For those in Customer service......the most aggravating statements :-)

[El Presidente]

"Common courtesy" is not so common....or not as common as it once was.

Just got back from shopping with Di at Woolworths for the weekly groceries. I watched Di have a lovely conversation with the young check out operator. In the end Di thanked her for her wonderful customer service and whished her a lovely day.

It doesn't take much to make ones day.

[skalls]

"Common courtesy" is not so common....or not as common as it once was.

Just got back from shopping with Di at Woolworths for the weekly groceries. I watched Di have a lovely conversation with the young check out operator. In the end Di thanked her for her wonderful customer service and whished her a lovely day.

It doesn't take much to make ones day.

It is so easy to ruin someone's day, but little things like that make your day.

[jwr0201]

I'm fortunate that I have a long fuse and it takes a lot to get me going. When I do reach that point, I will not let a slight go unmentioned. Personally, I love helping people and educating others when they come in and need assistance. In retail, I've noticed that a small percentage of people are those who feel entitled and above the ones on the service end of the transaction. That's usually when things have a good likelihood of going south. I found that a good way of evening the score is to simply slow down. The more the entitled ones push, the slower I go. If things get verbally abusive, I usually will have an 'issue with the computer' and have to void the transaction and start over. One idiot didn't get it until we were on the third go-round, with me smiling like a Cheshire cat the whole time. He finally figured out that he needed to just shut up and stop talking. Things went quickly after that. I even wished him a nice day! I know, it's not nice to screw with people who are obviously handicapped, but I only do it with those whose handicap is having a chronic case of a$$holiness! My wife says I'm not nice to do that. I won't lose any sleep!

[perkinke]

Working in the public sector the key phrase for me is "Now I KNOW you people are/have/will do XYZ." Never once has a caller/visitor known what they are talking about when they begin with that line. It's one of those times I'm a little envious of the private sector, where if a client is bad enough behaved you can say (sometimes, my dad spent a career in retail so I know it isn't always) "I'm done with you, take your business elsewhere."

The other fun one is "now I pay your salary so you're going to do what I tell you to." Once, when I worked for the state I replied "I pay my own salary too and I don't get to tell me what to do either." To his credit the guy stopped, laughed and then we were able to solve his problem (which was basically that he hadn't actually read the letter the judge I worked for wrote to him, ruling in HIS favor) and then he apologized for the way he started

[Colt45]

"For Those In Customer Service"

You mean like hotel and airline employees?

We're all clients to someone at some time.....

[Fugu]

Good customer service is the art of knowing when your customer is an idiot but not letting them know that you know.

That's just the essential part about it!

[MrGTO]

Just call Xfinity and you will find out what poor customer service is....

[Fuzz]

Just call Xfinity and you will find out what poor customer service is....

No need. We have Telstra!

[El Presidente]

Working in the public sector the key phrase for me is "Now I KNOW you people are/have/will do XYZ." Never once has a caller/visitor known what they are talking about when they begin with that line. It's one of those times I'm a little envious of the private sector, where if a client is bad enough behaved you can say (sometimes, my dad spent a career in retail so I know it isn't always) "I'm done with you, take your business elsewhere."

if you are not prepaired to sack your troublesome clients (regardless of spends) then you are putting them above your employees who by this time should be family. One who does not so needs his brain read.

In business if you are able you should develop a true team around you (as close to family as possible). You bleed for each other. You seek excellence, you fall short, you make it up however possible. You train, you correct, you teach, you learn.

However never, ever, do you allow one of your own to be torn to shreads by keyboard or telephone upstarts. Ever.

Coin is plenty awash in the world.The feeling of security, loyalty, friendship, fraternity, love, rare. Strive to develop that in a workforce and you will be sweet. You will be top 1%.

[PigFish]

if you are not prepaired to sack your troublesome clients (regardless of spends) then you are putting them above your employees who by this time should be family. One who does not so needs his brain read.

In business if you are able you should develop a true team around you (as close to family as possible). You bleed for each other. You seek excellence, you fall short, you make it up however possible. You train, you correct, you teach, you learn.

However never, ever, do you allow one of your own to be torn to shreads by keyboard or telephone upstarts. Ever.

Coin is plenty awash in the world.The feeling of security, loyalty, friendship, fraternity, love, rare. Strive to develop that in a workforce and you will be sweet. You will be top 1%.

... that's a great post mate!

NOW, answer my effin' email you kangaroo humping swine!!! One of my cigars has a broken foot! -LOL

-Piggy

[Orion21]

Unfortunately customer service positions are often very low wage and low training positions. Employees at this level of compensation aren't rewarded for customer service and my recent experience has been awful on the retail side. Case in point:

My wife and I were shopping at a local department store and she had selected a couple of pricey, but very nice, tops that she had me carry while she continued to look at more clothes. We made out way to another part of the woman's section and when she couldn't find anything else she wanted to try on she found a store employee and asked her to unlock a dressing room. Now, here is where all hell broke loose. The employee of the store, a customer service oriented position, looks at the tops I am holding (worth north of $500 for 3 items) and shook her head at us! She said, and I quote "Oh I'm so sorry, I work on commission so you'll have to find another dressing room." We stood there dumbfounded. This was not Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Ave, this is a regular run of the mill store. My wife said "Excuse me? I just need you to unlock one of the rooms 10 feet away so I can try on these tops." The clerk says again, "yeah, well I work on commission, so I think there are dressing rooms that way (points around to another side)." This 20 year old tart has the balls to turn away customers ready to spend $500 on three tops, just because she wouldn't make a commission to unlock a Fing dressing room door. There were literally no other people within 50 feet of us as well. Needless to say we were pissed. Instead of blowing up I simply walked to her and threw the clothes on the counter right in front of her and said "We have no need for these, I'm sure you know where to hang them back up." I grabbed my wife's hand and as we walked away this girl, very loudly, say "Wow! Just Wow!"

