Customer service…. What does that term mean to you? The
customer is always right, no matter what? Unfortunately, it seems customer
service is starting to go the way of the dodo. More stores are putting in
self-service lanes so you never even deal with a cashier. You gather your
purchase, scan the stuff, bag them, put them back in your cart and haul them
out yourself. If you’re lucky they may have one or two lanes open with an
actual person, but the lines for those lanes are extremely long. Or, they’re the
“Express Lane” kind and you have more than 10 items in your cart. Gas stations
did this a long time ago, grocery stores are catching up. Soon it will be
restaurants where you enter your order on a screen at the table or counter,
swipe your card, and your food arrives on a conveyor. There actually is a small
chain of restaurants where your order is delivered by model train on an
overhead rail, then lowered to your table. I haven’t tried it yet. I wonder
what you do when you want a refill of tea, though.
What’s more troubling, beyond the lack of personal service,
is the quality of personal service. Restaurant servers in particular seem to be
in the news lately, demanding either higher wages or better tips. In some
areas, your server is most likely making about $2/hour, with tips making up the
difference. I don’t agree with this, because not everyone can or will leave the
(now suggested) 20% gratuity. I certainly don’t unless the service was stellar.
The problem I see is that so many servers aren’t doing their job. I was at one
restaurant recently where our waitress took our orders and brought drinks, then
someone else brought our food. Our waitress stopped to make sure we did get our
food, then disappeared until it was time to bring the check. I had to flag
someone down to get drink refills. It’s not that she was on break. I could
clearly see her standing at other tables, chatting. At one point she sat down
to chat. Yes, she was trying to garner a bigger tip from that table, but that
shouldn’t excuse her from showing some attention to her other customers as
well.
I’ve had this same problem with counter workers and
telephone service as well. The apparent lack of interest in the job, the
customer, or anything else but his or her phone or time clock. Many are not
rude, per se, but just don’t seem to care to do their job. Others I have seen
have been plain rude.
I can’t say it’s all customer service people, definitely. I’ve
seen plenty that do an excellent job of paying attention to customers without
hovering, being friendly and seeming to care about what they’re doing. Despite
making pittance, they do their job well, and those people I applaud. I know
customer service is difficult. I’ve done it. There are days you don’t want to
get out of bed, let alone deal with idiots all day long. Yet you force yourself
to get out, face these people with a smile, and do your job. Kudos to you!
Which brings me to my next point…. Customers can be idiots.
If you’re standing in line to order something, get off your phone and talk to
the person behind the counter. They’re there to serve you, not try to interpret
what you mumble while telling your BFF about some moron that almost ran into
your car while you were busy not paying attention to where you were going. Your
BFF can wait a few minutes while you place your order and interact face to face
with someone. Honest. Or if you’re in line in the grocery store or Walmart or
wherever, get off the phone long enough to talk to the cashier. He or she is a
person too, and when you’re rude to them you may discover you are missing
something you’re sure you’ve paid for. In a restaurant, interact with the
server. Put your phone down. Stop your conversation long enough to give your
order and see if the server has any suggestions or questions. Otherwise, it’s
not their fault your steak isn’t done right or that coffee isn’t decaf after
all, or you can’t quite put your finger on that unusual seasoning…. Be polite
and interact with people who are there to serve you. Consider how you would
feel in their position. The old adage is fitting: Treat others as you would
have them treat you. If you wouldn’t want someone treating you this way, don’t
do it to someone else. It’s really kinda simple.
Bottom line, good customer service is a two-way street. It
requires the service person to be friendly and polite, but it also requires the
customer to be friendly and polite. At the very least it requires that both
parties interact enough to make sure things go smoothly. I realize it’s a lost
art, but using manners is a good start to better customer service, on both
sides.
