Sometimes, I meet people who are quick to join the bandwagon of bashing businessmen and women for being reckless, not worrying about their most important asset – their customer. They are quick to give examples, this or that restaurant, this or that small business and this or that conglomerate. Customer care, is not some complex, very expensive practice that should be left with people with huge budgets to spare. The Customer Service Magazine gave me some insight into what customer care really is and among them, were phrases like, ‘treating others as you would like to be treated yourself,’ ‘the process of taking care of our customers in a positive manner,’ ‘causes a negative or positive perception by a customer’ and finally ‘the proactive attitude that can be summed up as: I care and I can do.’ Going through all the phrases it seemed to me that customer service is first about good impressions more than anything else. Do not expect someone who cannot give a good impression of themselves, to certainly get hooked to giving good customer care for a business, and that is where you come in. First, everyone, irrespective of their trade should think about their personal brand, be it a priest, a doctor, a politician, a student or a NGO worker. It is all about impressions first. We should be thinking about what we want to be and the first thing in trying to be what we want to be, is we have to act like them, speak like them, look like them. A doctor should be neat, empathetic and yet remain professional. A businessman should first believe in their brand, talk about it not like a scheming individual looking to profiteer from it, but like a satisfied user who is only willing to share the benefits of their product. An old Sprite advert puts forward the message rather excellently, that ‘Image is Everything.’ Apart from being a nice advertising catch phrase to make you think Sprite will improve your image; it contains a lot of basic truths. It tells you that first impressions stick. It says that even you have an excellent product your first impression can wreck the perception of the product. It says that for example, how you express yourself in a job interview, could influence your chances more positively instead of your load of highly respected academic qualifications. It says that the ‘You’ brand is your face in every endeavor. It can take you places or get you stuck in mud. You should treat yourself like a brand. When you find fault with others, give positive criticism, suggest how they can do it better. Avoid carrying negativity around – these Rwandan businessmen do not understand something about customer care, am fed up. While you are saying that, think about what that says about your personal brand – whiner, ever complaining, up to no good, what else can I say? Learn to be constructive of other people’s efforts than destructive. This Sunday, take stock of your personal brand. kelviod@yahoo.com
