Customer service just a mystery

June 8, 2009 9:25 pm admin Business Strategies, Business Trends, Communication, Human Resources Issues, Lynette's Life

Some days you just can’t help but think customer service is all but dead. This morning I encountered what could only be described as a comatose operator at a Woolies express checkout. I was doing my bit, on hearing the words “Next in line” I fronted up to the counter. On arrival I smiled and said “How are you today?” – there was absolute silence. So in an effort to see if the person serving me was actually alive, I repeated the question, this time in a tone that required her to display some form of basic manners and the ability of speech. She was obviously annoyed that I had engaged with her and appalled that I had an expectation of customer service.

As you know I am a bit cheeky and, as I never normally shop in the area, I decided to have some fun. So I asked if she understood what a ‘Mystery Shopper’ was, then I smiled politely and left. No doubt everyone in that store was on their best behaviour for the rest of the day. Now I’m guessing that when it comes to texting, Facebook, Twitter or msn there would be no problem in conversing with this young lady, but the problem for business owners is that the planet is still populated by humans with a desire to interact face-to-face.

So how does your business shape up when it comes to customer service and communication? What happens when the boss is away and the troops are free to do as they please? Just for fun over the next month why don’t you ask a friend to ‘mystery shop’ at your business enterprise and see what results unfold. They can even do this over the phone. Create some guidelines for your friend to use like:

  • How long it takes them to get served
  • The politeness of the staff
  • The level of customer service professionalism, and
  • How your staff handle difficult situations.

The point is that no business can afford to have a gap between the promise of quality and its actual delivery. In order to effectively compete in today’s market you need to be seeking ways that make your business stand out from the crowd so you can:

  • Retain your existing customers
  • Attract new customers
  • Create word-of-mouth marketing, and
  • Improve customer loyalty.

I would love to hear if anyone else is finding the declining level of customer service in Australia frustrating, or perhaps you feel differently to me and think it is actually improving? If so, let us all know where you shop because it could be worth moving.  Leave your comments.

Lynette Palmen AM is the Founder of  Women’s Network Australia  She speaks to, for and about women in business.

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Contributed by Lynette Palmen.   Lynette Palmen AM is the Founder and Managing Director or Women's Network Australia. She started WNA 20 years ago to offer support, inspiration and services that would inspire women to succeed in their career and business endeavours. WNA is now the Nation's premier networking organisation for business and professional women. T: 1800 052 476.

Lynette Palmen has written 42 article(s) for us.

Visit http://womensnetwork.com.au

  • I am currently wearing 3 hats and one is in a business where our business is our customer. Therefore we take it really seriously and put a lot of effort into hiring and training our staff in great customer service.

    To me in any business customer service is about building a relationship with your customer. If you can't/don't want to do that then you should question why you are in business.

    Sure in big supermarkets and the like they are often low-paid, disinterested teenagers but then shouldn't that be sending us back to corner stores (where we're lucky enough to have them!). It is acceptable for us to expect good customer service from every business we buy from and reasonable to expect that organisations would put resources into training and teaching staff the whys, hows and provide the motivation or incentive to bother.

    If they can't be bothered I can't be bothered giving them my business.
  • Ann
    This is an issue that I too am passionate about. I have worked in very heavy customer service focused roles for over 10 years and have always subscribed to the theory that while you are at work you do your job. If your job is to assist customers in a friendly helpful way, you do that, that is what you are there for and that is what you get paid for. There is no excuse not to be courteous, a customer does not need a ridiculously cheerful cashier, nor do they need a saccharine smile that oozes contempt. I expect respect and courtesy from everyone who assists me while I am making a purchase. I too am a bit cheeky and I find that if I am especially nice to a cashier I get the smile and communication I expect.
    There is no quick fix for this problem but I believe that the old fashioned, "hi there", "thank you" and "have a nice day" is the minimum requirement of any satisfactory customer service... is that really too hard??
  • Hi,
    Thank you for your article and the comments are interesting as well.
    If I can give a French customer point of view, I much prefer that a cashier tells me only good morning or hi and means it, instead of saying how are you today, with no real desire to know how you really are.
    When a cashier tells me:
    How are you today
    I hate that but because I am polite I answer, good and you and I hate that too.
    Hate well a big word, I don't like will be better...:)

