Read Bean Rest. vs Customer Service Slogan


Customer is the king” ….

How many of you that never read or heard the above slogan ?

I believe that most of grown people have ever read or heard the above slogan and never say the disagreement of the above statement.

Except me …; I am not the one who buys in the whole idea of the above slogan even though my career path starts in service industry.

Most of the service practitioner take that slogan without even understand the reason behind the statement and how to put that into reality.

Last night, we were having dinner at Red Bean Restaurant, Kelapa Gading. Since we are not a smoker, automatically we chose the non smoking area.

Not within a minute, I smell a cigarette flavor in the air. Then I realized that there’s a family who sat behind me, light her cigarette.

Well.. I didn’t mind somebody smoke when we were sitting in the smoking area, but since I was in the non-smoking area, I felt annoyed with the situation. So my husband asked the waitress just to confirm that we didn’t choose the wrong area.

Then the lady stopped her smoke activity, but it was only temporary. Not more than 30 minutes, she continued her smoke.

Short stories, we claimed to the restaurant manager. Not because we hate smoker, we complained because the manager ignored our right as a customer.

But what surprised me was the manager’s comment, that he didn’t have the right to ask the lady top stop because there’s no sign of “non-smoking area”. So my husband pointed the sign of “non-smoking area” around the restaurant.

Can you imagine the answer ? The restaurant manager told my husband that customer is the king and he didn’t have the right to implement the rules of “non-smoking area”.

…. SPEECHLESS ….. that was my first reaction …

No wonder the implementation of “smoking” and “non-smoking” area in Indonesia ever went well. The entire fine was just only a “written” fine, no one got fine by the police. Not because the police do not have the guts, it’s because the police officer were the one who loves to smoke.

The smoking area versus non smoking area only applicable to certain place, but if the customer didn’t obey the rules, the person who have the authorization to implement the policy also don’t have the guts by hiding through “The Customer is The King” statement.
Yes, the customer is the king, but the customer also has to follow the rules, the policy. If the customer didn’t want to follow the rules or the policy, doesn’t mean that the authorize person have to follow the customer’s.

Customer is the king means that as a service provider we have to understand customer’s right when we implement or make a policy. As a service provider we have to be objective and honest in delivering our product or policy.

Whilst as the customer, we also have to follow the rules, the policy. We can not be the ego centric person, like that lady.

I’m wondering if she goes to other country will she follow the “smoking” rules. I bet that she will follow the rules.

Suddenly I remembered my former boss comment, who is an expatriate, when the government announced the smoke regulation.

Cynically he told me that it’s a waste. People in Indonesia never follow the rule, especially where “money” is the God in Indonesian rule…

….SPEECHLESS
….

Comments

Elyani said…
Lalita, I hate smokers too. The problem with our people is a lack of civic consciousness and poor law enforcement from the authorities. It will be many years from now when a smoking ban in public places is applied and enforced in Indonesia. I can't see it happening anytime soon, though.

ps : I have linked your blog to mine too :) Have a great Sunday :)
Unknown said…
well customer is king, but even kings have to respect the rules and their subjects.
Unknown said…
I wait for the day when smoking is restricted to one's own home and there is a zero tolerance elsewhere. Education is the key, but considering the state of education here now it will be a long time off!!!!
Finally Woken said…
How about YOUR rights as the customer?

If it was me I would have left the restaurant immediately and threat the manager to put the subject in the newspaper:P.

I think my reaction would be the same as your previous posting about an angry foreign lady to the poor cafe staff who was accused of charging her juice more than it should be.

Everybody in the service industry should understand that rules work both ways, not only to them but also to the customer.

Having said that, I once told a French division manager to put his cigarette off because he smoked in the emergency staircase and that could trigger false fire alarms. So not only Indonesian, Westerners are as stubborn (or stupid) as everybody else. Even here where the is a strict rule, some people still smoke at bus stop and no one DARES to tell him to stop!
Elyani : I don't hate smokers but I hate their lack of civic consciousness. Just wondering when will this rule applicable.

Johnoford : Yup, can't agree more than you but here, the king ever remember his rule and rights.

GJ : Ow ...don't be that strict. I think Education is the key but in here more than that ..

Finally woken : Hm what an idea :-p
I think it's not about the culture it's about the people. But I just wondering why here there are a lot of people with lack of discipline, lack of civic consciousness ?

Popular Posts