A Customer Oriented Company

By: Hermawih Hasan

It was January 29 2006, the day that was supposedly to become a happy day for some people who celebrate Chinese New Year. We received a call from a friend early in the morning at about 05:00 AM regarding the possibility of the flood coming over to our house. The flood has not reached our home yet. She said that the water has reached about one meter into their home. We hurriedly went into our friend trying to help. However the water has destroyed almost all valuable assets in their house. It was too late to save what were left.

What I am going to tell you is not about that flood. I overheard discussion of how they were going to deliver an order. Our friend has a small bakery shop. In the time like that, with all of their valuable belongings were being destroyed, they were thinking their promise of delivering an order. They were thinking of an order with a value of probably less than USD 20. They did send the order on foot, fighting over strong current of water.

Here are small business owners who know nothing about any theory of business administration from a formal educational institution but surely knew what is the most important. They have never put millions, thousands, hundreds, or tens of dollars advertising campaign on television, newspaper or any media. Compare with so many companies who are over promise and under deliver; they promise never and over deliver.

Later in the afternoon, the water has reached to our home. It was an irony that while trying to save somebody else , we could not even save our own. But the lesson I received that day maybe stays in my mind for the rest of my life. That kind of responsibility to keep the promise has taught and impressed me more than any lessons from my paths of learning.

I wonder if people who have read many books about customer oriented company could apply what they have read as good as what that family did.

I wonder if people who have written books about customer oriented company could apply what they have had written as good as what that family did.

I wonder if professors who have taught about customer oriented company could apply what they have preached as good as what that family did.

I wonder of how a customer feels if he/she received that delivery on that particular situation.

I wonder of how it makes me feel if I received that order on that day? And most important of all, I wonder if we could do as good as our friend did.

I wonder then what are the things that make some people give extra miles for their services. Is it the money or is it the love of doing what they do for a living?

They probably have never heard of the term "Customer Oriented Company", but I think they are surely more than just customer oriented company; they are trustworthy company.