So Nirupama, that’s me, quite easily becomes Anupama. Without batting an eyelid, with complete confidence my potential client calls me so. My dilemma-should I correct him or not. What if he gets offended (actually it is me who should be offended), what if he isn’t listening, what if he has a weak memory, what if…

Having faced this so often, I’m overly conscious of getting names right. I sometimes repeatedly ask a person for his name, in case I am unable to pronounce it correctly. It is almost an obsession. Maybe I’m a bit on the defensive.

So I wonder if it’s ok to fumble with names. Is it ok to shorten someone’s name for one’s convenience- without seeking his/her permission, is it ok to get names wrong?

A long while ago, I had written an article on this for a newspaper. My observation: nothing has changed in all these years. I’m still called Anupama, Nirmala and Nirupam to enumerate a few names.

I wonder again, why does this happen? Guess it happens to many people. Is it lack of interest? Is the name really difficult? Or it doesn’t really matter. After all, what’s in name!

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 The leader is first a servant of his people. He focusses on their needs, and not necessarily feelings. He does what is required for the people to be motivated, performing individuals.

Also, he is an individual of character, puts people first, is a skilled communicator, is a compassionate collaborator, uses foresight, is a systems thinker, and exercises moral authority.

 Some thoughts that come to me:

-Can a person be developed into becoming a servant-leader?

-Will he be less successful as a leader if he is not a servant-leader?

-Can he develop servant-leaders in his team?

-Will there be a question in his/her mind- who thinks about me?

-Will he be an effective performer if he’s to put people first?

-Foresight, conceptualization and vision will need able support of the people to see fruition. Are the people ready for this?

-How mature is the team to accept this concept and to reciprocate by being trustworthy, motivated and well performing?

-Will people be the priority or business?

After all he too is a human before being anything else.

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A couple of days later he came back, huffing and puffing. He exclaimed how he had tried to work out the best deal for us but the promo code bit wouldn’t allow us the cash- back. How, his colleagues were not supporting him. And that we must do something! I was quite amazed at his request. He even let us hear the conversation he had with his colleague by putting their conversation on speaker.

I asked for his customer service head’s number. I was in for a greater surprise here. When I spoke to this gentleman, he told me how he had reprimanded his executive for committing without checking. He repeated this to convince me of his intention. He explained the whole procedure of how he and his team had got the entire thing wrong. He said   he wasn’t aware that the executive had visited us with the scheme.

I asked him if he could give us something of equal value, else we would like to take back the amount we had paid. So he promised to revert after consulting his national head. And that, he did.  We did get an equivalent value of gift vouchers.

My observations and recommendations for anyone in customer service:

-Be a customer yourself before you sell/recommend/commit/discuss

-Train your staff to deal with difficult situations

-Do not involve the customer in your internal affairs

-Do not commit beyond what you can deliver

-Be in touch with your staff

-Build relationships with your team members. They shouldn’t be talking of you and colleagues

-Accept a mistake

-Do not argue

-Try to resolve the issue rather than involve more people and create chaos

-Look for a WIN-WIN even if you have goofed up

-If not, let the customer win so that you don’t lose him/her

-Communicate clearly and precisely

-Do not go on showing mails and SMSes exchanged to the customer as evidence

-Be calm and don’t spread nervous energy all around you

-Have honest intentions, they get noticed even through a goof-up

-Don’t nag the customer to understand your problem, that’s not his /her job

-All of the organization is on one side- do not put down a colleague in front of the customer

-Customer service is an attitude, develop it

-It is not a favour you do the customer

-Takes months to develop a customer, moments to lose one

-Promise what you can deliver, deliver what you promise

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