Customer care
Dec. 8th, 2006 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladyofastolatThis morning, I was at a meeting in Southampton. After it had finished, I popped into the food court of the big shopping centre to grab some lunch. I went to a sandwich place, where I was confronted with a long counter, with a member of staff at each end, each with a small queue of customers. Being a law-abiding person, I looked round for any clues as to which end I was supposed to queue at. When I saw none, I chose one end at random. I queued, got to the front, said what I wanted, paid for it, and moved to one side to wait for it to come.
I waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, the chap said something to me, but he had such a strong foreign accent I couldn't tell what he was saying. I asked him to repeat it, but I still couldn't tell what he was saying. Embarrassed, I asked again... and finally worked out he was asking me if I'd ordered at the other end. Puzzled, I said that no, I'd ordered from him. He sighed, and told me that I should have ordered at the other end, then come and paid him. He sent me to the other end to order, then told me to come back. "Next time order at the other end," he told me sternly. "Next time?" I thought. "You can bet there won't be a next time."
A few years ago, I popped into a local greengrocers' for the first time. It had two doors, neither of which was labelled with an "in" or and "out", so I went into the nearest. "This is the exit," a staff member snapped at me. "Go out and use the other door." I did so, and went into the shop, where I bought the single orange that was all I wanted. I counted out the exact money, and went to pay. There were 3 checkouts, each with one customer at them. I chose one at random, and queued. The staff member saw me arrive, I'm sure, but said nothing. When the person in front of me had gone, the staff member said, "You're supposed to queue back there," pointing to a long single queue that had since built up. Apparently, you were supposed to queue in one long line, for all three tills. Okay, fair enough, but where was the notice telling me this? Although I had the exact money for my orange, and could have paid for it and gone in the time it took her to tell me off, she insisted that I went to the back of the queue and queued properly before I was served.
The result of both? The customer, who has failed to know some unwritten rule, is made to feel stupid. Apparently people are 16 times as likely to tell others about bad service then about good service. I must have told over a hundred people about the orange incident, since I used it as an example of bad service in a training course I was running.
I feel very strongly about customer service. I think it is unforgiveable to be working in a place that serves the public, but greet them with a glum face, or to serve them while chatting over their head to your friend.* Every work place has all sorts of little rules and bits of jargon, but the new user doesn't know them. Notices should tell the public what they need to know, and be written in the language they understand. When people go into a shop they've never been to before, they're outside their comfort zone. It is so easy to scare them away for ever. Shops, libraries etc. are not private clubs, just for the people who know the rules. They have to welcome everyone - and they have to be aware that the first time user is often nervous, and that a single bad experience can put someone off for life.
(* Yes, I know that some members of the public are selfish and rude and horrible... but most aren't. And even the rude ones should be served politely.)
It is especially a problem in libraries. Libraries are full of strange bits of jargon ("issues" and "returns", for one, which tend to appear on most library counters.) Many people have terrible preconceptions about libraries as scary places, not for them. It is so easy to scare people away for ever. So why, then, do some many library services let their staff get away with awful customer service? Why do so many shops let their employees get away with this?
Examples I have seen:
1. Customer comes into library with son, and they wander around looking anxious and lost. "No," says customer in the end, in a very audible tone, "there isn't anything on Romans. Let's go." They walk out, whereupon one staff member turns to another and laughs, rolling their eyes about the stupid member of public who doesn't even know how to use the subject index. So why on earth didn't they go and tell them? Why on earth didn't they wander up, smiling, and say, "Can I help you?" or "Are you looking for Romans? Come with me. I'll show you where they are." We aren't playing a game of one-upmanship with the customers. If we make them feel stupid, we haven't won a victory. We've just lost ourselves a customer.
2. Member of staff, just before library opens: "Oh no! I forgot to get the papers!" Library opens. Member of public, apologetically, a minute or two later: "I can't seem to find the papers." Member of staff, not making eye contact or smiling, snaps, "That's because I haven't got them yet." Member of public: "Sorry." Member of public feels bad. Member of public leaves. Member of staff should have smiled, and said, "I'm really sorry! I forgot to pick them up, but the shop is just around the corner. I'll be back with them in two minutes", and then, returning with them, should have sought the customer out and made sure he got the paper he was looking for.
