"May I help you?"
"Thank you for shopping with us..."
"We appreciate your business!"
"We give service with a smile!"
"I apologize for your wait..."
"Is there anything else I can do for you today?

How often do you hear any of these words?
Coming from a lifetime of working with the public, it appalls me at times today to see the apathy displayed from various arenas.
Customer service was instilled in me from the beginning of my employment as a teenager.  Today, it seems to almost be a lost art.

One of my pet peeves is when I am at the grocery store and the cashier and bagger are involved in conversation.  I have on many occasions stood as the cashier scanned all my items while never acknowledging my presence.  The only interaction with me would be to tell me how much my bill was, and after I paid, would not even thank me for my business. All the while the cashier and bagger are laughing and conversing about something of total irrelevance to me. I'm sure as you read this you can relate to it happening to you as well.
The only reason I go back is because the store has products that I need, certainly not because of any rapport I have obtained with the staff. This kind of behavior does not give a good impression of the management of the company or the perspective of the staff.


Our society has become so diverse from one end of the spectrum to the next...from differences in cultures, race, religion, employment.  But the bottom line remains the same.  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", is still applicable in every situation of life.

Customer service should be emphasized in every public place of employment.  

To give you an opposite to the scenario above that  I stated as one of my pet peeves, just last week I was in a business placing an order.  The manager stated that the young man waiting on me was a new employee, and that was his first day on a register.  From the moment I walked up to the counter, he smiled and graciously asked if he could help me.  When he completed my order, he asked if there were anything else he could help me with.  I told him no, and he thanked me for my business and assured me my order would be right up.  And it was.  I stated to him that his customer service tactics were excellent, and that I appreciated his smile and courtesy.   I made mention that customer service should be a relevant part of his job description because it is becoming a rare commodity.  A young lady brought my order to the counter and said that's for sure as she smiled also.  

This seems to be miniscule, but I felt that my acknowledging his good customer service would encourage him to be aware that it is to his advantage and also to the advantage of his company to show his customer service skills.  As I stated, customer service seems to be almost a lost art today.

Another place of business that I visited last week displayed this scenario:  I placed my items on the counter while the cashier (a young lad) scanned each one very rapidly.  This was acceptable, but his expression while waiting on me was what I was really watching.  Once he completed my order, he stated my cost without a smile or any conversation.  He quickly bagged my products and said a quick thank you.

When I got to my car, I noticed that one item I had bought had a $1 off label for use immediately that he did not use.  

I took that item and my receipt back into the store.  He was walking away from his register as I approached him about it.  He very nonchalantly told me to take it to the customer service desk.  I did and got my $1.

Again, this seems to be trivial, but the point I am trying to make in this writing is the fact that day after day this seems to be the norm in the labor field.  

There are thousands of people out of work today, and there are thousands who are working just to make a paycheck.  There is no concern on their part for the customer service that is truly the backbone of making shopping in whatever arena a pleasure.

One person told me I should teach a course on customer service...given the opportunity, I would love to!!

CUSTOMER SERVICE!  It is still important today, and if you read this and don't possess it, shame on you!  

A smile and friendly word just might make the difference in someone's life, and you just might be the one they are looking to to make it.  Don't disappoint them...
 
D. S. Mullis
Copyright(at)2009