I really enjoyed this quick piece from legendary writer and marketer Seth Godin: Hospitality in the Mirror.
In it, Seth argues that the best hospitality comes to those who most deserve it.
For too long, the entitled customer has demanded emotional labour without offering support or sustenance in return. It’s exhausting and unfair, for both parties.
When you’re the best customer we’ve had all day, it’s likely we’ll be the host you’re hoping for.
When I'm at my best, I try to be a good customer — at the local shop, the café, checking in to a hotel, or messaging someone on the customer support live chat.
I tend to do this because that's how I was brought up — to be kind to your fellow human. Smile and the world smiles back at you.
But as per Seth's post, I do believe that I tend to receive far better service because of this.
At its most basic, it's smiling, making eye contact, saying please and thank you, and asking the other person how they are. And genuinely listening for an answer.
Of course, you can be an even better customer than that, but supposedly basic manners can go a long way.
On the flip side of this, I find it rather irritating when I try to be a very good customer, and I receive very poor customer service. The human-to-human connection is broken when the "human" on the other end turns out to be a robot. Or the order is forgotten after multiple reminders.
This short post made me think more about how I can be a better customer, and how we can be better hosts.