Rage Against The Assembly Line

August 16, 2009 · Comments

The Assembly Line I was having lunch with the remarkable Kevin Eikenberry and Jenny Pratt the other day at Subway. I like Subway. I know what I’m getting into, and I can eat healthy there. The thing that bugged me was the line staff, or rather one young woman on the line.

When it was my turn to order, she greeted me with, “Bread?” I smiled a big wide smile and said, “honey oat, please.” She said, “meat?” I smiled even bigger and said, “turkey, please.” And nothing. Terse. One. Word. Queries. I couldn’t get her to smile to save myself. And I felt like a machine could’ve taken the order.

Some of you are going to comment that I should stop picking on the retail service, and that she doesn’t make enough money, or whatever. Bull. You can be human at any dollar amount. I was the best damned grocery store cashier in town at $4.10 an hour. I loved people, and I made that show. Sometimes, I’d have a huge line at my register when others were free, because they knew there was a show to what I was doing. I was an entertainer ringing up food.

What I wrote this post for, and what I hope you think about is this: are you delivering assembly line service in any area of what you’re doing? Are you just moving information through as if you’re tired and jaded? Are you responding to your audience or your community in that way?

Rise up. We can do better. All of us. (Me especially.)

A few quick ideas:

  • Shake it off. Just stepping back from the task at hand for a few seconds, taking a breath, squaring your shoulders, and smiling will actually help. Smiling releases some really interesting chemicals, even if you don’t really mean it at first.
  • Mix it up. You can try some different phrases, some language that people don’t expect, some ways to change the experience.
  • Turn it around. If your most loved relative or friend were on the other side of you, how would you treat them?

Just some thoughts.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider leaving a comment or subscribing to the feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.

Tagged as: ,

ChrisBrogan.com runs on the Thesis Theme for WordPress

Thesis WordPress theme

Thesis is the search engine optimized WordPress theme of choice for serious online publishers. If you’re a blogger who doesn’t understand a lot of PHP, Thesis will give a ton of functionality without having to alter any code. For the advanced, Thesis has incredible customization possibilities via Thesis hooks.

With so many design options, you can use the template over and over and never have it look like the same site. The theme is robust and flexible enough not only to accommodate a site like ChrisBrogan.com, but also to enable the site to run far more efficiently than it ever has before.

  • Courtesy of Mr. B's post; his comments, and Katherine's | Lisa's | Mike's | Dr. Jean's | Jamie's and so on and so on are right.... Everyone's right, or wrong - predicated on the perspective. Our opinions and actions are often based on personal experience. So I submit that the $4.50 hrly rated individual's minute to minute interactions with the public, conditions how it is they interact with the masses.

    For example; how many of us have walked up to a cashier while conversing on a cell phone? Perhaps made the cashier wait, or even the folks in the line that has started to form behind you. Stats indicate that 44% of drivers don't use a blinker. So close to 50% of the driving folks responding to this post are void of that most basic of courtesy to their fellow driver. And what about those of us that have placed a shopping cart so close to the car beside you that you knew once you've left, a whisper would move the cart into another's side mirror. This contributes to all of us moving information through because we're tired or perhaps jaded!

    My biggest take away from Mr. B's post was: 'We can do better. All of us. (Me especially.)' We have all become pretty desensitized to strangers around us. Whether we make $4.50 or $45.50 an hour; interaction with strangers are necessary; so too is basic civil interaction. Our customers know when we're on and when we're not.

    A challenge for ALL of US, the next time you're in a checkout line, and you ask the cashier 'How are you?', listen to hear if they actually respond, or if their response is canned. How is it that you respond to their inquiry? 'How are you' has become a salutaion that we rarely wait for a response to. Maybe even the next time you're in an eatery, call your wait staff by their name - and if they're name tag-free, ask them. Chris' 3rd quick idea speaks to this. People treat people they know with greater care. Make it personal.
  • F!@#ing A Judy, right on. You just made me think and I love that.

