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Monday, May 23, 2005

Customers don't care if you're having a bad day

In a recent article in Sauce magazine, various locals were asked, "If the food was excellent at a restaurant, but the service terrible, would you go back?"

The following two answers caught my attention:

"I usually give it a shot one more time. Service is important, but sometimes servers have a bad day."

"I would have questions about going back, unless I really like the place. I understand that people have bad days, but service is important and I'm dissapointed if it's not good."

Bad days?

I spent several years working in both food service and hospitality industries, and I saw too many employees made bad first impressions because of one simple error: they forgot that the job wasn’t about them. In other words, they had a "bad day" and took it out on their guests/customers. (And trust me - I've done it before too.)

I'm not suggesting the elimination of bad days. They're bound to happen, we all have them, and we obviously sympathize for those people who are having bad days. (It's obviously tough to work effectively when you're having one.) But too often, service employees will “spill” their emotions on their customers.

This reminds me of Patricia Fripp, CSP. She is an internationally loved professional speaker who recently spoke to my NSA chapter. She told a story about a speech she once gave to 5000 people the day after both her parents died! When asked how she accomplished this feat, Fripp said, "You must work from technique - because you never know how you're going to feel that day."

The bottom line about first impressions is this: it doesn’t matter if you have a bad day. It only matters if the customer has a good day.

LET ME ASK YA THIS...

When was the last time an employee took his bad day out on you?

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

3 Comments

3 Comments:

At 8:52 AM, Joe said...: Scott, I love your blog, your philosophy and your willingness to walk (and wear) your talk.

However, this post seems a bit harsh (and I recognize that your intent may have been to provoke). One of the appealing aspects of your "front porch philosophy" is its goal of connecting people. I believe that as we authetically connect with people, we develop more compassion.

I'm reminded of a story from Stephen Covey's "7 Habits of Effective People" regarding children going wild on a subway, the judgments he had about them (and their father), and how all that changed when the father told him that their mother had just died and they were coming from the hospital. [This story can be found here: http://www.greatestnetworker.com/is/erlacharles/learn91/Page=17]

I do care if someone is having a bad day. I believe that good customer service often requires investing your self fully in what you do, rather than being an automaton.

I'm not arguing that people ought to take out their problems on their customers, any more than I would argue that children or spouses or anyone else is an acceptable target for venting.

I believe we all gain as we adopt greater compassion (or "grace", a la your post on X factors) in our dealings with each other, whether others are serving us, we are serving them, or, as I believe is nearly always the case on some level, we are serving each other.
At 9:01 AM, hellomynameisscott said...: Good point. It was kind of a harsh post! But I do agree with you when you say "we are all serving each other." Nice.
At 3:28 AM, steven edward streight said...: What the heck is so harsh here?

If you want to see harsh, check out most of my posts. Or worse yet, check out my comments at The Red Couch, where I trash anybody that sounds dumb or detrimental.

Harsh? What? That's weird to say.

I was a restaurant server and it is always wrong to take it out on customers. I feel no pity for servers or any employees who treat customers poorly.

Now customers can be cruel and hard to cope with. But lousy service is inexcusable. Faking a smile is not necessary, just doing your duty is what 's vital.

don't' listen to those who are "harsh" toward you Scott by calling a post like this "harsh"

Ridiculous. Pathetic comment.