Seest thou a man diligent [mahir] in his business? — he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before low-ranking men. (Proverbs 22:29)
SLOW SERVICE LIMITS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, EVEN AT A CAR-WASH
When clean, our car’s bright, as a flower,
To the car-wash, it went, for a shower;
“15 minutes” we were told —
Waiting, waiting — it got old —
Finally clean, the car-wash took an hour.
Punctuality and promptness are virtues tied to customer satisfaction. As customers we don’t like slow service, so we should provide quick service when we are in roles of responsibility. Good service is not delayed service. Deadlines are important! Good service includes promptness in responsiveness. The adjective translated “diligent”, in Proverbs 22:29, means prompt in responsiveness (note: this Hebrew adjective’s root verb appears as “make haste” in Isaiah 49:17 & Proverbs 1:16). In other words, handling responsibilities quickly is a trait that routinely precedes success and promotion. God tells us this as a proverb, because it helps us with practical living.
It’s easy for us, as customers, to become dissatisfied when we are disappointed — by sluggish (dis)service — e.g., see “When Will this Airplane ever Take Off?” [posted at https://rockdoveblog.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/when-will-this-plane-ever-take-off/ ]. It’s harder for us to make ourselves provide prompt service to others, when others are “customers” waiting for our service. May God help us to serve with promptness!