    I can say for myself, that I TRY to make sure I am listening and paying attention to the one I am talking to. I have seen many people do what you say, get in line at Taco Bell and be rude to the other person.

    But I still feel that the person behind the counter has to treat each person differently. You cannot take what the last person did to you and force your emotions onto the next. That too is unfair...

    So in the end, it will always be up to us to make the experience better, whatever the XP may be. Just like Mr B and yourself "We can do better. All of us. (Me especially)"
  • Ahhhh ... YOU 'thejimgaudet' have made what was a most average, and good day, really great!! See it worked aready!! ;)
  • It must be the Law of Attraction. Since I am having a great day, you should too. :)

    Please make sure to keep that feeling for the rest of your Sunday. And in 3 weeks, we can all be happy that the NFL season is here.
  • LisaKennally
    Chris, you are absolutely right. I think people forget that without customers there would be no business and hence no job! Customer service with a smile and with a focus on them is what distinguishes one business from another and keeps a customer coming back! Managers have to be more in tuned to training their employees in this regard.
  • "Rise up. We can do better. All of us. (Me especially.)"

    To me, this should be a mantra for society. We all need to step up and maximize our contribution. We have an obligation to rise up and do better. We have a responsibility to ourselves and to each other to live up to our potential, whatever that potential is. Let's accept the challenge of doing better by simply doing better.
  • I'm in!!
  • Is there anything more important than us rising up, given the condition of our world right now? It is up to us...

    Judy, let the revolution begin!
  • I'm working IT!!! !! In fact we filed for nonprofit status for a Community Civility Projects outreach business.... And since you're in the Boston area, hopefully you'll see some press on it once we officially launch. (BTW thanks for the follow ;D

    One CAN make a difference.... and how much more effective our business relationships would be with our vendors and more over our customers if we just gave a shit about each other. And most certainly, the relationship in our communities will benefit.

    I love this whole sharing platform!! It is such a kick in the pants.
  • I couldn't say it better, Peter. As always, we return to Acceptance.
  • sb
    Sometimes the customer has to go the extra mile as well. I've broken through the ice sometimes by saying something like, "How's your day going?" or, "Wow, it looks like it's really hot back there." Sometimes after people have been treated like cogs in a machine enough times, they simply give up and act accordingly. So it's incumbent upon all of us to take that extra step and appeal to the human side.
  • At a lot of places like this, I get the feeling that I'm disturbing them and that as the customer, I'm expected to serve them...not the other way around. Kudos for a good post. btw, looking forward to the newsletter tomorrow.
  • CatherineVentura
    Great post, Chris. What you did -- smiling at her -- was important too. All to often we forget that we need to treat service personnel as if they were FUTURE tweeters with 90,000 followers or, better yet, as we would hope to be treated. It's hard to stand there at Subway all day and be treated like a sandwich dispensing machine. Hopefully, you having treated her like a human being made her a little more receptive to the next customer. A great lesson in Subway 2.0
  • And have a store manager who smiles and enjoys his/her work. I think a lot trickles down, so to speak, from the manager.

    I worked for Head Start in Chicago. We would visit public schools to implement the medical program. When you walked into a school building you could sense immediately what the Principal was like as a person. You quickly FELT good or bad by the way the teachers and students acted. The Principal is the manager.
  • Another good point.. The law of attraction is at work here...
  • RodGillies
    Good point, I totally agree.

    I was a pub manager (in the UK) for a long time. I like to think that generally my staff were friendly, fun and helped everyone have a good time. Why? Because that's what I was like, and that's what I thought was important. Everything to do with good service trickles down from the manager.

