Any of you who have ever attended my workshops know the emphasis I put on meeting “customer expectations” instead of focusing on the trite phrase “customer service.” All of us can relate countless examples of poor customer disservice when an untrained or poorly motivated attendant turned a poor experience into a disaster. 

 

I recently went to a fast food restaurant to order close to $50 worth of food for a group. I requested three of the children’s meals and asked if I could swap the fries for apple slices which were an option. The brand new person was struggling with the register screen and said “No, you have to take the fries.” I then jokingly commented that she was motivating me to go across the street to her competition where I was sure they would allow me to make the change. A manager heard my comment and directed her to allow me to substitute the apples for the fries. I then took a long time to finalize the order since she could not find # 5 or # 8 on the computer and the special without a number was totally off the chart.

 

When I got home, I not only had the apple slices, but fries as well (although we didn’t give them to the kids). I was missing the three drinks for the kids, one sandwich was missing the meat and the milkshake was wrong flavor. Now, I find myself unconsciously driving right by that brand and trying anyone else just as a way of saying thanks for their great disservice. Why do they seem to always put new hires as the first contact/impression? 

 

How many of us have customers who could relate a similar story about our obstinacy, lack of training and a bad taste after an unsatisfactory experience? 

 

Your comments and questions are important. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…

 

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net.


posted on 9/22/2014