How to Treat Customers

Are customers always right? Is it true that you have to do everything that they ask? In this article we will look at some of the ways on how to treat customers better and where we draw the line on some of your hard to handle clientele.

Handling customers is an important job. In the martial arts school business, your customers are your students and their parents. As a school master, you know that you should spend a portion of your day talking to some of your customers (to build connections and relationships). The question is, are your employees giving their best when they are in-front of your beloved patrons?

You can know how your staff treats your customers by doing an assessment, followed by interviews to your students and their parents. Set up a staff meeting to hear the side of your team and follow up on some tips on how to treat customers, I’ll share some of them with you.

-          Don’t forget to smile. I don’t know what your preferences are, but generally, smiling employees make customers feel that they are welcomed. Everybody has seen a disgruntled employee; personally, I don’t approach those people. I want to get help from people who want to help me.

-          Offer your expertise. Students approach staff members because they want help or they want to know something. If they want physical help, like opening a locker or putting on protective gear then attend to that request immediately. If they want to know something, do your best to answer their question. Don’t forget that students are also customers; they also expect a certain level of “special” treatment.

-          Listen well. People really appreciate it when you make an effort to listen. Some customers just want to be heard, so when someone wants to talk to you, stop whatever you’re doing and pay attention. Be genuine in listening, nod a few times, and say “I understand your point”. Offer your help if it’s needed and never sigh, this is a sign of condescension.

Now let’s talk about unruly customers. If you’ve done your best to help the customer and did all the things I just said, then you have to realize that one customer is not worth all the effort in the world. If the customer is abusing your school’s services, if he is personally attacking and threatening you and your staff and if that person has a track record of complaining, then enough is enough.

You may end up with one less customer, but if you stand up for you team, it will greatly boost their morale. They will appreciate the gesture and you will earn their loyalty after that incident.