    I have little patience for the "shifting units" approach to service which some people think applies when it's lower wages, or high volume / low value operations. We always said we were not selling beer, we were "renting out atmosphere". Whilst that's easier to get people to buy into in an entertainment-retail operation, it's really the main purpose of most retail offerings with any competition - to deliver the same commoditised product as everyone else, but in a more attractive environment.
  • dbreakenridge
    Chris, you story reminds me of many trips to the supermarket. The first words are usually not "hello, how are you" but rather "Savings Card" and then it's "Any Coupons" and that's it. No smile, and sometimes only a nod. Now I'm not saying that all cashiers are this way and I've come across a few who are very pleasant and even thank me for bagging. But, no matter what, I never stop smiling. I guess I hope that my smile or cheeriness will rub off on them. I don't fault a person who's having a bad day (you never know what's going on personally with someone), but I bet if management had a videotape of the weekend shopping experience through the checkout line, they may consider some new training methods or have more help for the cashiers who maybe need a little assistance. I know it's unrealistic to be smiling all the time but as a consumer, you want to remember a friendly face and a good experience, more so than not. Otherwise, when another market opens in the area....guess where you'll find me?
  • kevineikenberry
    The remarkable Keavin Eikenberry here . . . :)

    Chris this is a great post and I agree 100% AND with a leadership filter on these comments, we have a responsibility as leaders to encourage, support, and model the suggestions you make.

    Would our "Sandwich Artist" have performed differently if there were different expectations and examples from leadership?

    While not guaranteed, almost assuredly so.

    Thanks for elaborating on the thoughts we talked about at lunch.

    Kevin :)
  • Chris,

    This post, to me, is more than a simple "rant" - It's an example of what I believe to be the most inspiring thing about the '2010 Web'; the continuing shift of power from corporations to consumers.

    If I were a Subway franchisee, I'd make sure that every one of my employees was aware of the fact that their next customer might be a guy with 90,000 Twitter followers.
  • The tough part is persuading the management in these retail businesses to train the teams to focus on people and not process.

    I took the franchise managers of a well known retail operation, and got them to spend half a day in a small retail hardware store in my village. They got a chance to see real, personal customer service up close. They were amazed, both by how much fun the staff had at work, and how much extra business was being done as a result of the time spent with customers.

    They switched their training focus from process to interpersonal skills. Early days, but looking good so far.
  • I agree. I always smile when people approach me no matter what state they are in. I say this with a big heart because I work in the entertainment business and I see thousands of people per day. Ticket taking is another form of the assembly line and I am always nice and smiling. I guess this could be a reason why more people know my name then I know there's. I have been doing this for a long time and I am rather bored with it and trying to make a career change.

    I understand the changing it up. In my writing for PRSA Tech I find myself NOT changing things up and in the end it sounds formatted and dry. I totally get that.

    I like how you changed this up from being about an assembly line to creating better content and service for the consumer. Great work!
  • Chris, you're absolutely right. I worked in fast food and was a drive-thru specialist.

    One Friday night, when I was brand-new, nobody showed up except my manager and me. One customer sat in her car for 45 minutes just to get a drink.

    But nobody called the 800 number to complain because my manager was brilliant and I offered everyone free desserts and drinks and said that there was no excuse for the long waits (even though there was a valid reason why everything took so long).

    The girl you describe wasn't trying to be a jerk.

    Maybe she was having a bad day. Maybe she was mind-numbingly bored. Maybe her Myers-Briggs is more task-oriented.

    None of this matters to the customer.

    You can get away with a lot if you treat your clients like human beings.
  • coryoconnor
    I agree with you 100%, Chris. I like playing that game, also. That is: plying on the kindness and the smiles to get a response from a ZombieClerk. It doesn't take much to be kind, to smile, to be decent, quite simply. Not much at all, except a little common sense and the application of the Golden Rule.
  • This is a classic example of why its important to focus on creating a great customer experience - All The Time!
    I had a similar experience at MacDonalds some years ago. When I asked politely about the length of time my order was likely to take as I was on my way to catch a train, the surly response I got was, "Its not my fault you came at rush hour."
    I've never forgotten it. Over the years I've used it as an example of abysmal customer service. And I've never been back to MacDonalds again, even though they are only a mile away from home. In my mind, MacDonalds will forever be associated with rude, uncaring staff. Its tough to undo that sort of impression - especially if you've alienated the customer completely.

