JUST HOW OLD IS THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD SERVICE?

By Paul T Ayres

The Red Flint Work Family has been dedicated to service for four generations.? But that’s nothing!? For fun, I looked into ‘oldest’ in terms of service records.? Stumped ChatGPT cold, couldn’t believe it.? Went back to good old Google and found this gem.? The oldest recorded customer complaint is 3,767 years old!? Dated from 1750 BC the tablet sits in the British Museum, and it’s in mint condition, it seems to this novice, for something that old.?

The ‘Complaint tablet to Ea-nasier.’? From what was ‘Babylon’ and now considered Iraq.? Here is the picture of the real tablet, followed by the translation:

Translation:

"Tell Ea-nasir: Nanni sends the following message: When you came, you said to me as follows: “I will give Gimil-Sin (when he comes) fine quality copper ingots.” You left then but you did not do what you promised me. You put ingots which were not good before my messenger (Sit-Sin) and said: “If you want to take them, take them; if you do not want to take them, go away!”

What do you take me for, that you treat somebody like me with such contempt? I have sent as messengers gentlemen like ourselves to collect the bag with my money (deposited with you) but you have treated me with contempt by sending them back to me empty-handed several times, and that through enemy territory. Is there anyone among the merchants who trade with Telmun who has treated me in this way? You alone treat my messenger with contempt! On account of that one (trifling) mina of silver which I owe(?) you, you feel free to speak in such a way, while I have given to the palace on your behalf 1,080 pounds of copper, and umi-abum has likewise given 1,080 pounds of copper, apart from what we both have had written on a sealed tablet to be kept in the temple of Samas.

How have you treated me for that copper? You have withheld my money bag from me in enemy territory; it is now up to you to restore (my money) to me in full. Take cognizance that (from now on) I will not accept here any copper from you that is not of fine quality. I shall (from now on) select and take the ingots individually in my own yard, and I shall exercise against you my right of rejection because you have treated me with contempt.”

Main image courtesy of the British Museum. https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/537889-oldest-written-customer-complaint

We who have studied marketing likely have not come across this. I’m not the first one to reference this amazing story.? But it serves to point out human beings have long desired their wishes to be met. ?The references are all over the place, citing this old document, including LinkedIn and Forbes.?

What is amazing is this guy, Nanni decides to put this on a stone tablet.? Talk about pissed off!? Chiseling this baby out is not a small task.? Wow!?

Forbes did a fun ‘translation’ that brings the narrative to a better place for our modern times, here it is:

Nanni walks up to the customer service window and puts the product he was shipped down on the counter.

“I received these copper ingots, but they aren’t at all like the ones the salesman showed me,” Nanni explains calmly.

“Do you have your original receipt or sales order?” the bored customer service representative asks.

“Uh, no.”

“Then take this clay tablet and bone stylus, sit down over there, and cuneiform down all the details.”“I received these copper ingots, but they aren’t at all like the ones the salesman showed me,” Nanni explains calmly.

“Do you have your original receipt or sales order?” the bored customer service representative asks.

“Uh, no.”

“Then take this clay tablet and bone stylus, sit down over there, and cuneiform down all the details.”

“Could you just get my rep? It’s Ea-nasir. I think he’ll be able to straighten this out.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ea-nasir is on a business trip visiting clients in Mesopotamia and won’t be back until the beginning of the Month of the Bull.”

“Well, if your supervisor could come down…you see I’ve traveled through a war zone to get here and I’d really like to take care of this quickly.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the customer service rep says. She then walks to a back room where she stands around for a few minutes. Eventually, she returns to the counter.

“The best thing is for you just to fill out the clay tablet. We will review your case and get back to you as soon as the war is over. Next!”

“Could you just get my rep? It’s Ea-nasir. I think he’ll be able to straighten this out.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Ea-nasir is on a business trip visiting clients in Mesopotamia and won’t be back until the beginning of the Month of the Bull.”

“Well, if your supervisor could come down…you see I’ve traveled through a war zone to get here and I’d really like to take care of this quickly.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” the customer service rep says. She then walks to a back room where she stands around for a few minutes. Eventually, she returns to the counter.

“The best thing is for you just to fill out the clay tablet. We will review your case and get back to you as soon as the war is over. Next!”

https://www.forbes.com/sites/shephyken/2015/04/23/oldest-customer-service-complaint-discovered-a-lesson-from-ancient-babylon/? by Shep Hyken

Kind of a translation.? Shep forgets to role-play the ‘money bag’ into his fun dramatization.? Money is paid down.? A significant detail.? Expectations matched apparently with prior transactions are strong and present.? This customer has seemingly used this vendor’s work in the past and liked it enough to be back – a reasonable interpretation.? Enough to lay down significant money.? 1,080 lbs. of copper is worth over $4,800 hundred dollars at the time of this writing.? And to think the value to a dollar at that time, that’s a lot of buying power in 1,750 BC!?? A small fortune.?

The dissatisfaction seems to have been going on for a while.? Maybe even spurring others to find even an older customer complaint than this one between these same too, ha!? They haven’t found a prior stone tablet yet!? Again, the frustration that must have been fueled to take the hammer and pick the stone was very large.?

What’s today’s equivalent??The customer complaint.?

How the Red Flint Work Family executes customer recovery sets us apart and ahead in our industry.?

Some things just don’t change.? This story is not all that dissimilar from today’s business world.? We all have experienced a lapse of value integrity.? A certain attribute, detail, specification, or service omission that disappoints and causes us to lose margin.? We have also been essentially stonewalled with money expended in the vendors' hands while holding on to the expectation, now reduced to hope, that the transaction is going to go as planned.? And we must also admit that we as vendors have unintentionally provided said lapse of value integrity.? No company is perfect.?

As in 1750, how many customers put up with dissatisfaction in terms of product and service quality yet take no action? ?Is it any different now?? Just accept the shortcoming and ‘work with it’ adding cost or hassle or both, ‘but we get buy.’? On those rare occurrences where we must react to a customer issue, we do this with eyes wide open and an attitude to learn.? We get the customer issue repaired and we use what we learn to change our processes and grow our people.?

In Nanni’s situation, the failure of the plea for money back or a product that meets expectations goes without success. ?A take-it-or-leave-it mentality by the vendor.? But Nanni doesn’t leave this supplier.? Not sure why; the record doesn’t tell us that.? Only that he has tried and tried to get the quality he wants.? And I believe it’s a fair speculation to think there just aren’t a lot of ingot sources in your town in 1750 BC. Why else would you send your messenger through hostile territory?? Nanni’s hands seem to be tied.? Times have changed!

Our markets aren’t like this anymore.? Our customers have options, and we work to be that very best option.?

The Red Flint Work Family realizes every project request is an opportunity and our privilege.? We work hard to respect the request and precisely customize what the customer requests.? We work hard to understand the unique details and circumstances for each project and each customer.? Unlike Nanni, we aren’t going to leave customers hanging while we hold the money bag.? When customers have issues we step up.? We learn from each experience and fold that back into our processes and into training our Red Flint Work Family to change and improve with customer demands.? These continuous improvements serve to maximize our quest to always get it done right the first time.?

Our success for four generations and into our 107th year confirms our learning journey is working. We love to learn and improve. Give us the opportunity, try us out, we won’t shut the door holding your money bag like Nanni experienced!?

We will get it done right the first time, and we’ll both learn and grow together.??

How may we help you?? ??

Paul Ayres

Business Coach

CEO/Owner