A Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his Birth Anniversary

Written by Sonal Jaiswal | Evangelist, Customer Guru

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, we at Customer Guru want to pay a tribute to the greatest leader that India has ever produced, the Father of The Nation – Mahatma Gandhi.

The Mahatma, way back in the 1900s, gave out some true gems that, when used as Customer Experience pieces of advice, would be extremely beneficial for businesses.

Here are a few things he said that all Customer Experience managers and executives must follow.

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Isn’t this the cornerstone of customer experience? Losing oneself in the service of others, providing the best possible service and delighting the customer is what CEx is all about.

“Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.”

There is no better joy in seeing your clients happy. The icing on the cake is knowing that you/your organization is the reason behind it. The feeling is priceless! Being in the customer experience industry is priceless – not everyone gets a chance to serve others. And serving others with joy only makes one more joyful and satisfied.

“To lose patience is to lose the battle.”

What an amazing thought to keep in mind when we are dealing with disgruntled customers. Remember, you have lost the customer when you have lost your patience.

“A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.”

This is a very important lesson for all customer-facing employees. Many a times, to avoid trouble and the hassle of dealing with an irate customer, we make promises that we know are difficult to keep. And when these promises are not kept, it results in more dissatisfaction and disappointment amongst customers. Hence, keep this principle in mind when promising callbacks, refunds, or agreeing to something just to ward off the trouble temporarily.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.”

Always remember that we are capable of a lot more than we think we are!

Lastly, there is another of the Mahatma’s quotes that, I believe, would make all customer experience executives realize how rewarding their profession is:

“Man becomes great exactly in the degree in which he works for the welfare of his fellow-men.”

Have we missed out on any other gems from this great man? Do let us know. Also, let us know your views and thoughts on this blog. We’d love to hear from you.