    Sometimes, first experiences are also last experiences. Perhaps the answer is recruiting for attitude, perhaps its training - in my view, its both and more. Its the whole company ethos that shines through in many cases. But of course, the up-side is that when you come across a company that gets it right and makes you feel that they really care about every customer - what a great experience that can be!

    Thanks for an excellent post. Good reminder for all.
  • Oh that drives me crazy because I'm tend to get flustered when someone is that terse with me. It happens all the time at our cafeteria. There are two people, one runs the grill and the other runs the deli and they are so short with everyone. When asked "Bread!" I feel like standing in front of the Soup Nazi and deciding that bread just isn't worth it, "Just Go George!".

    I've round that Chipotle gets this assembly line down pretty well For the most part the ones I've seen in MA have been pretty good.
  • bgavin
    To me, the epitome of good customer service is Boloco, here in Boston.
  • Chris,

    I know you're just trying to throw some thoughts around based on your experience, and I appreciate it. Good on you for pointing out that even a $4,10/hr grocery bagger can make the customer experience better. I had a similar experience as a $5.25/hr Customer Service Representative at Blockbuster Video.

    For three years during high school, I was the best darn CSR Blockbuster Video ever had. I would help people pick out the best films for whatever occasion they were renting --a date, family coming over, babysitting, etc. Even if I was supposed to be shelving, I would put my stack down and help people find exactly what they were looking for -- even if it wasn't on the approved list we were asked to direct customers toward first. My best friend worked there, too, and we would make it a show by tossing videos back and forth behind the counter and bringing an "Italian restaurant" feel to it. It was a ton of fun, the customers enjoyed it, and I have no doubt that our store rentals increased overall.

    Don't get me wrong. Working at Blockbuster was a McJob in every sense of the word. It if were up to Corporate, we would have totally acted in the manner that this young lady did at the Subway you visited. In fact, as Blockbuster expanded into more stores, the rules got more strict. You couldn't be away from the front checkout area for more than 30 seconds, you always had to steer people toward certain product, etc.

    The question comes back to customer experience. And who is going to deliver that? Marketing? PR? An expensive ad campaign? A Facebook app? None of the above. The customer experience is shaped by the last person on the assembly line: a freckled, chubby front-line customer service clerk.
  • Chris - I know this young girl. She's a good kid but she's having a hard time these days. Her dad left their home about 6 months ago and her mom is struggling with cancer - breast cancer. Fortunately she is followed by an excellent therapist and she is being treated for depression by her doctor. The drugs are keeping her active but she has a hard time to remain focused on what she does. Everyday she wakes up scared about her day - her life. Thank you for smiling to her - she did not show it but I am sure she appreciated it and it made a huge difference to her. It brought her some hope for a better future. Some light in the darkness of her broken spirit.

    Sometimes it is not about you the customer, and how others relate to you specifically. It's just about them, and the rough time the're having. I like your post because it attacks a system, a modus operandi while you smile at the person. It promotes an idea, a principle. I believe we can be ruthless with criticizing an organization or a structure or customer service while showing kindness to the person, the individual. In other times or circumstances this person could be you.
  • While I have sympathy for this young woman, I disagree that it's about her. I worked at JC Penney for many years during HS and college. I was taught "It's not about how tough your life is or about how bad your day is going. Fuhgeddabout it and treat the customer right." I agree people have tough lives. Don't take them to work. Smile, as Chris says, even if you don't mean it, and soon you will mean it. Young people have a difficult time getting past themselves, but the ones who are successful learn how to do this.
  • Yes, Dr Jean. You may be having a tough time, but work is not your life. It is your work. When you take that with you to work, you will see the difference.

    Maybe at Subway you are not allowed personal time, but I feel if you are not "up to working" and you are going to have a poor attitude at work, you should take that day off.

