Discuss the customer’s role as a productive resource for the firm. Describe a time when you played this role. What did you do and how did you feel? Did the firm help you to perform your role effectively? How?

A. Customers play important productive roles especially in the creation and delivery of some repeatable services. The roles a customer plays "as a productive resource for the firm" include:

1. The customers act as some partial employees in enhancing the productivity of the firm.

2. The customers contribute to the organization by supplying their valuable time, effort, ideas, and other resources.

3. Without customers playing productive roles, some services cannot be provided to them.  Sometimes, the customers actively serve themselves.  A typical example is at restaurants and other self-service firms.

4. Customers suggest valuable solutions to resolve some product and service problems.

B. At shopping malls, and even calling for the services of a plumber or electrician,the customer serves in many ways.  She pushes the trolley around to pick the goods she requires and afterward, pushes them to the cashier for payment.  She helps the plumber or electrician with repair materials or make suggestions on how to solve repair problems.

C. The customer sometimes feel that the plumber or electrician would mess up the repairs without their thoughtful input.

D. Some firms help the customer to perform this role as "a productive resource" when they provide serviceable trolleys for shopping or when they send in some respectful and competent repair people, who dress decently without oozing some offending odor.

Explanation:

It is only some discourteous firms that do not recognize that their customers play an important role as a productive resource.  For some service organizations, their services cannot be consummated without the active participation of the customer.  It is, therefore, imperative that firms help their customers to perform this role effectively and efficiently.