Well... Anyway... I can rant about this for a very long time, but I suppose I ought to save it for the next staff training day, since it's more appropriate there, than here.
I waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, the chap said something to me, but he had such a strong foreign accent I couldn't tell what he was saying. I asked him to repeat it, but I still couldn't tell what he was saying. Embarrassed, I asked again... and finally worked out he was asking me if I'd ordered at the other end. Puzzled, I said that no, I'd ordered from him. He sighed, and told me that I should have ordered at the other end, then come and paid him. He sent me to the other end to order, then told me to come back. "Next time order at the other end," he told me sternly. "Next time?" I thought. "You can bet there won't be a next time."
A few years ago, I popped into a local greengrocers' for the first time. It had two doors, neither of which was labelled with an "in" or and "out", so I went into the nearest. "This is the exit," a staff member snapped at me. "Go out and use the other door." I did so, and went into the shop, where I bought the single orange that was all I wanted. I counted out the exact money, and went to pay. There were 3 checkouts, each with one customer at them. I chose one at random, and queued. The staff member saw me arrive, I'm sure, but said nothing. When the person in front of me had gone, the staff member said, "You're supposed to queue back there," pointing to a long single queue that had since built up. Apparently, you were supposed to queue in one long line, for all three tills. Okay, fair enough, but where was the notice telling me this? Although I had the exact money for my orange, and could have paid for it and gone in the time it took her to tell me off, she insisted that I went to the back of the queue and queued properly before I was served.
The result of both? The customer, who has failed to know some unwritten rule, is made to feel stupid. Apparently people are 16 times as likely to tell others about bad service then about good service. I must have told over a hundred people about the orange incident, since I used it as an example of bad service in a training course I was running.
I feel very strongly about customer service. I think it is unforgiveable to be working in a place that serves the public, but greet them with a glum face, or to serve them while chatting over their head to your friend.* Every work place has all sorts of little rules and bits of jargon, but the new user doesn't know them. Notices should tell the public what they need to know, and be written in the language they understand. When people go into a shop they've never been to before, they're outside their comfort zone. It is so easy to scare them away for ever. Shops, libraries etc. are not private clubs, just for the people who know the rules. They have to welcome everyone - and they have to be aware that the first time user is often nervous, and that a single bad experience can put someone off for life.
(* Yes, I know that some members of the public are selfish and rude and horrible... but most aren't. And even the rude ones should be served politely.)
It is especially a problem in libraries. Libraries are full of strange bits of jargon ("issues" and "returns", for one, which tend to appear on most library counters.) Many people have terrible preconceptions about libraries as scary places, not for them. It is so easy to scare people away for ever. So why, then, do some many library services let their staff get away with awful customer service? Why do so many shops let their employees get away with this?
Examples I have seen:
1. Customer comes into library with son, and they wander around looking anxious and lost. "No," says customer in the end, in a very audible tone, "there isn't anything on Romans. Let's go." They walk out, whereupon one staff member turns to another and laughs, rolling their eyes about the stupid member of public who doesn't even know how to use the subject index. So why on earth didn't they go and tell them? Why on earth didn't they wander up, smiling, and say, "Can I help you?" or "Are you looking for Romans? Come with me. I'll show you where they are." We aren't playing a game of one-upmanship with the customers. If we make them feel stupid, we haven't won a victory. We've just lost ourselves a customer.
2. Member of staff, just before library opens: "Oh no! I forgot to get the papers!" Library opens. Member of public, apologetically, a minute or two later: "I can't seem to find the papers." Member of staff, not making eye contact or smiling, snaps, "That's because I haven't got them yet." Member of public: "Sorry." Member of public feels bad. Member of public leaves. Member of staff should have smiled, and said, "I'm really sorry! I forgot to pick them up, but the shop is just around the corner. I'll be back with them in two minutes", and then, returning with them, should have sought the customer out and made sure he got the paper he was looking for.
Well... Anyway... I can rant about this for a very long time, but I suppose I ought to save it for the next staff training day, since it's more appropriate there, than here.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-08 08:57 pm (UTC)