Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Talk About Fantasy...

Jeff VanderMeer has a great post on his blog about a really lousy experience at coffee shop. That reminded me of a few recent lousy experiences of my own...

I often have to stop in at one of the local Staples stores for paper, ink, tape, ink, pens, ink and whatever temptations they have there. Narrow that down to one store now: there are two that I will no longer visit.

A few weeks ago at the Staples across from Arundel Mills Mall, I walked up to the info desk, said "hi" to the girl behind the counter and asked if I could get a certificate for an empty ink cartridge I'd brought in. (They had promotion signs all over the store.) She said nothing, but looked at me with a "How dare you interrupt me while I'm smacking my gum?" look, plopped a pad of certificates on the counter, scribbled something on one and shoved it in my direction, staring at me like I'd told her I was a Barry Manilow fan or something. I said "Thanks." She never said a word, not "You're welcome," "Drop dead," or "'Copacabana' blows." This was not the first instance of lousy customer service I'd had at this location, but it will be the last.

Then at the Housley Rd. Staples in Annapolis, I was standing in line with my items, waiting in what I thought to be the only available check-out line. While I waited, I noticed an employee two registers over (one register over was empty) standing there, waiting on zero customers. He was just standing there, watching me and several others wait in line. He saw that I saw him, but he STILL didn't say "I'm open." He stared right at me, so I said, "Are you open?" He nodded his head about an inch, like he'd gotten caught setting off firecrackers in the bathroom or something. I took this as a "yes" and walked over there. He said nothing during the entire transaction. Again, this wasn't the first time something like this had happened at this location.

The only Staples I'll visit now is the one in Bowie. The employees there are always nice, helpful, and courteous. So are the managers. (These things almost always start at the top, whether for good or bad.) It's a well-run store that always looks great. They've got my business.

Why has customer service become like something from a fantasy story? It's just not that hard to do well – threat customers the way you'd like to be treated. That's it. You don't need an MBA to do it. I don't care if it's at Staples, Safeway grocery stores, Crown Cinemas or a Joe's Crab Shack. Customer service should be any business's number one priority.

What's wrong with the world?

Now Playing = Symphony No. 3 - Henryk Gorecki
Now Reading = Air – Geoff Ryman

2 comments:

Dr. Phil (Physics) said...

JVM's coffeehouse exchange is a riot. Some people get into business for altruistic reasons, or so they say, but forget the first law of business -- it's a business!

I think the problem with customer service, a la your multiple Staples example is that the proliferation of big box stores gives the illusion of rubber stamped identical big box stores, but the companies, in their quest to keep costs down, not only give us a mix of name brand good & okay stuff, but a bunch of no-name crapola, too. And that includes managers and employees -- you hit it on the head saying it starts at the top.

Net result, too many big boxes give substandard service, because they are unlikely to attract good talent. The good talent includes self-starters who are going to start their own businesses, thank you very much. But we all seem to run off to the Wal-Marts and big box stores to get "great prices" at all costs. (grin)

Dr. phil

John said...

Market research suggests that customers who get good service from a business tell two other people about their positive experience. That same research suggests that customers who get poor service tell 11 other people. Poor service is rampant for myriad reasons, but so is apathy about it. Like Dr. Phil says, "We all seem to run off to the Wal-Marts and the big box stores to get 'great prices' at all costs." If more people voted with their feet in favor of better service, we'd be more likely to get it.

That said, there is only one company that has earned my eternal wrath, one which I have vowed never to give another dime of my money: American Airlines. This was a significant challenge when we lived ten minutes from DFW airport, but we went the last two years we lived in Texas without flying with them because they gave me the SHAFT at BWI in 2001. Anathema!