Three Ways to Improve Customer Satisfaction

For more than three decades, Michael Younessi has been leading various companies in the United States. He began his career as the president of Cal Fabrics, Inc., and later worked for such companies as 3D Embroidery Mills. Now the owner of a private real estate company, Michael Younessi possesses a great deal of experience in working with customers.

Many companies want to improve their customer satisfaction at some point. Following are three simple ways that this can be done:

1. Don’t challenge customers: Every business deals with at least one upset customer at some point. When this happens, companies should not challenge that customer or invalidate their complaint. Instead, companies should listen to them, correct the problem, and follow through with the solution until the issue is fully resolved.

2. Get feedback: Asking customers what they want or what problems they experience is a great way to figure out where a company is struggling. Gathering this feedback can be done in numerous ways, such as mail-back forms, telephone hotlines, focus groups, and comment cards. Any legitimate complaint or concern present through these methods should be taken into consideration and solved, if possible.

3. Have realistic expectations: Companies must set realistic customer expectations early on. These expectations help customers know what they will get when they buy products or services from a business. If a company sets these expectations too high, their customers are more likely to be disappointed.

A Look at How Iran’s Jews Celebrate Purim

Active members of Congregation Adat Israel, a Chabad congregation in Southern California, Michael Younessi and his family find fulfillment in their Orthodox observance of the Sabbath and Jewish law and tradition. For Persian Jews such as Michael Younessi, holidays offer a rich set of traditions, some of which differ significantly from the practices of American-born Jews.

The springtime holiday of Purim commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from the plots of the king’s councilor, Haman. Purim also tells the beloved story of Queen Esther and her uncle Mordechai, whose intelligence, faith, and courage foiled Haman’s scheme to destroy the Jewish people.

Today, the still-extant Jewish community of Iran, the largest outside the State of Israel, celebrates Purim with pilgrimages to the city of Hamadan, site of the tomb of Esther and Mordechai. Like Jewish communities around the world, Persian Jews read the scroll of Esther (known as the Megillah) in the synagogue and share gifts with one another. 

Engaged couples in particular go to great lengths to offer families and friends elaborate feasts on the holiday. Families also prepare homemade sweets to give as gifts. Halvah, typically made from almond flour or brown rice mixed with spices and sugar, is particularly associated with the holiday.