You Can't Take Care of Your Customers if You Don't Take Care of
Yourself!
By Catherine DeVrye
"I'm too busy to exercise. I never have enough time for family and
friends. Who can spare an hour to go to the gym? How can I read a book or listen
to music when I've got so much to do?"
Does this sound familiar? No doubt you've either spoken or heard one of these
distressed comments. After all, we've gone to seminars and been told that the
customer is number one. Rubbish!
Even as the author of a #1 best-selling book on customer service, I know that
customer well-being is not nearly as important as my personal well-being. Now,
this may sound selfish and contrary to popular business thinking but I can't
possibly serve others to the best of my ability unless I have ample physical and
mental reserves myself. We need to be at our personal best to give our personal
best.
If we're at work and feeling guilty about yelling at the kids or not calling
our aged parents; or resentful that we had to forgo a golf game to work on a
quality certification all weekend, what frame of mind will we be in to greet our
customers?
Try as we might, the best customer service providers are only human (apart
from the automatic teller machines!), and all humans need to have their
batteries recharged. Some daily exercise helps restore the balance. A simple
walk will suffice for a marathon. And daily means every day!
As far back as the times of Aristotle, a correlation between a healthy mind
and a healthy body was recognized. Often the only treadmill people are on is the
one of constantly working. We're so busy being busy; so tired of being tired
that like the treadmill, it feels like we're frantically moving but getting
nowhere.
As a reformed workaholic, I know that physical and mental relaxation is
easier to talk about than do. It's easier still to get into a vicious cycle of
working harder in the hope that you will have more leisure time; to get more
customers so you can afford that long overdue holiday.
But if you take better care of yourself you'll be able to take better care of
your customers. In return, they will take better care of your financial needs
through repeat business. So remember that:
'You can't take care of your customers if you don't take care of
yourself.'
About the author: Catherine DeVrye is the author of the
#1 best seller 'Good Service is Good Business' and the newly released
inspirational gift book 'Hope Happens!…words of encouragement for tough
times'. Winner of the Australian Executive Woman of the Year Award, she speaks
internationally on managing change, customer service and turning obstacles to
opportunities. www.hopehappensnow.com Phone: 61-2-9977-3177. Email: office@greatmotivation.com
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