Comments on: Would You Like Fries With That?

By: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:47:58 +0000

Stacey – I agree that there are some businesses that have awesome CS. I think the instances of bad service stick in our minds for longer, and maybe that’s why we think the balance is going the other way?

NJ – Yes, there are some customers who are very reasonable. I think the bad instances tend to linger…

By: N.J. Walters

N.J. Walters — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:00:43 +0000

As someone who spent over 20 years in retail, I’m constantly horrified by the customer service in many stores, especially from the front-line cashiers.

I’ve had my share of nasty customers too, but I found that most folks are reasonable if you acknowledge their problem and treat them with courtesy and respect.

By: stacey smith

stacey smith — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:48:15 +0000

I think that customer serves is getting better because they do not want to louse there customers
sasluvbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com

By: Mary

Mary — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 20:07:36 +0000

shelley, I agree. Telling someone to smile …to me is just kinda rude.

By: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:14:25 +0000

Linda – most places in the US that we’ve visited have had great service. I thought the purpose of the tipping system was to reward good service. If a server doesn’t give good service then surely they don’t expect to get tips?

Lisa – great point. I know that lots of businesses in NZ use mystery shoppers to report back on the quality of service. I think this is a good way for management to work out how they’re doing in the CS field.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Long ago and far away, I managed movie theaters. We were evaluated on everything from the condition of the parking lot to the quality of the picture on the screen.

It made us (staff and management) realize that no matter how often we looked at a thing, it was always the first time for someone else.

While first impressions are important, the proof is in whether or not you can continue to make a good/quality impression even if you are long bored of the subject / business / item / or even book you are writing.

By: Linda Henderson

Linda Henderson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:21:42 +0000

My daughter and I went out to breakfast Wednesday morning and the server we had was not friendly and took forever to take our order and never asked if we needed anything else and when she brought our check she didn’t say anything, just put it on the table. We had to ask another worker for napkins and jelly for our toast. We didn’t complain about her, we just didn’t leave her a tip. I’ve been a server, my daughter has been a server, we are fanatic about leaving tips for people who wait on us. This is the first time I can remember not leaving one. The sad thing is, I felt guilty. I just couldn’t bring it in me though to reward her for less than bad service.

By: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:24:59 +0000

Mary – the worse thing is people telling you to smile. I hate that.

By: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:24:14 +0000

RK – those phone loops drive me crazy. My husband says if you shout and swear at the mechanical voices they tend to put you straight through to a person. He swears by this method, but it’s very disconcerting listening to him. He’s cursing and swearing a blue streak, and when he gets a real person he’s really polite.

By: Shelley Munro

Shelley Munro — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:20:55 +0000

Jaime – that’s terrible. I think sometimes people forget to put themselves in other people’s shoes. I try to treat people in the same manner I’d like them to treat me.

Nessa – the thing is good customer service leads to word of mouth recommendations, which in turn leads to more sales. It’s all good!