Mahatma Gandhi had equated a customer with God and exhorted the management to worship the customer. It is often said that the customer is always right or even that the customer is king. The corresponding Japanese proverb says that the customer is God (in Japanese, “okyakusamawakamisamadesu”).

   In fact, even the word customer (kyakusama) expresses particular respect and veneration, as it means honoured guest. In English, we have various relevant expressions like “Customer is always right” and “The customer is King” and we must have heard these expressions at the workplace. We also have the expression “You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”

   A prime source of customer satisfaction is the speed and care with which a customer’s request is dealt with. Unfortunately, this responsibility is now being outsourced to people with little or no training and who do not take....