    Bringing you problems to work will not solve them, in fact I think you will just spread the negative feeling around and ruin a lot of people's days..
  • Perhaps the person was having a bad day. Not to say that she is not responsible for her actions however what you are implying is that we be human and humans have bad days. I think how you handled it Chris was the only thing the we all can take responsibility for and that is our own actions. You contributed to the positive rather than the negative with the intention of producing a smile. How many smile less people she must see in one day and then comes Chris with a huge grin. Good for you and as always great thought provoking post.
  • thedrifter
    "Bull. You can be human at any dollar amount."

    Love this. How true. I was an underpaid, overworked Retail Manager, who hated life and every tshirt he had to fold... But the people made it worth it.

    Oh, and your $4.10 just made me feel fantastic about my past paychecks. :)

    May we realize the power of... being human. (Before we ARE replaced by robots.)
  • leahkaiz
    Great observation. I think we, anyone, (getting paid little or a lot) spend many of our waking hours working in the job we choose due to whatever circumstance. If you are choosing to do something that takes up that much of your life, you should enjoy it, and if you are enjoying it that will naturally transfer to the people you are interacting with. The nicer you are to the people you interact with, the more you will enjoy it and the better they will feel when they walk away. Is that the transitive property?

    I've worked menial jobs before for little money, and great jobs for little money. (every once in a while I get a great job for great money) no matter what I try to keep a positive attitude, and interact with people around me in a way that it will hopefully have a positive ripple effect.
  • justbloglah
    We have this nice cleaning lady in our company. We like her a lot. She always smile and looks happy & she makes people around her feel happy too.
  • i so agree with your post Chris. i really dislike when the person waiting on me or serving me can't even muster a smile. or totally blanks me. i get the impression that the customers are a pain and jerks to these individuals.

    but you know what is even more galling? is when they treat me like this - but are laughing and giving away those smiles to their colleagues - and even joking with them during serving me. as if i am an insignificant piece of dust lint. ARGH.

    if the scenario bugs me enough, and i am no required to go back (such as my bank) i make a point of no longer going to that shop/oulet/restaurant - whatever it is, because of being treated like this.
  • bgavin
    In my self-centered opinion, I think the grocery cashier (or CVS clerk or fast food worker) should pay attention to me and not be talking on the cell phone or talking trash with the person running the next register or making plans for this evening with someone standing at the foot of the counter. When these things happen, I wonder if my business is important to the store.
  • iconista
    I thought you were going to rage against the system, but I was surprised. You raged against the people servicing the system, and NOT because they are implicit in preserving it, but because they didn't smile as they worked. "Capitalism works, damn it, so smile for God's sake!" And everyone's agreeing with you. I'm so depressed by the younger generation I could spit.
  • Poor girl. She didn't hate you, she hated her job and I'm guessing she hated her boss. Whose fault is that? I believe that even the most lowly job can be fun (okay maybe not fun but at least bearable) if everyone around you is pleasant and feels that their contribution is important to the success of the business. It all starts at the top. I recently visited an Italian deli where the sandwich line was working to music by The Four Seasons. They were having a blast and so were the customers. The owner took a big chance on allowing this (could have turned into a musical food fight) but it totally worked under his fun but firm guidance.
  • Can you really love your $4 job? Probably not, but I think you can at least try. Why put yourself in a job you hate, then be a bad worker and what, hope to get fired so you can claim unemployment?

    If you have a job, be grateful because a lot of people do not.
  • It's amazing how people react to you can change your day. But I know it works both ways. As someone who has occassionaly greeted the public (in retail) with a smile on my face and a pension to help, nothing is more irritating than to be ignored or dismissed.
  • Great human customer services is a lost art, eh? Well, maybe not lost, but for the fastfood industry it's definitely not at the top of their priority list.

    This is a great post in that it reminds me to think this way. I'm as guilty as anyone of turning into a robot in areas of my daily life (work and other).

