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Customer service part II

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Contributed by: Gina Grate on 10/18/2006

About a week or two ago I was lamenting poor customer service in today's society, having been trained in customer service myself when I used to work at a department store. Having gone through the training, I know what kind of service salespeople can and should deliver and am frequently frustrated when I'm treated badly while trying to be a good, patient and easy-to-please customer.

I have a couple of stories here about how I have tried to resolve bad customer service situations positively. I don't think it helps anything to get angry and be just as rude as the unhelpfulsalespeople. I like to demonstrate by example how they should behave (although it's certainly not MY job to train them).

Recently I stopped at a lunch place on Powers Boulevard to pick up a sandwich to go, while running between errands. It wasn't prime lunchtime -- it was about 2 p.m. -- so there weren't any other customers there. It was just staff. I hurried up to the counter and then promptly stood there for two to three minutes, alone, as I stared at a group of employees further down the counter near the kitchen door. They were standing in a circle, laughing and talking. Several of them glanced right at me, made eye contact and then turned back to the others and continued talking and laughing.

I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. I decided to wait and see how long it would take one of them to come and serve me. I had my wallet in my hand as I stood at a register at the counter and stared at them pointedly. I didn't think I should have to yell at them.

About two minutes passed when, after several employees turned to look at me curiously, one of them yelled out into the dining area. After a few seconds, a teenage girl appeared from among the tables, carrying a damp towel and an armful of dirty plates and silverware. She'd been all alone, bussing the empty tables.

They called to her to come over and ring up my order. Breathless, she ran behind the counter and apologized to me for making me wait. I was totally astonished that the rest of the staff was making this teenage girl do everything. She was the only one working in the whole restaurant, which wasn't small.

I told her my order and she had it ready in about 30 seconds. I thanked her profusely and left the restaurant furious. As I drove away, it occurred to me that I could have tipped her.

It was too late for that, so I went on to the office, looked up the restaurant's phone number, and called. I asked for a manager, and when that person picked up the phone (probably one of the ones who had been staring at me from behind the counter but made no attempt to serve me) I said politely, "Hi! I was just at your restaurant about 15 minutes ago and I wanted to tell you that a server named Amanda did a great job serving me. She was working really hard to clean up the dining room but stopped what she was doing to get my order. She was friendly and polite and did a terrific job and I just wanted you to know she made a great impression on me."

The manager chuckled a bit and said he'd be sure to give Amanda the feedback.

In another instance, I was at a downtown business office to pick up some paperwork for The Slice. I walked into the main reception area where there are a number of cubicles for the reception staff, all within seeing distance of the counter. Nobody was there except one lady at the desk closest to the counter where I stood. She was on the phone on a personal call, talking in a low voice but every word still clear to me at the counter.

I stood there for about five minutes, after she glanced at me and continued talking.

"I don't know, honey. Where do you want to go for dinner?" Pause. "I don't like that place, though. Can't we go somewhere new?" Pause. "Well, we could ask them to go with us, but we'll have to expect to be gone all night. It won't be a quick dinner." Pause.

I watched her, trying to make eye contact. I didn't have all day. If our positions had been reversed, I would have told the person on the other end that I had a customer and I'd have to call them back.

But no, she kept chatting, and it obviously wasn't that important. Periodically she would glance sideways at me, but continued on her phone call. I couldn't believe it. I stared around the office, trying to figure out how to interrupt and get my business done so I could go back to work. I happened to notice a stack of blue papers next to me on the counter. The bolded header at the top read something like, "How did we serve you?"

It was a customer service survey. With slow and deliberate gestures, I picked up the survey and held it in front of me, examining all the survey questions.

Immediately, the receptionist ended her phone call: "I've got to go honey, I'll have to call you later, OK?"

Instantly she was at the counter, and much friendlier than she'dever beenbefore. Normally she was all business.

"How ARE you?" She drawled, looking at me like an old friend. "What can I do for you?"

She chatted me up while delivering the files I was there to pick up. I'd never seen her so nice, even though I'd been there every month for about two years for the routine pick-up. Nevertheless, I made a point of placing the survey with the other materials and gave her a big smile on my way out.

I never filled out the survey, but apparently picking one up is what it takes to get good service with her.

How do you resolve problems when you get bad service? Tell us the places with the best customer service in your neighborhood!

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