Customer Service - Rant

CoBuilder said:
I never realized how poor service is in America until I visited China and South Korea last winter break. Over there , the restaurants would have girls standing outside in uniform greeting and bowing to all the customers as they enter and leave. The waiter and waitresses would ask how we are doing this evening. This wasn't in some high end restaurant tourist attraction district either. They seem to work to please and value quality.

In America there is the individualistic approach to life. The community group isn't emphasized too much as opposed to those of other countries. We're too caught up with ourselves and only ourselves so some of us would shrug each other off. I think that's why social skills and common politeness is lacking. For people who aren't outgoing this is even a bigger problem. Factor in the spoiled kids who think they deserve everything.

Along with this is the need to do things without people- the popularity of using the no-cashier checkout (the ones where you scan things yourself) or the ATM. These may not be the best examples, but I often find myself thinking that its faster if I don't have to deal with someone if all I'm going to do is swipe my credit card anyway. Man come to think of it, I pay at the gas pump now rather than going inside. All to save 30 seconds...
 
A couple of things have helped shaped my customer service skills over the years. Granted, I am only 30. First, out of high school I worked for a large commercial landscaping equipment manufacture. Their creed at the time was "everyone was your customer". Regardless of who the end user was, my customer was the next individual that received my end work. If my performance was sub par, the end user suffered, along with the various individuals that had to perform their job functions after my involvement. Meaning if my aspect of the operation was deficient, all subsequent operations were greatly hindered. Secondarily, I was self-employed for a couple of years beginning at the age of 23. I sold a really beautiful piece of glass artwork. The customer came back after the base (made of glass) was scratched beyond repair. At first I thought it was their problem, as it was delivered in impeccable shape. The glasswork was in their possession for about three weeks. The employees who came in contact had pulled the award across a table before lifting it. In the subsequent exchanges with the purchaser, I realized that I had not properly safeguarded the base. While it was not my actions that destroyed it, it was my inaction that contributed to it. It was a real lesson in the fact that it was my responsibility to fund the repairs and that I also lost a major client in my initial lack of action. Those and many other contributing factors have apparently gave me the title as "The one to talk to" in my new endeavor. That quoted line from a customer means alot to me.
 
SteveC said:
Did somebody learn a new phrase today?


:confused:


Yes, it is my favorite insult, courtesey of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in Hannibal--he writes a letter to starling saying somthing like, "or will you allow people to think your parents were nothing more than trailer camp tornado bait white trash?".
 
Theotokos said:
... --they reason for it is so the cashier does not take a chance of miscounting. Let them walk their trailer camp tornado bait white trash arses down ...

Does anyone else see the irony in a bigot that's afraid to count to twenty?




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tonyw said:
... in many places, you cannot pop the drawer unless you've got a cash transaction for this very reason.

From his description of the event, the gentleman was paying for his purchase with a Five, and asked for change for the Twenty at the same time. Sounds like the drawer would have already been open.




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Theotokos said:
... I order my steak rare--nice n blody--and the waitress makes a disgusted face. I can understand some resuraunts being worried about serving rare meat, but for the waitress to make a face like that just offends me. Also when she teases that I like it rare, thinking it is all fun and games, "Rare! Ewww! That makes me so sick!" I'd like to say, "You're not eating it are you?" But I don't. ...
I prefer steaks medium rare, but only in restaurants where I have a reasonable expectation that the meat is safe to eat medium rare. There is a risk involved with eating meat that is not fully cooked, and not every joint that burns steaks can be trusted to buy and handle their meats to ensure that I won't get sick and die from them.

Wait staff that is worried about serving a rare steak is a HUGE RED FLAG to me to suffer through a medium well. If the waitress can't stomach it, then perhaps you should follow her lead! :) By contrast, an establishment that knows how to cook a great steak will frown on cooking the steaks beyond medium, and often state so on their menus. That's the kind of place where you can relax with your bloody steak and enjoy yourself.

So, maybe your waitress was just trying to do you a favor! :)




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Unless the waitress likes it well done, and then the face was probably genuine. I've seen the same thing happen in restaurants I've been in (I too like mid-rare, not that it matters).

The point about CFIs working the counter for free is right on. I also agree that if you happen to be the CFI that answers the phone, you are responsible for that call. You either get the information and call them back, or if you're too busy with students make sure that someone gets the info to that person. I've noticed our customer service slipping at our school because our instructors are so busy, which is why I've suggested numerous times we need someone that does nothing but answer the phones and work the desk. It worries me that one of the things that drew me to the school (the friendliness and customer service) is falling off so badly.
 
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