    Remembering that you can WOW people with great services is what I need to focus on. From sending an email to talking face to face with a customer. It all matters.

    http://twitter.com/franswaa
  • Chris, I don't think you should stop these types of posts. They are "true to life" and I think relevant to your Human at a Distance theory..

    I don't care where you work or how much money you make. You make the job exciting and fun for yourself, or you do not. It will be noticed.

    I worked at McD's in high school, manager in less than 6 months

    I worked at a grocery store as a clerk, number one clerk and faster pay raises than any other, after 2 months

    And finally in a computer service store where I took the service manager position and was managing 4 technicians in 3 months.

    You move up in this world when you take the opportunities given to you at that moment and run with them. WORK HARD and you will be REWARDED...
  • malcolmoutloud
    As sad as it is, the world is full of people who just don't give a damn. Which is why the world is so full of average. I challenge each and everyone of you to step it up and if you can't then get the hell out of the service business. Go work in some factory where you can bury your head with very little human contact. Here are my 5 Rings of Gold Medal Service:
    1 - Promise only what you can keep, otherwise don't.
    2 - Know your product or service inside and out.
    3 - Handle every project, big or small with the utmost attention to detail.
    4 - Bad news can actually be good news, turn it into a positive.
    5 - Go the extra mile, whatever the situation is.

    I'm Malcolm Out Loud
    me@MalcolmOutLoud.com
  • jenniferkoren
    Chris, this was a great post and I had a similar experience today at the grocery store.

    As I was putting my groceries on the belt to checkout I was waiting for the normal 'hello, how are you? Did you find everything you were looking for..etc'. I look for this every time because it's posted right there on their register stating that they should be asking you these questions, in black and white for them to see and you to see.

    As a customer service manager I love this concept because they can't escape what's expected of them..it's right there - 5 questions to ask each customer, every time.

    This particular cashier didn't even look at me, but I still waited. He continued to ring my groceries up and still nothing. So I finally said, 'Hello! How are you?'. He responded 'fine, how are you?', still without making any eye contact.

    He was not having a bad day but incredibly bothered by me and where he was and 100% did not want to be there. Who's problem is this? Surely not mine. On my way out, I stopped by the customer service desk and mentioned that someone might want to check with that cashier to make sure he still wanted to work here. As a manager, I'd want someone to tell me the same of my employees. And as a manager, I'd do better with making sure the staff of the billion dollar grocery chain that I worked for had better customer service skills regardless how much they got paid.

    As usual, great points and lots to make me think about
  • jetsetcitizen
    Awesome Chris.

    The quality of service in Canada and America is just terrible. Most employees couldn't care less about customers. The United Breaks Guitars Youtube sensation shows that it is not limited to low wage staff.

    So many employees feel they are wronged by their employer, not paid enough, or perhaps waiting for some dream opportunity before they put in a reasonable effort. The fact is that people who accept substandard performance in themselves at anytime, will always be substandard. When you see a teenager busting their ass to care for the customer you can bet they will be doing that for the rest of their lives.

    Look at successful people now, I am certain that they put in 110 percent in every job they every had.
  • Chris, this isn't a rage against the assmebly line, it's a rage against the manager. Regardless of what was going on in this woman's life, she was simply responding as she was trained. She was trained to believe that single word, terse replies are okay because the manager did not train her or care otherwise. All customer service is a direct result of what the manager believes to be important. If the manager believes smiles and friendly interactions are important he or she will both train and encourage that behavior while reprimanding anything to the contrary. The manager will surround himself or herself with people who think and act the same way. This isn't an assembly line problem, a human attitude problem, or an individual isolated experience. It is proof that no matter what marketing says, your brand is defined by the person in charge of the experience in your business - the manager or owner/operator.
  • You're always going to run into people in retail or the service industry that are not really what you'd call a people person.

