In what may also be a surprise life lesson, I had something demonstrated to me that is probably good business practice anyway. When dealing with a customer who challenges your work, the best thing is to talk to them directly and find out their concern. Then, if the problem is legitimate, your first option is to address it and deal with a little bit of egg on your face. The worst thing to do would be to NOT listen to them, or use a delegate to tell them that there is nothing wrong and it's all in their head. That is something I have unfortunately been guilty of many times because I find it's easier to stay secluded back in the shop and leave a salesperson to deal with the customer's impending wrath, even though I know fully well that that's not the right thing to do. In fact it's exactly the wrong thing because it comes with this additional snag - that sometimes the customer will in fact be right, that you are overlooking a problem, and then you have to backpedal when that problem is made clear and you finally realize that you were in the wrong for dismissing them.
But I think that in most cases the reason I'm afraid to face the customer directly is that I'm afraid I'm not perceiving a problem because my skills are insufficient to diagnose and correct it. It's difficult to admit when a customer catches a problem that you missed, especially because they're relying on you for expertise. Admittedly, that has almost never happened, which may be a credit to me or may just be luck. However another fear is that in this scenario I might be right - that there is no problem, and that there will be no way to convince them of that. In that scenario, it's not easy to "agree to disagree" because they have usually already paid for my services and feel that they didn't get their money's worth. But if the problem truly is in their head and I know that their instrument is working properly, what can I do? I can make some minor adjustment that usually has nothing to do with the problem they're experiencing, I can try to allay their fears and ask them to give it a few days, or I can force the issue, stand my ground, and risk an impasse. In the last case, though, if they won't back down either, the resolution sometimes comes down to giving them a refund for good work just to stop the impasse from becoming any bigger. I think I find that repugnant because I have such a problem swallowing my pride and conceding, especially when I feel I'm in the right (but I also have difficulty with it when I know I'm in the wrong).
I guess another option would be to take the instrument back and pretend to do some work to it, but I find I'm a terrible liar.
Yesterday, though, a salesperson came back into the shop with a saxophone we'd just repaired, explained the issue the student was having (he could get High G to sound in the right octave) and asked if we could fix it. I looked at the instrument and legitimately found no problem with the octave mechanism, then played it and found everything to be just peachy. At that point I had a choice: either send the salesperson back out with the assertion that there was nothing wrong, or go out myself and try to learn a little bit more about the problem. In a rare feat, I decided to do the right thing and went out to talk to the customer. I asked the student about the problems he was having, asked the mom what she had been told by the teacher, and came to realize that the teacher had given the student some faulty information about what keys should be opening when he plays High G. Apparently the teacher had heard the problem with that note, saw that the neck octave wasn't opening - which it shouldn't, anyway - and believed the two were connected. I explained a little bit about the function of the octave mechanism, assured the student that everything was working properly, then asked him to demonstrate how he holds and plays the instrument. Then I asked him to play and, sure enough, his High G was cracking down an octave. But by reaching back into my teaching knowledge (thanks otherwise useless music education degree!), I was able to lead him through a few simple exercises in which he was indeed able to consistently play that note correctly. In that moment his mom - who had every right to be suspicious of our work - asked if it was possible he just needed a little more practice, which was the point I was trying to gently get to all along. The student, too, seemed a little more comfortable with the function of the instrument and what he needed to do in order to make it do his will. With all of us on the same page, they packed up and left satisfied.
Would it have been easier to remain in the shop and hope the issue would blow over? Of course. And it's likely the student would have eventually realized that if he changed things like his air speed and embouchure he could get that High G to consistently speak. But by going out there, risking the possibility of an impasse, and talking directly to the customers, I was reminded that most people are not stubborn and suspicious, and often just want a little bit more information when they question my work. It was hardly a heroic or even noteworthy decision. In fact, I was barely doing what should be expected of me anyway as an employee and human being. But it helped me remember something important that I need to keep in mind as I continue my career in a service-based industry.
Or it may also be true that most people will accept the word of someone they view as an expert even when it disagrees with their initial impression. I always do that. And when you look as good in an apron as I do, people can't help but think of you as a sage who's word is infallible.
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