Picture this: I was 11-years-old, at a large, clothing store, returning a pair of jeans for my then 7-year-old sister. My prissy little sister claims she hardly wore the jeans, but for some reason they looked like they had been to hell and back. So, I somehow drew the short straw and had to make the return. I marched up to the customer service desk, gave the lady my receipt, explained to her why I needed to return the jeans, and how long we had had them.
She looked at me, looked at the jeans, and then looked at me again: “These have obviously been worn.”
I then, re-explained to her: Yes, they had been worn, but for less than a couple of weeks. We wanted our money back. The receipt was proof that we had just made the purchase.
She said, “But they’ve been worn.”
I said, “Aren’t jeans supposed to be worn?”
We went back and forth for a rather long time. Finally, backed by all of my eleven-year-old wisdom I said, “Look, clearly your product is not up to par.”
The lady looked shocked. I was shocked. What 11-year-old says that?!
The question is: why was I so upset? It was just a pair of jeans.
Looking back.
Years later, I now understand why I felt so convicted about those jeans. My family had a need, and we had bought the jeans to fill that need need (which had something to do with the rapid rate at which my sister was growing). We didn’t have money to waste on jeans that only lasted 2-3 weeks. What put me over the edge, was that the customer service representative didn’t stand behind their product.
I often think about this encounter, when I’m interacting with people in the workplace. When your organization invests in something, you expect it to last. You expect it to do what it said it would do. You expect to be pleased with the results. You, at the very least, expect your investment to fill the need, that the investment was purchased for. But when you’re disappointed, isn’t it always shocking when the organization won’t stand behind their own product?
So, what’s my point?
Let this be a reminder to encourage us all, to go above and beyond. I’ll never be guilty of not standing behind what KBK offers. Why? See, if that clothing company had sold me something of quality to begin with, that conversation never would've taken place (and my family wouldn’t be teasing me to this day). I wouldn’t have had to be my own advocate. That company would have already been on my side.
Be your customers' advocate.
I encourage each of you, be your clients' advocate, because you know how it feels when you're trying to be your own advocate. Be your clients' advocate, because if you were in their shoes, you know how you would like to be treated.
