Randall Aungst

Customer Service

My thoughts on Customer Service and Students.
ED209
Facilitator: Patricia Scales
By Randall Aungst
12/5/2012

How is customer service defined in an adult setting?
According to the instruction module there are some issues with customer service as it pertains to students. One of which is the notion that “the customer is always right.” This issue, from my perspective, is not an issue with customer service as it pertains to students but rather an issue of understanding, or should I say perception, of the meaning behind the saying “the customer is always right.” Further I would go so far as to say the criteria by which most people pigeonhole customers is inherently flawed. The following will discuss my thoughts regarding both of these issues.
In the module the term customer is linked to monetary compensation for services or products. This notion limits, considerably, the people that fall into this category. Before we tackle that issues any further let’s discuss what we as customers of others expect when it comes to good customer service. I think that most people would agree that from a customer’s perspective there are three issues of interest. As a customer I expect to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed. All of these issues of interest are geared to one key issue and that is that as a customer I must feel that I am important. When looking at the aforementioned list of issues that a customer expects, and if we accept this to be true, this list also looks like another list of expectations; that of what might be expected from a relationship. While specific expectations might change based on the nature of the relationship you are speaking about these same issues would most likely show up on that list as well. As such there could be an argument made for changing the criteria by which a person might be considered a customer. Under this new perspective a customer is anyone that wants something from you and you want something in return from them. In a relationship you want companionship, friendship along with a variety of other desires from the other party and likewise they have a list of wants and desires from you. With the student teacher relationship the student wants the knowledge that the teacher has to offer and the teacher wants the best efforts of the student. As such, under the new perspective, the student is the customer of the teacher and the teacher is the customer of the student. Both parties expectations are the same to be treated with respect not indifference, that my concerns be heard not ignored and that I am attended to not dismissed.
This brings us to the issue of “the customer is always right.” Most people misunderstand this statement to mean that as a provider of customer service one must always give into the customer. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The easiest way to understand the statement is to alter it, for explanation purposes. The statement should read “the customer never should be told they are wrong.” This is a more accurate depiction of what the saying means. It also is why customer service, when done correctly, is extremely difficult. The reason for this is that under the new understanding it is incumbent upon the customer service representative to construct communication in such a way so that the customer comes to the conclusion that their position is incorrect. In this way the customer is not being told they are wrong but rather guided to the correct conclusion so that they are always right. This is not an easy thing to do. In the student teacher relationship, under this new understanding of this statement, a student as a customer does not seem as contradictory as it is an instructor’s job to guide the student to correct conclusions as a matter of course and nature of the position.

Just food for thought.
Randall Aungst, MBA