The past just doesn’t go away. In this case it is not improving; it is growing worse. I am speaking of customer service or a Clark Howard would say, “Customer No-Service.”
Too many establishments behave as if the customers is an inconvenience. Recently I went to an alterations shop and was attended by a very sour looking young lady. Her demeanor was not one of “pleased to see you.” It was the opposite. She spoke to her co-worker about me in front of me as if I wasn’t there. She never smiled, said thank you or anything that led me to believe that she was pleased to do business with me. I realize that with the booming economy employees are hard to find. However, because of the booming economy the paying customer has more options to shop at. You can rest assured that I will never visit that alterations shop again. And I will tell all my friends what a miserable experience I had while doing business there.
Then there is the restaurant, whose employees became incensed because guests arrived 15 minutes before they closed. Do they realize that no one needs to go out and eat. It’s true. Although everyone needs nourishment it is not required to go out and purchase a meal. And if one chooses to do so there are many restaurants to choose from. Another thing those employees don’t understand is how volatile the food and beverage business. Here today, gone tomorrow. One simple question will settle this matter. How restaurants have closed in your area in the last 12 months? Ask this question of any food and beverage worker. Let them do the math. Restaurants die one disgruntled customer at a time.
Finally, let me address the appliance store that makes deliveries based on what is best for their delivery schedule. It doesn’t matter that the client has to work, as most people do, if it doesn’t fit their delivery schedule they will reschedule you. To compound matters if they do something wrong in their delivery it will be weeks before they return to rectify the issue. Once again we are back to what works best for them. Unfortunately for this company the vast majority of their work force is comprised of non-professionals. If you take a walk through one of their stores you will notice how many of their employees will walk right past you and never offer to help.
Complaining is a good option, but not to the people in the department. They are not trained and are not professional enough to know what to do with it. A manager who takes a complaint personally is not a leader, he is not a professional, and he is immature. So once again you will find yourself at a dead end. Social media is the best place to post a complaint. But do so with a solution in mind. Do express yourself accurately, but also add your disappointments, specifically, and what they could have done differently. Post it on all your social media sites. Use the # sign and the name of the establishment.
We do have a couple of options available to us. 1) Complain in a proactive way. 2) Find an establishment who may charge a bit more but provide better service. You may be surprised to find that the other option is not that much more expensive. Keep one thing in mind that with cheap comes a work force who earns low wages and is therefore less professional, refined, and less educated. Customer service is not just the title of a desk. It’s actually a part of a successful company’s culture.
The Struggle 