I have a lawn maintenance company that has been taking care of my yard for a few months. I have concluded they have too many customers. I may have to help them out by taking my business to one of their competitors that needs customers.
Here is the backstory behind the title question.
For many years, the yard maintenance person I had knew my yard better than he knew his son. He loved the yard and personally knew every shrub and flower. He could even give you their Latin names and biological origin. His care was timely, he was very reasonably priced, and always meticulous. When a big limb fell after a windy evening, it was an emergency call for him. He became a plumbing genius when our sprinkler system was hit with a gremlin. But he got very sick and had to give up our yard.
The replacement yard maintenance company is large, with many employees. They are always on time but focused only on “blow and go.” If a weed springs up in the middle of the flower bed, they apparently cannot see it. If a limb falls a few inches over the property line, they assume the other owner wants it, and we enjoy seeing it. And, if we need a shrub replaced, we go on a waiting list for weeks. When we make a special request—something they can do—it takes too many phone reminders and always a wait. We get weary of the excuses from their telephone dispatcher. We are not customers; we are consumers, and low priority ones.
Your answer to the title question is likely a resounding “No.” Your answer is irrelevant. How would your customers answer the title question? Do you make them wait, ignore their unique requests, and treat them with fake interest but non-performance? “I am sorry” is sincere only if followed by fire-alarm action and tangible results. We all measure the quality of our relationships by the priority they have for both parties in the union. We determine value by what we are willing to sacrifice for it. Don’t let your customers start looking for the exit door because they feel you are too busy with more important things.