    There are many people that probably shouldn't be front line staff working with customers because of their lack of people skills, but they need the work and probably hate their job. And they are the majority.
  • As someone who has worked in retail management for over 12 years (in the UK) I always like to see both sides of this argument. The commenters that say that without the customer there is no business are right But from a personal point of view the way that a customer speaks to me from the off can dictate my response. The people who are friendly, want to share a joke or show a little bit of patience will have that attitude reciprocated to them from me. But those who bark a question or start off defensive will get a less satisfactory response.

    The whole point of this is that you should always treat staff with the same respect as you would wish to receive. They spend day after day being barked at and that can grind a person down. I know. Leadership and training all influence the service you receive but common courtesy will always win.

    Maybe the girl who served you Chris had just dealt with an awkward or rude customer. She may just hate her job but at least you did your part by being friendly.

    Andy
  • it costs nothing but yet is worth so much.. I often think the same when people try and get on and off the underground here in London - what happened to manners, letting people off first...
  • Thank You for this post Chris ... I had jobs in retail for the past 30+ years and I know it's not easy, but anyone can make it fun !!! I know I most certainly did at times :-)

    Had I been at your side with that person handling you in that way, had it been me, I more then likely would have said YES, I want some bread for my Sandwich, and of course some meat, cheese, vinegar, peppers etc ... You get the point and hopely she would have too ... LOL

    Everyone needs to learn or find a way to make it fun, not only for themselves, but for everyone they come in contact with ... Once again, Thank You for this post ... It's inspired me in more ways then you may imagine!!!

    Winnie :-)
  • Chris, I love Subway. I will even book a hotel on business around Subway locations. I should get a kickback. I agree with your suggestions and offer this. When I was a professional paramedic in a very tough neighborhood I used to greet all my patients (customers) the same way. "Hi, my name is Ben and I am a paramedic," I would add "What made you give us a call today?" and unless the person was shot or about to die it usually helped the situation. I would even tell my interns that the most important skill was to identify yourself, be cheerful, smile, and help defuse the situation. Make the patient comfortable. The same could be said for the folks at Subway.

    At one of the Subways near my office the staff plays a little game. They are treated rather poorly by the Wall Street crowd and will ask ridiculous questions just to see if the customer is listening. Often the customers aren't. I have heard the staff say "What bread would you like," and so on until they let out "Would you like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?" and the customer will often say "Um, sure"

    I just laugh and usually joke back with the staff.

    I always try and treat people as I would like to be treated. Being grumpy, anxious, or just plain rude doesn't do anyone any favors.

    The service industry AND customers need to be nice to each other, or someone may get an eye poked out!
  • There are several pieces to this service puzzle that would make it better:

    Better attitude on the employees part:
    yep I agree, when I served my time in the service business ( I think everyone should) it didn't matter if I was up all night, dead tired, just got yelled at by someone or didn't want to talk to another soul, I still turned it on and smiled and made sure that my customers had a good time. Because it was my job to make their night memorable.

    Even today when I'm consulting, teaching or speaking, my audience could care less what happened to me before I step up to speak to them they expect and deserve to get 100% of everything I can deliver.

    Better training on the manager's part:
    Yep management should provide an environment where people want to have fun and enjoy their job, even if it's minimum wage. They need to show their employees that they care about them and train them to enjoy their jobs as much as humanly possible. If the employees feel supported and that management cares about them it will come through in their interactions with customers.

    As a part two to management
    I would add, better hiring on the part of the management. You need to put "people people" up front and non "people people" in the back. I worked in restaurants for years and I knew some extremely talented kitchen staff who would have made horrible wait staff because of their personalities.

    Our part:
    We need to do our best to make sure that every encounter we enter, we leave the people feeling better than when we arrived. That can be as simple as noticing something about the person and complimenting them on it. "Nice earrings..." or thanking them for a smile, it's amazing what sincere appreciation will get you. We need to remember that customer service person has been treated as an automaton for most of the day if not most of their lives. Give them a little kindness and you'll be grateful in the long run.

    My thoughts,

    Doug
  • Don't mean to be terse but... agree.
  • "If your most loved relative or friend were on the other side of you, how would you treat them?"

