When I think of customer service, I remember the story of the Master Bicycle Repairman who lost it all. His story goes something like this…
Many years ago, between the time of the horse drawn carriage and the automobile, there lived a bicycle repair man who was the Master of his trade. He lived in a very small village and he was well respected by his community. No matter what the issue was with a person’s bicycle, he could fix it within a very short space of time. In those days people used bicycles for almost everything. They used them to take their wares to and from market; they even used bicycles to travel to social events. It was a necessity tool for the average man or woman to use. Bicycles were less expensive than the new and scarce car or an old fashioned horse… and you did not have to feed it gasoline or hay!
In those days, the roads were not in the best of condition and people often damaged their bicycles. Word started to spread about a great Bicycle Repairman who was truly the Master of his craft. People would come from far and wide to have their bicycles fixed. There was even a story of a man who walked 100 miles just to get his bicycle fixed by the Master. Things became so busy that the Master had barely enough time to eat or sleep, but his arrogance and pride did not allow him to seek additional help.
Soon his high quality supplies started to dwindle and he began to cut corners to meet the growing demand. To fix people’s bicycles he became “resourceful”; after all, he was the Master of his trade. To patch the tires he used young tree sap, for the broken spokes he used sticks and for the broken chains he used twigs and strings to secure them. He was finally able to keep up with the growing demand.
However, as we all know, chains are only as strong as their weakest links. The wooden spokes soon broke and the tree sap did not hold the air in the bicycle tires. It was not long before clients started to complain about the poor service.
As quickly as the Master rose to fame, his reputation soon plummeted and he was regarded as the scourge of the land for ruining good bicycles with inferior products. And this was before social media! His name was now associated with poor craftsmanship and failure; in the end he lost everything. For generations to come, his family carried his curse. What was his family name you ask? Why it was, “Lemon.”
In the end, it is important to remember that the road to hell is always paved with good intentions.
No matter how good your intentions are, there are times when you must make the hard decision to put your pride aside. Hire additional qualified staff or turn down business if you are unable to properly serve a customer. You are only as good as your last product or service, so why risk your company’s legacy?
