موقع المستشار محمود التايه

Client's Uniform

Wherever you are and whatever is your business you have to deal constantly with your clients and customers, as they play the role of the real assets for your company. Customers and clients are the basic requirements for your company.
Marketing specialists always aim to serve the client with the best of efforts offering him the quality of service, good communication and suitable uniforms to be worn by the staff or employees.
Therefore the importance of a uniform representing your profession arose. We see hostess wearing a neat uniform to represent their high quality service, doctors and nurses wearing white uniforms representing purity, accuracy and cleanness. On the other hand some companies force their employees to wear suits and ties to present professionally and commitment to the client.
But the question is: what should the client wear?
Does he have to wear a specific uniform?
Have we ever heard that hotels guests should wear ties and ship passengers should wear jeans for example?!
Setting a uniform for clients is so odd and difficult!!!
My friend Dr. Amer Slameh a specialist in low vision and lenses who owns an optics centre, told me that one night he was about to close the shop and go home. And far across the street a man approaching, Dr. Amer opened him the door and welcomed him with enthusiasm as if he in some 5 stars hotel.
Dr. Amer's assistant was astonished by the scene, as the man does not so classy to be treated that way and even his clothes full of dirt as if he had a fight in the henhouse. However Dr. Amer kept on treating him as if he were a prince. The man asked for a good sunglass, so Dr. Amer showed him a good simple and low price sunglass suiting the look of the man in front of him.
Dr. Amer: Here a good practical sunglass that may suit you!
The Man: How much does it cost?
Dr. Amer: $15
The man made a look that he is not interested.
Now he is sitting as if he a king with all the chickens' feathers embracing his clothes, then he looks at another sunglass and asks, "and this?"
"it is little bit better, and so it is for $20", Dr. Amer replies.
Still the man is so confused and hesitated.
The assistant is even more surprised than ever that they were about to close and came by an annoying man who thinks that is a suitable place to relax and tease others.
After he checked many offers from the owners, he asked:"what is the best and most expensive one do you have?"
Dr. Amer heads to the special drawer and pick up one the most expensive glasses he have and says:" well, but i think this is way too expensive, it is five doubles the others"
"How much?", the man asks.
"$75", the doctor answers.
The man with no any hesitation or barging says:" ok, then prepare it for me to go".
The doctor here is really shocked and he thought that the man is joking or think of him as a fool. As this kind of glasses at that time is worn only by the richest business man, and this guy here didn't look even as a client, how comes he asks for a sunglass for the elite of clients!
The client for this sunglass has to smell so good and wears brands and asks for discounts
But this man is nothing of that!
Dr. Amer prepared the sunglass and gave it to the man, the man paid and was about to leave. Dr. Amer as a matter of curiosity tried to get to know him so he said" Sorry, but I hadn't the chance to know you"
The man said:" I am your neighbour here I own those famous chickens slaughterhouses on the other side.
The doctor said:" yes I know them very big and famous" then he paused and said" why do you need such kind of sunglasses?"
The man smiled and said: in fact I don't need them, but before I came to your shop I passed by two other shops and they never opened the door and welcomed me the way you did. In fact they ignored me completely as I was never exist and whenever I asked a question they looked down at me, that is all because my dressing but I am used to work with my workers by myself. But when I came here I felt like I'm an important client no matter what I was wearing, so I asked for a glasses that equals your treatment and appreciation to me.
Therefore we can't rate a client whether he is from the first class or not depending on his clothes.
This is a common mistake largely committed by newbie in customer service field, rating audience by their look and clothes and forgetting to look to their personalities and attitudes which are more accurate to rate the kind of the client. This is why we recommend new employees in customer service not to judge any visitor o caller until they finish the selling or promoting meeting and even more after that. As many customers don't make their decision at the moment they hear the offer but they delay it till they see how the owner or employee closes the meeting if no selling process has been accomplished. Some may be just happy that some customers visited them and this is a sign for success of the project. While others may feel it annoying that customers come and don't buy so they start to frown when the customer leaves for wasting his time on someone dose not deserve the effort!!!
Experiences showed that the customer never have a time limit for his decision and it is never limited to his clothes of what he can buy.

origin article by: Dr. Mahmoud Altayeh

Translated by: Saleh