A Survival Guide to Managing Employees from Hell: Handling Idiots, Whiners, Slackers, and Other Workplace Demons

Chapter 34. Putting the Customer First

In today’s competitive marketplace, putting the customer first has become a mantra. The goal is to get loyal customers—sometimes called “raving fans”—not just satisfied customers who can easily be enticed away by other companies. Lots of attention is paid to customer service to provide that competitive edge, and employees are awarded for going the extra mile to help the customer. This can be a great approach, except when an employee takes it too far, such as running up costs in the name of customer service. Unfortunately, some employees may do this because they are so concerned with garnering customer appreciation and affection that they forget about doing what’s best for the business. In that case, going ...