There is the tendency in many businesses to forget that the customer is the reason you are in business, that the business, in fact, exists to serve the customer and make a profit in doing so. Sometimes staff and ownership act as though the customer is a distraction to their day. An inconvenience they must endure. And worst of all it becomes obvious to the customer.
I was at a very exclusive hotel a few weeks ago for a weekend with my wife. It is the kind of place where you spend thousands just to stay a few nights. We rented a cabana by the pool for a special day together. The service was horrible. After waiting two hours for some kind of in-person service which we should have had, we decided to go get our own beverages and bring them to the cabana. After hours of having a waitress walk by ignoring us, suddenly after seeing us with outside beverages she is in our faces. “You can’t bring that in here. We sell that here.” Talking down to us. I explained we hadn’t had any service for hours to which she replied, “Can’t you see that I am busy?” The woman was so rude and full of self-importance, and quite obviously had no concept that we were the reason she had a job in the first place. The customer. In the end, she served us for the next few hours, obviously unhappy about doing so, and received absolutely no tip for her efforts. Beyond that I posted several bad reviews, pointing her out and throwing her right under the bus and in the end I did receive promises from management that they would take corrective action. I hope she got fired because she was horrible at her job and had no respect for the customer. It was like we were there for her.
You give some people a little power and it goes to their heads.
Literally the next day, after I returned home, I went to the grocery store. Now COVID has made everyone a little crazy, I get it, but what is wrong with some people? My local grocery now has this set up where you stand in one big line to wait for one of the ten or so cashiers to become available. One of the store employees stands in front of the registers watching for one to be open then directs you to the next available cashier. You know, you give some people a little power and sometimes it goes to their heads. In this case, a lady, some type of “manager” is standing there literally barking out orders to customers like a drill sergeant, yelling and pointing at the next person in line. Not far from me is a nice older lady, maybe eighty years old. Hunched over a little bit. Struggling to put her groceries on the counter. I go to help, and I get yelled at, “Please stay in line!” I throw my hands up and shrug. The older lady, having brought her own bags, asks the cashier if she can bag her groceries for her, a no-no here during COVID. I guess the reusable bags might have COVID or something. The cashier looks up at the drill sergeant and asks, meekly, if she could help the older lady put the groceries in her reusable bags. Little Miss nasty looks at the older lady and says, “I’m sorry, it’s a policy in place to protect our staff so you’ll have to bag your own groceries!” In the loudest, nastiest tone. The lady, hunched over and looking kind of sideways, hobbles over to the employee and says, “You shouldn’t talk to me like that.” Good for her. Then the employee keeps repeating, while looking like an absolute bitch, “It’s for the safety of our staff ma'am!” She must have said it three times as the old lady walked away.
No matter how difficult the client, they are the reason you are in business.
Only a few days ago, I was speaking with a friend of mine who had received a special watch as a gift from his employer. Expensive brand. Like a $20,000 plus watch. For some reason it had stopped working so he had to get it fixed. He walked into one of that brand's stores in London England to see what they could do even though he was only there a few days. First, he was offered food and beverages. Next, they showed great concern for his issue. Then, when he explained he only had two days, they rushed the watch to Paris overnight to be repaired, and in two days he had his watch back working perfectly with an apology for the inconvenience. Yes, it was a $20,000 watch. A luxury brand, and most luxury brands are backed up by amazing service, and likely the most difficult clientele to boot, but think about that. Most luxury brands are built on over-the-top service. That is what sets them apart. The service is the brand. There is a clear understanding that no matter how difficult the client, and believe me, there are some very difficult clients, throw in a few hundred million dollars and they can be downright intolerable, but no matter how difficult they are, they are the reason you are in business.
Without the customer, it’s over. For the business, and the staff. People forget that. The customers don’t show up at the grocery store because that is their only option. They don’t have to fall in line like sheep and take crap from some wannabe dictator or be the recipient of someone’s bad day. They can go to any grocery store. The same for hotels, bars, any business, including car dealerships. No customer should be the recipient of some staff member's bad day. The customer should always feel like they are the most important person in the room. Always. It’s a horrible feeling to be a customer of a business and feel like you are a distraction. Or, that they are doing you a favour by serving you. It’s the beginning of the end for that business. Now, should an employee have to take crap from a customer? Well, to some degree yes, absolutely. If you paid $20,000 for a Rolex, and it stopped working the next day, and you walked in yelling and screaming at the Rolex store, do you think you’re getting thrown out, telling you to calm down? No, I don’t think so, they’re bending over backwards to satisfy you, because that’s what excellent customer service is. It’s not personal.
The customer should always feel like they are the most important person in the room.
The moment your customer service business becomes more about employee convenience and their personal feelings than it does about satisfied customers, you’re in trouble. The thing is, the level of customer service you provide is directly related to the success of your brand. The success of your brand is tied directly to the success, profit, and growth of your business. Excellent service, excellent brand, excellent profits. If you truly focus on a positive customer experience for your customer in every interaction with staff at your business, you will build your brand. The opposite is also true. If you allow, at any time, people who work in your business to treat customers poorly, even if they feel justified in doing so, you are on the slippery slope of diminishing your brand. The beginning of the end. Sometimes you just have to take a little crap. It’s not personal, it’s your job, it’s your livelihood, and it’s the livelihood of all the people in your business.
I know, I get it. Times are tough. Life is stressful. Our jobs are stressful. But if your business serves customers and is trying to profit in doing so, no one should be allowed to disrespect a customer. I don’t care if you’re having a bad day. I don’t care if the last customer yelled at you. Your job is to satisfy customers. That’s it. Staff and management should be reminded that their first responsibility is to create a positive customer experience, that the business does not exist to serve them; it exists only to serve customers and pay for everyone’s livelihood in the process. Staff and ownership alike. Good luck and good selling.