People expect good service but few are willing to give it.
-Robert Gately
When I actually had the time take a vacation, I remember going to the Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation. As soon as I hit the property and pulled up, I would be greeted in a cordial manner, the bell men would ask to take my bags, and they would give me directions to where I needed to go to check in. When I walked up to reception to check in, the hotel staff person checking me in would be extremely gracious. And if / when I asked a question requesting something, they would respond, "Certainly." At the end of it all, I felt obliged to tip everyone. Good customer service goes a long way.
Lately, and this is probably me, I've noticed the customer service sucks almost everywhere else. I'm working in Baltimore, MD now and I swear that everyone in every industry in that city has been trained to do the bare minimum when it comes to serving others. Service is slow. People are indifferent. No one wants to go that extra mile. All in all, it sucks the life out of you and I can't wait to go home.
Fast forward to my trip to Phoenix. I don't know if it's the sun or the weather, but that state might as well be the happiness factory. Everyone is extremely nice. Everyone is smiling. People go out of their way to go the extra mile. This was my experience everywhere -- even the In-N-Out! Unlike Baltimore, I didn't want to leave anytime soon.
So my question is this. What the f*ck happened to customer service? Has the Internet, text messaging, twittering, blogging, IM'ing and other media that removes any type of face to face interaction sucked the actual life of people that work in any type of service industry? Have companies just cut costs so much and taken the fun out of a job to such an extreme that actually putting the customer first has suffered?
I get on a plane - everyone is grumpy. I go to a hotel - everyone complains. I talk to clients - they think we are egotistical, arrogant know it alls (ok, maybe some of that is true). But to me, business starts with a customer and going out of your way to make the customer feel special or deliver quality service. Someone find me a business that still feels like that so that I have hope that there are still places with this philosphy that still exist.
-Robert Gately
When I actually had the time take a vacation, I remember going to the Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation. As soon as I hit the property and pulled up, I would be greeted in a cordial manner, the bell men would ask to take my bags, and they would give me directions to where I needed to go to check in. When I walked up to reception to check in, the hotel staff person checking me in would be extremely gracious. And if / when I asked a question requesting something, they would respond, "Certainly." At the end of it all, I felt obliged to tip everyone. Good customer service goes a long way.
Lately, and this is probably me, I've noticed the customer service sucks almost everywhere else. I'm working in Baltimore, MD now and I swear that everyone in every industry in that city has been trained to do the bare minimum when it comes to serving others. Service is slow. People are indifferent. No one wants to go that extra mile. All in all, it sucks the life out of you and I can't wait to go home.
Fast forward to my trip to Phoenix. I don't know if it's the sun or the weather, but that state might as well be the happiness factory. Everyone is extremely nice. Everyone is smiling. People go out of their way to go the extra mile. This was my experience everywhere -- even the In-N-Out! Unlike Baltimore, I didn't want to leave anytime soon.
So my question is this. What the f*ck happened to customer service? Has the Internet, text messaging, twittering, blogging, IM'ing and other media that removes any type of face to face interaction sucked the actual life of people that work in any type of service industry? Have companies just cut costs so much and taken the fun out of a job to such an extreme that actually putting the customer first has suffered?
I get on a plane - everyone is grumpy. I go to a hotel - everyone complains. I talk to clients - they think we are egotistical, arrogant know it alls (ok, maybe some of that is true). But to me, business starts with a customer and going out of your way to make the customer feel special or deliver quality service. Someone find me a business that still feels like that so that I have hope that there are still places with this philosphy that still exist.
Comments
Post a Comment