Let them know

Saturday, I had the pleasure of having lunch with a Masonic brother whom I respect a great deal. Amid the jocularity and comraderie, we got to discussing customer service. It leads me to today's posting. He is being transferred to another store in our company and was lamenting (somewhat jokingly) that he was really annoyed because it had taken him 3 years to finally find a deli in the area that he liked. He recognized that most delis carry the same assortment of products except for a "specialty" sandwich or two. His main criteria was customer service. The only thing that he asked for was appreciation for his business. It didn't mean kissing his feet in order to show appreciation, it meant putting down the phone, stop watching the TV, and looking at him when he gave his order. Most importantly, it meant saying "Thank you" when the transaction was completed.

This conversation got me to thinking about customer service and our expectations. To some extent, we've allowed customer service to become what it is. We put up with being treated rudely or indifferently. We allow it because we continue to patronize poorly run, uncustomer oriented businesses. For example, I've complained bitterly about a local McDonalds here in Fair Lawn, NJ. Their team members at the counter are rude, loud, and disrespectful. Their night management staff is unprofessional, disinterested, and not very intelligent. I've sent an e-mail to their Corporate staff which responded immediately that they've forwarded the complaint to the franchise holder, and the franchise holder hasn't bothered to follow up. The reason is, they have no incentive to. I'm one customer and if they lose me, so what, they have plenty of others.

The problem is......they're right. There were four people in line behind me the night that the service prompted my complaint and they were all complaining. In fact, one of the people left without ordering. The manager saw this and simply turned around and went back to her office. I can assume that there were no other complaints so I'm just perceived as one malcontent. The thing that they are missing is, there should have been more than 4 people in the ONE open line at 6:30 pm on a weeknight at a highway store. That store should have been jammed with people coming home, stopping at McDonalds to pick up dinner and it wasn't. Why? Because enough people know of the service and have stopped coming (as have my wife and I).

As a former businessowner and current Assistant Store Manager, I know that it is often tempting to use alternate explanations for why business drops off. The economy, weather, busy lives, etc. The most helpful thing a business can get is honest feedback. Before we stop going to a certain business, it would help all of us if you would grab a manager/owner and say, "I've been coming here since.....and I must say that I've noticed.....[a lack of caring about the customer, too few registers open, a decline in the quality of the product, etc]." Don't complain, just notify. Don't ask for compensation, just educate. We've got to stand together to get better service. We've got to let businesses know why we stop patronizing them.

Conversely, we've got to start complimenting the businesses that "get it right." I frequently have customers come to me and say, "Just wanted to let you know that ...... really treated me well. I enjoyed my visit because of them." As a manager, I can assure you, that makes a difference. I always relay that to the associate and if it's a specific example of customer service that we want to duplicate, I'll call it out in front of the entire team. It makes that behavior more of a standard. It helps us make sure we are treating the customers in a way that makes them want to come back.

So my point today is, talk to the businesses that you do business with. Regardless of whether its McDonalds or Joe's Dry Cleaners. Let them know why you do business with them and why you won't. Sometimes it will make a difference, sometimes it won't, but if enough of us do it and stop settling for mediocre (or worse) service, perhaps we'll "raise the bar" all around.

Thoughts anyone?