Shopping weekends never leave me at a loss for a customer service story. I walked into a boutique store looking to talk with the owner. We know each other and I said, “Hello, is Pat here?” Well it must have been a bad day because the look I got from the employee was not even close to welcoming. She rolled her eyes and snarled a bit and said, “Who are you and where are you from?” I told her my name and she said, “I’ll check to see if she’s here.” She turned to leave and I could see Pat in the back. When she came back she said, “She will be with you in a minute.” After that I started to shop a little. Pat came out and was her usual friendly self, joking around and the employee changed her whole demeanor and began to laugh with us.
First tip – Dirty looks count, they are just hard to confirm.
Afterwards I hit a big department store. I stood in line to purchase something and an employee ran up to the desk, opened up what looked to be a schedule book and announced in a loud voice, “What a bunch of idiots!” Everyone looked up at her in amazement as she continued on, “I told those idiots I can work Tuesdays and Thursdays and they scheduled me for Saturday.” At least six customers witnessed this rant.
Second tip – Self-control is a learned behavior – if you have none, get out of the customer service business.
I carried on to my next stop, the grocery store, to return an item. As I was waiting in line, all of a sudden the staff started calling people and asking questions. Clearly something happened. Yes, it sure did. A customer threw a package of frozen fish at the employee just because she didn’t like the answer she got. This gal just happened to be someone with impeccable customer service skills.
Third tip – Not all customers are kind and considerate – beware of frozen fish.
An extra tip for you- sometimes it’s just easier to stay home.
Carol is a Motivational Speaker, Executive Coach, Fundraising Strategist, Social Media Quarterback and Small Business Advisor. She is Lehigh Valley’s sought after consultant who assists organizations with results driven growth. Her strategies can be easily adapted to a for profit or non-profit environment. Carol specializes in high impact leadership, million dollar fundraising, smash the box marketing, and creating word of mouth epidemics for her clients. Visit Carol’s website at www.caroltalks.com and “LIKE” Carol at Caroltalks on Facebook. Carol S. Ritter, Past President, National Speakers Association Philadelphia and past board chair for St. Luke’s University Hospital Visiting Nurses Association & Hospice.
