Customer Service

At the risk of sounding cynical (Heaven forbid!), what's happened to customer service in this country? When this subject comes up, I'm always reminded of the story about Alexander the Great. It seems a young soldier had been brought before him for neglecting his duties and generally underperforming. After chastising the young man for some time, he dismissed him. As the young man turned to leave, Alexander said, "And what is your name, young man?" "Alexander, Sir", the young man replied. A little surprised, the great leader said, "Then either change your ways or change your name!"

This is my point about customer service. If you don't offer any, then call it something else. Call it "The Complaint Department", but not "Customer Service." You see, calling it Customer Service implies that you are serving your customer in some way. It implies that you appreciate their business so much that you want them to be pleased and happy with the way they were treated.....that you actually care what they think. Not so in today's marketplace, even in an economy where most businesses are scrambling for customers. In fact, I suggest to you that some businesses - especially retail - have totally lost their customer compass. As you might expect, here are some examples:

• Home Depot and just about every grocery store chain have the "self check" areas. What this means is that instead of them paying someone to check you out and take your money, you check yourself out and give them your money. In addition, this saves them the trouble of actually having to talk to you or interact with you in any way while you're supporting their business. This is also where you can use the cloth bag you bought from them instead of the plastic bags they provide free. What could a customer possibly find wrong with this scenario?
• Go in any Cracker Barrel at peak times and you'll find the longest line isn't to get in, it's to get out. They are notorious for having customers lined up to pay. Now I don't know about you, but if I had people lined up to give me money, I'd make sure I had someone there to take it quickly. Guess I don't understand the restaurant business.
• If oil companies are going to make me pump my own gas you'd think the least they could do would be to squirt a little glass cleaner in the water and make sure they have a squegee and paper towels. How many times have you wanted to clean your windshield while you pump your own gas only to find dirty water and no towels? They need to get out of that little building every now and then anyway, don't they? Even prisoners get out an hour a day. Heck, while they're out there they could throw one of those deodorant blocks in the urinal. Little things mean a lot.
• I like these signs in convenience stores, etc. that say "Attendant Cannot Open Safe." Really? Well, there's something else he can't do - make change. It amazes me that people who work behind a cash register can't make change. I went to our local Domino's a while back to pick up our order. The total was $15.63. I said to the clerk, "I don't want to take all your ones so let me give you this" as I handed him $21.13, meaning he owed me $5.50. He looked at me like I'd paid him with Monopoly money. He looked at the money, then looked at me, then back at the money. Finally, I said "You owe me $5.50." He looked grateful for the help. I just wanted to get home before the pizza got cold.

Realizing that times are tough, I know the tendency is to cut costs and keep trying to lower the overhead. That's what you have to do, but not to the point that you can't service your customers. Cutting fat is one thing - cutting muscle is another. And you can't hire good people at minimum wage, I don't care what Washington says. If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

Till next time...........