Good Customer Service
Customer service (good, live, customer service that is) consists of five elements:
Eye Contact
Greeting
Order Verification (Upsell if you are really good)
Count Back Change
Thank the Customer
Scenario One
While traveling through George Bush International I got word that my flight to Jacksonville was delayed by two hours. Feeling sanguine about the delay I headed over to the food court to get a salad. Standing in line for just a minute or two when the customer in front of me left the counter I approached the young cashier. Curiously I was not greeted. So after an awkward beat or two, I asked if I could place an order. The young man did not reply. An empty stare and his hand being close to the cash register were the only indications I had that he might be able to bring me the desired fast food type salad. So I took the initiative and ordered a salad and a water. I think the total was 4.93. I handed the young man a ten and in a second the change was literally thrown on the counter. Huh...grabbing the five I watched a nickel and a penny roll around the counter and grabbed them while he turned to retrieve the salad and water. His final insult was to place the bag and the water as close to himself and as far away from me as he possibly could, prompting me to ask if this was my order. Again not getting a verbal or any other indication from the young man I made the assumption that in fact, it was mine; grabbed the bag and the water. Dazed by the encounter I wandered to the food court table area. It was so surreal I started to wonder if it was something I did. Did I have a booger, unzipped pants, bloody nose or something else off-putting to this youngster? Giving myself a close inspection after finishing the meal I decided that no, it wasn't me and this young man needed to be trained, reprimanded or fired, any of which I was willing to do for the national fast food chain. But as fate would have it as I approached the counter one more time, Continental came through an hour early and my flight started boarding.
Scenario Two:
Traveling from Galveston one afternoon my wife and I decided that it was the perfect moment to find an ice cream on the way home. Spending the day on the beach had been glorious, the Gulf breeze kicked up waves, cooled us and sent just enough salty grit into our clothes that we knew we had spent the day there. A couple of Apple map searches later we found an ice cream shop in Dickenson, about 20 miles up the road. As we drove through the little town we noticed a wonderful park, cute small homes and clean streets that gave us a nice sense of the town. We found the ice cream shop about a mile later and parked just opposite the front door of the establishment. We approached the small counter where a young lady was perched and without looking up said "For here or to go?' Not being able to resist this one I said: "Oh, you are assuming we wanted to order something." To her credit, she looked up from her register, smiled and said "How can I help you" We learned that she was four minutes from the end of her shift, had been there ten hours and was looking forward to going home to her kids. She handed off our order to the "shake person" I guess and we waited just a minute or two for a couple of small milkshakes. Not text book customer service when the customer breaks the ice, but at least she was willing to engage.
How much better is it for the employee when they set the stage for a pleasant interaction. When they are trained and expected to set the stage for the transaction. Good customer service is as good for the employee as it is for the customer. Good customer service is not difficult. It is just five steps (six if you count the upsell), and easy to repeat.
To the employer: Train and expect those five or six steps to be followed without fail.
To the employee: Good customer service is a lot more fun than poor customer service. It is your working life. If it is transitory great, do well and move on. If it is your chosen field make it fun for you, the customer will usually reciprocate.
Eye Contact
Greeting
Order Verification (Upsell if you are really good)
Count Back Change
Thank the Customer
The following are two scenarios that have not been embellished in the least.
These accounts are true.
Scenario One
While traveling through George Bush International I got word that my flight to Jacksonville was delayed by two hours. Feeling sanguine about the delay I headed over to the food court to get a salad. Standing in line for just a minute or two when the customer in front of me left the counter I approached the young cashier. Curiously I was not greeted. So after an awkward beat or two, I asked if I could place an order. The young man did not reply. An empty stare and his hand being close to the cash register were the only indications I had that he might be able to bring me the desired fast food type salad. So I took the initiative and ordered a salad and a water. I think the total was 4.93. I handed the young man a ten and in a second the change was literally thrown on the counter. Huh...grabbing the five I watched a nickel and a penny roll around the counter and grabbed them while he turned to retrieve the salad and water. His final insult was to place the bag and the water as close to himself and as far away from me as he possibly could, prompting me to ask if this was my order. Again not getting a verbal or any other indication from the young man I made the assumption that in fact, it was mine; grabbed the bag and the water. Dazed by the encounter I wandered to the food court table area. It was so surreal I started to wonder if it was something I did. Did I have a booger, unzipped pants, bloody nose or something else off-putting to this youngster? Giving myself a close inspection after finishing the meal I decided that no, it wasn't me and this young man needed to be trained, reprimanded or fired, any of which I was willing to do for the national fast food chain. But as fate would have it as I approached the counter one more time, Continental came through an hour early and my flight started boarding.
Scenario Two:
Traveling from Galveston one afternoon my wife and I decided that it was the perfect moment to find an ice cream on the way home. Spending the day on the beach had been glorious, the Gulf breeze kicked up waves, cooled us and sent just enough salty grit into our clothes that we knew we had spent the day there. A couple of Apple map searches later we found an ice cream shop in Dickenson, about 20 miles up the road. As we drove through the little town we noticed a wonderful park, cute small homes and clean streets that gave us a nice sense of the town. We found the ice cream shop about a mile later and parked just opposite the front door of the establishment. We approached the small counter where a young lady was perched and without looking up said "For here or to go?' Not being able to resist this one I said: "Oh, you are assuming we wanted to order something." To her credit, she looked up from her register, smiled and said "How can I help you" We learned that she was four minutes from the end of her shift, had been there ten hours and was looking forward to going home to her kids. She handed off our order to the "shake person" I guess and we waited just a minute or two for a couple of small milkshakes. Not text book customer service when the customer breaks the ice, but at least she was willing to engage.
How much better is it for the employee when they set the stage for a pleasant interaction. When they are trained and expected to set the stage for the transaction. Good customer service is as good for the employee as it is for the customer. Good customer service is not difficult. It is just five steps (six if you count the upsell), and easy to repeat.
To the employer: Train and expect those five or six steps to be followed without fail.
To the employee: Good customer service is a lot more fun than poor customer service. It is your working life. If it is transitory great, do well and move on. If it is your chosen field make it fun for you, the customer will usually reciprocate.
Dave, I'm a member of your club! In general my only "good" customer service experiences are at establishments I frequent and the people who work there know me. That should not be so. But time and again, the only greeting comes from me, as does the only "thank you." I kind of fell into that habit when the folks on the other side of the counter were just mute and it felt funny. Unfortunately it's just easier to go online, which I'm finding chips away at opportunities for human contact. :(
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