I am Helping Someone Else—You Will Have To Wait!

“I am working on a project for another customer, you will have to wait!”  “The truck that was bringing your order broke down, we will not be able to deliver your order for another couple of weeks, OK?”  “I don’t know why you ask such a dumb question, I don’t work in this department—I work in shoes”  “I am off shift and off the clock—somebody else will have to check you out.” “You cannot check into your room until 3PM—that is when we check in guests!”

 

            Surprised by these comments?  We are not.  These are actual comments made by individuals who are clerks in various businesses around the country.  Each of these comments was made by a clerk to a customer, who had green dollar bills to pay for a product.  Those same dollar bills paid the clerk’s salary, however, they forgot to think about that!  What has happened to old fashioned customer service, where the clerk is trained to help the customer find the product, service or need that the customer has when he/she comes to your place of business?

 

            No, it is not a generational issue, however, many younger employees are more willing to say these comments than more mature workers.  Whose fault is that?  Our recommendation is that when one of your employees makes comments to your customer like those in the first paragraph, the real reason is that the employee is just as frustrated as the customer is.  The employee does not know the answer, so responds in a manner which is less than professional, and is probably the only way he/she knows how to answer.

 

            Employee training is the key in addressing this issue.  A good employee who is well trained and knows the products that he/she is selling will never provide a comment such as these.  The employee will know how to address the customer need and insure that the need is fulfilled in a professional and efficient manner.

 

            Customer service is the key in business today.  No matter the size of your enterprise, you can compete with any business if you have outstanding customer service.  This applies to not only retail establishments, but service providers as well.