    A good thing to think for any situation.

    :-)
  • Not everyone would be happy with that rate. I don't know what it translates to in UK pounds. The happiest workers we have here in the UK in menial jobs tend to be the Polish, who can take their weekly wage, which is not very much, and send much of it home to Poland where after being exchanged for Polish Zlotys is worth four or five times as much. They work same as the Brits do, but they get rewarded far more for the same work.

    BB
  • Kill 'em with kindness. I use that approach and it works 84.7% of the time (give or take).

    I totally agree that smiling goes a long, long way. Sometimes a joke or comment someone wasn't expecting also works.

    I had a similar experience this weekend. My mom was in town this weekend. The 3 of us (mom, me, and my wife "the K-Dawg") decided to drive 20 miles to Park City. We were getting on the chair lift to head up to the top of the mountain. The attendant didn't even acknowledge our existence. Note: we were the *only ones* in line.

    I smiled, said hello, and attempted a joke. FAIL. We saw her on the way down. I attempted again. This time, she cracked a smile (I think). A bit of "work" for me, but maybe I made her day a bit brighter. Maybe she told the story (my joke-fail) over dinner that night. Maybe it didn't even phase her. Either way, it was not much effort on my part.

    Who knows, right?

    dj

    --
    DJ Waldow
    Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
    @djwaldow
  • What would you rather have - 5 customers who would come back to you again and again or 10 customers out of which 3 might come back to you for the simple reason that they had no real bad experience. A question of whether "order qualifiers" would work just fine if there arent any "order winners" around. The truth is that as long as you are not doing anything terrible to the customer and there is no one who is differentiating himself by being the nicest guy you could buy from, you can do just fine being your grumpy self. However, Not everyone in the world around you would like to continue in the status quo. They would try with all their might to win your customer. So the option of sitting by yourself doesnt work anymore. The trick is - if your competitor wears a big smile, you stretch yours by another mile :)
  • Well, Chris you have certainly done it again! It drives me crazy when I head to check out of anystore USA and am faced with a surly cashier who can't muster a smile or a pleasant hello. It is as if I am an annoyance rather than the reason that they actually have a job.

    Through the years, I've heard people say that "heck, you can't expect much from someone working minimum wage"...I say just what you did...BULL! If that's your attitude at minimum wage - that's going to be your attitude regardless of the money that you make. Early on I worked retail and did my stints as a restaurant server and in every case I went out of my way to deliver the best darn possible service ever. It isn't about how much you make - it's all about your attitude and your values and who you want to be as a person.

    I agree - ditch the "poor me, my life sucks" assembly line attitudes! It's gotten pretty old and tiresome.
  • I'll tell you for a certainty that I do business with people - even if it their services aren't the least expensive - who treat me as a human, a friend. I've been using the same dry cleaners for more than a decade simply because they know my name and greet me with a smile. They're not the cheapest dry cleaners, but they're the ones I stick with.

    I aspire to generate that same kind of loyalty with the people who I work with and for. And it takes so little to make others feel so valued - as a friend, customer, business associate, whatever. Make a little eye contact, ask a sincere "How're ya doing?" and take a dab of genuine interest.
  • You people are obviously extroverts. I don't want a relationship or a community with the person who makes my sandwich. I certainly don't want them to chat with me.

    At a place like subway I just want a sandwich made quickly according to my choices.

    I know I'm in the minority and that's why I'll never go into retail but keep in mind some people's boundaries are in a different place than others.
  • For every great retail experience I've had, this has been the case. Most experiences are fine, nothing special but not annoying at all. The experiences that stand out are the ones where there was a human connection made. I feel like for that to happen, both sides have to realize that we are both just humans doing something normal like being involved in a meal. There is no judgment on either side of the transaction. It's a recognition of "I'm here to enjoy a meal, and you're working to make my dining experience great," and that we've all been on the other side of the transaction at some point.
blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: