ENLIGHTENED VENDORS should know that offering good service to customers is the way to get repeat patronage, build up a customer base and increase their revenue or profit. This applies equally to those dealing with locals as well as tourists.
Offering good service calls for courtesy, friendliness, good etiquette, the use of good language and going the extra mile to please the customer and not being brusque and uncouth. Proper hygiene is essential in food handling.
Although some employers have employed training schemes we still find that service dispensation in several Barbadian businesses is poor.
On many occasions workers are left in lonely situations. They do not know enough about the product or service being offered, and do not exert effort to put the customer at ease. There are instances of a lack of supervision.
The service dispensers in the developed countries seek as they say to titillate their customers because they are aware of the consequences of one lost customer, especially one who is loyal. But sometimes one can go into certain outlets and almost say to ourselves: “No service we are Bajans”.
Our historical past could partially have an influence on the way we treat our customers. Many black Bajans were never in the habit of treating each other in a proper manner. In early days it was servitude and not service.
It is still the practice to go to certain institutions and see lighter skinned persons being offered better service. Service dispensation though should be of the highest and standardised quality to all customers. service does not have to mean servitude.
We can take a cue from many expatriate vendors and how they go out of the way to please their customers. There is a cliché that when squint eyed people see us, their eyes open wide and they are willing to serve.? – PHILIP HUNTE