiss, Younger, X-Cel, Essilor, Varilux, Signet Armorlite, Pentax, Seiko, and VisionEase with Rodenstock, Definity, and others soon to follow.

You can access the tool here:
Lens Availabilty Database and Progressive Lens Identifier

We are still considering the application an alpha release, which is to say a very early version. Very soon we will be adding new features, data, and improving useabilty, so your feedback at this time is very important. If the application is helpful to you, please, let us know what improvements you would like to see made and/or what features you would like to see added.

Update:

Rodenstock lens data is now loaded and available.

When viewed from a consumer perspective (without optician bias), it is hard to argue with eyewear that can be purchased at a small fraction of what it can be purchased for in a traditional dispensary. Even if the first pair doesn’t work out, a second or even third can be purchased for still less than a single traditionally purchased pair. While not for everyone (and maybe not even for your target customer), the savings does appeal to a wide audience.

I think the following quote from Ira of glassyeyes.com, advocate for consumer savings via internet opticals, sums up the attitude well:

I don’t have a problem with paying for any of these services if I feel I need them — and some truly do. I’m not, however, going to pay an extra $350 for what equates to a half-assed extended service plan. It doesn’t take a “rocket surgeon” to pop a new screw in or replace a nose pad. Heck, even other adjustments aren’t impossible (there are all sorts of videos online — from opticians — explaining how this can be done at home with no special tools).

Perception is reality.

As with any kind of change, you have three possible responses:

1. You can ignore the change and pretend it doesn’t exist.

2. You can complain about the change and call people stupid for participating in it.

3. You can embrace the change and look for opportunities.

Here is one opportunity I see:

Start by developing a pricing model for all your standard optical services. Do not be ridiculous or vindictive about it, but come up with fair pricing. Post and/or publish your prices and charge the internet or bargain retail shoppers accordingly. Perhaps even consider catering to this niche.

If the cost-conscious are not your niche, when your customers make a purchase, present them with a gold card entitling them to all the services on your list free of charge. Also, consider other, unique benefits customers might receive as a “gold card holder” just to make them feel special. Make your offering about the experience as much as the eyewear.

Then empower your employees to break the rules. Allow them offer free services and make people walking in off the street just needing an adjustment or nose pad feel special. Take a chance on generating word of mouth or capturing a life-long customer.

Be creative and care about your customers.

Folks that buy their eyewear online still may need your services, maybe not today, but someday. It probably doesn’t make much sense to go out of your way to be rude or alienate them. If you do: best-case scenario, you may have lost some business; worst-case scenario: you’ve generated negative word of mouth for both your business and opticians as a whole.

Savage Chickens by Doug Savage. Thanks Dr. Langford.

I got my first iPod four or five years ago as a Chistmas gift from a non-Costco source. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long after, maybe a year and a half, when the hard drive failed. By that time, the slimmer, sexier, video iPods had come out. So, rather than paying $150, or whatever it was, to have my original iPod repaired, I headed down to Costco to get a brand new replacement. While waiting to pick up my purchase at the cage in the front of the store, I struck up a conversation with a sales associate. I told him about my disappointment with the failure of my original iPod. He explained to me that even though the iPod was almost two years old, if I had purchased it from Costco, he could have refunded my entire purchase price.

…I was blown away!

Fast forward two and a half years: the headphone jack in my now not-so-new iPod (purchased from Costco) started to go bad. Having never forgotten the conversation I had with the Costco sales associate. I gathered up all the components I could find, placed them in an old iPod box, along with the heavily scratched iPod. I searched for the receipt, which I was certain I had kept, but was unable to unearth. So, with little hope, I headed down to the nearest Costco.

I set the old box of parts and the scratched up iPod sans receipt on the return desk. They asked me what the problem was. After explaining the headphone jack had gone bad, they looked up the original transaction and immediately refunded the entire purchase price to my credit card, no questions asked. …WOW!

Why shop anywhere else?

Now, my only dilemma is whether to purchase a higher capacity iPod Classic for $100 less or upgrade to a fancy new iPod Touch.

How are you creating a perfect storm of customer delight?

Update: Costco has amended their return policy on electronics.

I decided… rather… my family decided on an iPod Touch.  When I retuned to Costco, I noticed these little 90 day return policy stickers. Upon doing a little research, it seems I am really behind the curve on this one. Apparently Costco changed their return policy on electronics last year as a result of excessive abuses. I can only assume they honored the old policy for my iPod since it was purchased before the policy change. While disappointed, knowing that people were using the policy to obtain free paid upgrades for their high definition televisions and MP3 players, the change is certainly understandable. The 90 day return policy on electronics remains one of the best in retail.

Update: Disappointment #2

After getting my our new iPod Touch home, I quickly realized Costco is not yet carrying the second generation devices that came out earlier this month. Since the 2G’s Nike+ compatibility and external volume control/speaker were high on the list of features I desired, it looks like I will be utilizing the 90 day policy.  

Seth Godin writes about the role of patience and perseverance in a successful web strategy. However, the ideas are applicable to virtually any plan for success.

Simon Sinek discusses how being more proactive and less reactive can alleviate stress and lead to greater success in business and in life.

While much of this story makes me squirm in my chair, reminding me of tactics used by timeshare sales weasels, there are some valuable takeaways here. First of all, I’m not entirely convinced the Turkish rug salesmen’s gestures were not somewhat genuine; then again that could just my naiveté or wishful thinking. In any case, there is definitely something to be said for putting the interests of your customer ahead of the sale, for freely offering something of value, for trying to establish a rapport or even a relationship before selling your goods or services, particularly if your motives are genuine. Even if you don’t make an immediate sale, good will and a pleasant experience go a long way toward building future business and positive word of mouth.

Thanks Guy Kawasaki

Telling people what not to do is ineffective for two reasons:

1. Our brains cannot process negatives. For example: we cannot quantify darkness or coldness. We can only measure each in terms of its positive counterpart, light and heat.
2. Telling someone what not to do (or even what to do), imposes your dogma upon them, strips them of their power to choose, and removes value from the equation.

On the other hand, telling people about your purpose, your beliefs, their options, or the benefits of choice A or B, places the power and the accountability in theirs hand and allows them to make their own value judgments.

I can’t help but think optical professionals often fall into this trap with their customers. Don’t get your eyes examined at Wal-Mart. Don’t buy your glasses from the internet. Don’t buy your contacts from 1-800. And whatever you do, don’t post your [consumer] questions on Optiboard! When faced with these kind demands, it becomes more likely the customer will respond with, “To heck with You. You don’t care about me. You just want my money. I’ll do what I decide to do.”

Value can only be perceived, if the buyer is accountable for their own decision instead [of] being pressured to do what you think is the right thing to do. This has nothing to do with the quality of the product or the service - telling someone not to eat McDonald’s because it’s bad is good advice…just not as effective as telling them to eat broccoli because it’s good.