Customer Service

I am going to start a petition to create a new law in this country. I've been thinking about this for a while, and I can't see any down side - I believe this would be a win-win for our country, both in terms of the economy and our empathy.

Everyone, regardless of race, creed, or financial status, should have to work in customer service for at least one year.

I am talking here about entry-level, need-to-ask-permission-to-take-a-bathroom-break kind of customer service. Out there on the front lines, working the floor and serving the people. I believe that if more people were forced to experience being yelled at for a store policy they can't control, they might have a little more patience with the clerks, wait staff, and baristas they encounter on a daily basis - because they would know what it's like to be on the other side of that counter. Gradually, there would be fewer people yelling and more people sympathizing and - dare I say? - caring.

Personally, I have been there and done that. I worked for 2 years in high school in the shoe department at Mervyn's. During my time there, I saw it all. I watched parents turn a blind eye while their child tore apart a neat row of shoeboxes I had just straightened. I found old, beat up and very smelly pairs of shoes ditched inside new boxes. Angry customers demanded to "speak to a manager" more times than I can count. I was told by an older gentleman that I was "worthless." I was also hit on by a guy who only spoke Spanish (he gave me his phone number - but what would we talk about?), and another guy who looked like the bridge keeper at the end of Monty Python's Holy Grail (ie, probably an escaped mental patient) - but that's another story.

And that's only my first customer service job. I also worked for about 4 years as a Barista (and later, Shift Supervisor) at Starbucks. One thing I learned very quickly is that people take their coffee VERY seriously. Once we were out of white chocolate and, upon hearing this news, a customer yelled, "Well, this is just the worst day of my life!" and stormed out. I once had a freshly prepared 20 oz raspberry mocha spilled on me by a customer, and when I immediately made her a new one, she didn't apologize or thank me. I had a very large and intimidating man berate me loudly and ferociously because I wouldn't let him return a dirty, used, and cracked French Press for cash without a receipt. I was burned multiple times by oversteamed milk, I sliced my finger open cutting pumpkin loaf, my shoes were always sticky with syrup and my clothes always smelled strongly of coffee and sour milk.

I took more mental, emotional, and physical beatings than I can count in the name of customer service. And it would be easy to read this and think I was bitter....

But then I think about all of the good things. The camaraderie with co-workers immediately comes to mind. I remember singing and making up crazy voices with Lonnie while stocking shoes early in the morning. I remember how I became known as the "Mismate Queen" because of my talent for finding the mates to lonely shoes. I remember marking Starbucks drink cups in fancy, elaborate script to entertain whoever was working the espresso bar. I remember turning up the music in the store after we'd locked out the last customer and dancing around singing while mopping the floor. Also, I remember how we would stick up for each other. I remember the ladies who hugged and encouraged me when that man called me worthless. I remember one of my managers at Starbucks sticking up for me when a customer was being unreasonably rude and downright abusive (she was a regular and this was a pattern for her - oddly enough, she was much nicer after that).

I also think of the times I was able to go above and beyond for customers, and how good that felt. I once called about a dozen stores in the area to help a bride-to-be find the right sizes of clearance shoes that were just perfect for her bridesmaids. She was so grateful! I remember learning what drinks regular customers would order so I could ask them if they'd like "the usual." People really enjoy being recognized and known. I remember the smiles I would get when I took an extra moment to put a little extra flourish on someone's drink. I remember also being empowered to "make things right" by re-making a drink or giving someone a free drink coupon if they'd been waiting a long time.

Everyone, regardless of race, creed, or financial status, should have to work in customer service for at least one year.

Here is the problem with my law......to be able to learn valuable life lessons by working in customer service, you have to CARE ABOUT PEOPLE. And as Coach Steve is fond of saying, "you can't put a gun to people's heads and say 'care about people!'" It has to come naturally, it has to be real, and it has to come from the heart.

I was disappointed last night by an experience we had at Macy's. We were looking for a set of sheets on a wedding gift registry, valued at $59.99 (according to the printout) as that was at the top end of our price range. A polite older woman offered to help us find the set, and we did find it. However, it was priced at $75. When I asked her about this, I was told that the item must have been on sale when they registered, but it was not now. However, if we came back the next day, it would be on sale again for that price. Frustrated, I asked if they could honor the price from the registry, especially given that it would BE that price again in a few hours. She just shrugged an said, "Well, back when we were Meier and Frank, we could do that, but now that we're Macy's they don't' do that." She didn't call a manager to see if they could make and exception, she didn't even offer to put the item on hold, she just shrugged indifferently.

They lost a sale that night. We were willing to buy the item at the sale price, but instead we left the store. We went to Crate and Barrel, and I'm happy to report it was a great experience. Multiple store clerks offered to help us as we wandered around (admittedly, a little lost) with their registry, and ultimately one woman made a few helpful suggestions when she could see we were having trouble deciding. She offered to hold one of the items while we kept looking, and then (as is their standard) when we'd made our selections they were all neatly wrapped up in one box, ready to bring to the wedding. That is a company that values service, and I will be back.

I suppose one result from my years of customer service is that my standards for good service are pretty high. I refuse to personally punish a clerk for a store policy they did not set and are responsible for following. I understand that they are real people who have bad days, and I can't possibly know everything that is going on in their lives. However, if I find that a store's policies are not customer service-friendly, I might choose not to shop there anymore. And I have little patience for employees who have decided very openly that they do NOT care about serving their customers. When you take that kind of job, you take on that kind of responsibility, and in that case there is just no reasonable excuse for not caring.

However, when I find great service out there in the world, I can't help but be ecstatic. Experiencing good service is something that spreads - it puts you in a great mood, and then you transfer that onto other people. It's a butterfly effect that makes the world smile.

Sometimes I'm almost tempted to go back into that world with everything I've learned.....

On second thought......maybe not!