Now is the time to raise the bar in customer service

EDITOR: With Sandals and other hotels to come on stream and with tourist arrivals likely to increase there is need for us as a nation to up our game in customer service.

Time and time again we have spoken about the need to improve customer service in many areas, including Government Ministries. Customer service is very important in making a business successful and tourism a success.

This has been a problem for years and it seems to be rooted in our people. I trust that going forward businesses and hotels would place a lot of emphasis on Customer service, courtesy and politeness.

Academic qualifications is not all that matters. We know that there are many persons who are qualified, but their customer service relationship is poor.
In many businesses, customers do not seem to matter to them. You seldom see a smile from those who serve. There are far too many occasions when customers are ignored by those who serve. Sometimes you wonder if those who serve seem to think that customers are a bother to them. I know that there are many difficult customers and this can make the person serving react in an unprofessional manner.

This should never happen, even if the customer is problematic and difficult to go with.

The workers ought to be trained effectively in customer service and also the workers need to realize that customers ought not to be taken for granted and even though the worker is going through a challenge, it must never be reflected in his/her behaviour in terms of their customer service.

I trust with the increase in tourism and hotels that we would see an improvement in customer services in this country, not only in hotels and bars and those taxis, but in our every day dealing with persons in Government ministries, stores, utility companies and all forms of business.

For poor customer service can make a business suffer, while on the other hand good customer service attracts customers and makes the business profitable.
We can improve and so let us do so.

Kennard King