The Customer is Always....

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.