I worked customer service for many years and I was good at it. Sure I did the job because I wanted money but people need to learn that customer service is about providing the “customer” with a “service” and efficiently, which is what I did. My goal was and will always be to make sure the customer gets what they asked for and are satisfied with it.
Apparently this mentality is rare among people and it makes me sick. I have always toyed with actually posting about my bad experiences because I don’t want to seem like a negative person but today I have two examples of bad customer service to share with you.
The first event happened to a friend of mine who was trying to make a reservation at a restaurant. She wanted to make a reservation for so many people, which was fine, but when making the reservation the manager of the establishment informed her that if anyone did not show up she would be charged for that missing seat. And maybe this is the policy of the restaurant but the manner in which he dealt with the situation upon the second response was not, in my mind, a very thought out move. Either you can read the full story here.
The second event of lack of customer service comes from my local Quizno’s and if you know where I live then you know the one I’m talking about. There was a time when you could go into that Quizno’s and walk out with a good sandwich but not anymore and I like Quizno’s sandwiches.
After having to poke my head into the back storage room to get someones attention I was finally helped and I got the same sandwich I have got there for 7 years. A Prime Rib and Peppercorn. After getting my sandwich without as much as a thank-you from the staff I thought my sandwich felt lite. Sure enough when I opened it up there was barely any meat on the thing. Having gotten these for years I know there should have been more. The sad thing is this has been the case since a new owner took over. I don’t know if the staff just don’t know any better or if this is a cost saving way to make more money. Regardless I’m not happy.
You know I can look past most crappy customer service and I understand the strain on employers to keep good people but somewhere along the way people need to buck up and do better.
A lot of things have gone on in the last 3 months since I started at KELLETT Communications here in Yellowknife. Lots of new challenges have come in the door, the biggest one being the NWT Tourism account, which I’m very excited about.