    Have a lovely....day!
  • Maybe I’m old fashioned (the horror! ;-)) but if a person says hello or how are you – I like to genuinely acknowledge them and respond. To give absolutely no response when a customer has said hello is not acceptable to me. Some customers do not want to engage in any conversation, and that’s fine too, but it costs nothing to just smile and say hello. (I’m not sure the console operator would be very impressed either if she is treated that way when she is next served by someone)

    The fact is a console operator is a very customer-service focused role – it’s the first point of contact with the customer and of the business. In this case it’s pure common courtesy to acknowledge a customer who has spoken to you!!!!! :-)
  • This is something I also feel VERY passionately about! Businesses can make themselves stand out just by giving good service - that's both sad and great at the same time... sad that poor service is more the norm than good service, but great because if you give even good service, let alone fantastic service, you'll still be ahead of many of your competitors!

    I've written a very practical customer service training program for retail staff, which I tailor to each individual retail business. Its delivered over 3 x two hour sessions with a final 1 hour follow up, with 3 weeks in between each session to practice the learning - if you're interested, please give me a call - 0430 180 555.
  • Danelle
    Hi Lynette - service these days is really inconsistent. You can tell where the company is client focussed and staff are helpful, polite but not interfering or patronising. They get my vote and money every time. On the flip side of 'no interaction' there are some staff who just don't know when to stop with the conversation - just as problematic, especially when their 'speedy service' is limited to the conversation and not their job. And of course, then there are the customers who should go away and learn how to be polite as well. Some I've seen and heard beggar belief. Guess we will all just have to keep on trying to do our best on both sides of the counter and work on the rest. Greetings!
  • Kim Davis
    I manage a casual team of over 160 people ranging in age from 18 to late 70s in a multi venue centre. For us customer service is of the utmost importance.

    What I have found is that Gen Y honestly don't understand customer service nor do they understand how to tailor a message to different demographics / customers. Why ... who knows but that fact remains.

    In our training we actually spell it out, much to their amazement. I know they think we are old fashioned etc however after working a few shifts I have had them come back to me and say how helpful this training was.
    Customer Service training for staff is vital for every company but often overlooked by small businesses (or some of the larger ones for that matter).
  • I have very mixed feelings on this.

    At places like Woolworths and McDonalds which are staffed by teenagers who have to worry about exams, university and everything that comes with it what do you really expect? Now if this were to happen when you walked into an owner-operated small business it would be different, their business depends on their service. A checkout operator doesn't care if you never shop there again, it doesn't effect their life.

    We tend to forget that the people serving them are not mindless smiley robots. When I worked at a bank in the telephone banking department I was polite, friendly and chatty... until people started giving me death threats, swearing and carrying on. After something like that it is pretty damn hard to be smiley and cheery to the next customer!

    Now I am not at all saying that you shouldn't expect great customer service I just think that you should be realistic and see it from the other person's point of view as well. Service isn't an easy industry to work in. You didn't get defective groceries, it wasn't slower than usual, those are things to complain about! In fact you went to the express lane so by definition you were saying "I'm in a hurry".

    I've spent a while in Japan where everything is ALWAYS smiles and helpfulness but it's completely empty, there are no actual emotions behind it. I would much rather be here but that's just my opinion!
  • Lynette, I could not agree more. Social technoloy seems to be taking the social human out of our younger generation. Great customer service is the new black, the old black and the black of the future!
  • I think it is just as bad, even worse and then better all at once. I don't think we can lump everyone into one pot. i haev had the most wonderful experience with two different staff member at T2 in Know shopping centre. I secretly think there is something in the tea they are drinking. I was wowed. Then unformtunately at Nissan in Glen Waverlay I had the single worst experience of my life when the sales manager was feeling cornered he not only raised his voice...so what...he then started to tell me bare faced lies about my husband and expand to say "I don't know what the problems are between the two of you but those are the facts". It was a very lengthy discussion which as you can guess ended there. He was the epitomy of a used car salesman only this was a new car in question. We have so many one to one interractions in the day it is not surprising we get both sides of the coin. Only the really bad are more memorable. Unfortunately pleasenat often does not hit the radar as we are left to stay in our own mind and continue with whatever else there is to hold our attention.
    All we can do is keep smiling and hope someone will join with us.
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