This is an extreme example, but needless to say we won't ever buy from that store again and it just reinforces in my mind why people buy more and more from the internet. A mom and pop shop I get, but why do business with big corporations that field minions of entitled feeling a-holes who don't want to even help - let alone go out of there way to walk 10 feet to unlock a door.

[perkinke]

if you are not prepaired to sack your troublesome clients (regardless of spends) then you are putting them above your employees who by this time should be family. One who does not so needs his brain read.

In business if you are able you should develop a true team around you (as close to family as possible). You bleed for each other. You seek excellence, you fall short, you make it up however possible. You train, you correct, you teach, you learn.

However never, ever, do you allow one of your own to be torn to shreads by keyboard or telephone upstarts. Ever.

Coin is plenty awash in the world.The feeling of security, loyalty, friendship, fraternity, love, rare. Strive to develop that in a workforce and you will be sweet. You will be top 1%.

I agree entirely, being government there's just no other place for folks to go and the nature of our work is to serve everyone, even the rampant a-holes. However, I have ejected people from my office who treat my staff badly.

My dad worked in corporate retail, so even as a division manager he wasn't always allowed to send miserable customers away because even one complaint was enough to sink his and his stores' ratings and cost EVERYONE their bonuses. If had just been his pay to suffer he would have booted them every time. But that reinforces your point about treatment of employees. We think Comcast treats customers badly, can you imagine how they must treat employees????

[PigFish]

Unfortunately customer service positions are often very low wage and low training positions. Employees at this level of compensation aren't rewarded for customer service and my recent experience has been awful on the retail side. Case in point:

My wife and I were shopping at a local department store and she had selected a couple of pricey, but very nice, tops that she had me carry while she continued to look at more clothes. We made out way to another part of the woman's section and when she couldn't find anything else she wanted to try on she found a store employee and asked her to unlock a dressing room. Now, here is where all hell broke loose. The employee of the store, a customer service oriented position, looks at the tops I am holding (worth north of $500 for 3 items) and shook her head at us! She said, and I quote "Oh I'm so sorry, I work on commission so you'll have to find another dressing room." We stood there dumbfounded. This was not Neiman Marcus or Saks Fifth Ave, this is a regular run of the mill store. My wife said "Excuse me? I just need you to unlock one of the rooms 10 feet away so I can try on these tops." The clerk says again, "yeah, well I work on commission, so I think there are dressing rooms that way (points around to another side)." This 20 year old tart has the balls to turn away customers ready to spend $500 on three tops, just because she wouldn't make a commission to unlock a Fing dressing room door. There were literally no other people within 50 feet of us as well. Needless to say we were pissed. Instead of blowing up I simply walked to her and threw the clothes on the counter right in front of her and said "We have no need for these, I'm sure you know where to hang them back up." I grabbed my wife's hand and as we walked away this girl, very loudly, say "Wow! Just Wow!"

This is an extreme example, but needless to say we won't ever buy from that store again and it just reinforces in my mind why people buy more and more from the internet. A mom and pop shop I get, but why do business with big corporations that field minions of entitled feeling a-holes who don't want to even help - let alone go out of there way to walk 10 feet to unlock a door.

I hope you don't mind me using your case...

While I am one of the few that will talk to one's boss to compliment them, there are times when I will be happy to do the opposite.

I know some of department stores. I have never worked at one, but I have remodeled plenty of them. Some of these (TI) projects can last over a year. As such, I get to know a lot of store employees and the store managers. I don't know one of these managers who would put up with this. A lot of department store 'workers' can work for vendors. These vendors will not put up with this either. This is a highly competitive market place.

While I would not go to the store manager asking for free stuff, I would ask to see the store manager. I would not let a snot nose run me out of a store. I have never known a store manager who would want you to walk from a store, not telling them that they have a problem employee...! The fact is, some of these stores have a lot of employees, and they cannot fix it (employee problems), if you don't tell them that it is broken...

Just my 2 cts. -Piggy

[Orion21]

Ah yes, this is where it gets complicated. My wife declined my desire to do just this Piggy. I was ready to go straight upstairs and do just as you describe. Want to know my wife's reason for not wanting to do more? I swear to God, she was afraid of being considered a racist. I'm not trying to change the direction of this thread, but that is why. This young girl, was dark skinned. My wife was scared she would be judged for complaining about a person of color. You see, my wife is a beautiful, smart and amazing pale white skinned blonde haired liberal. The idea of strangers "possibly" thinking she was only complaining because the store clerk was dark skinned was too much for her to bare so we just left. I have considered calling myself to complain over the phone, but wouldn't want to do it behind my wife's back.

So . . . who's going to start a thread about the Oscar's now, LOL

[cigcars]

Ah yes, this is where it gets complicated. My wife declined my desire to do just this Piggy. I was ready to go straight upstairs and do just as you describe. Want to know my wife's reason for not wanting to do more? I swear to God, she was afraid of being considered a racist. I'm not trying to change the direction of this thread, but that is why. This young girl, was dark skinned. My wife was scared she would be judged for complaining about a person of color. You see, my wife is a beautiful, smart and amazing pale white skinned blonde haired liberal. The idea of strangers "possibly" thinking she was only complaining because the store clerk was dark skinned was too much for her to bare so we just left. I have considered calling myself to complain over the phone, but wouldn't want to do it behind my wife's back.

So . . . who's going to start a thread about the Oscar's now, LOL

Oh, Orion! Let me say first that yes there ARE some of MY people who cause other Black folks to be ready to take a sheet and cut two eye holes out. I know that. Just as there are some folks in the "dominant" group, shall we say - who do things that make their own wonder how it is that all of the "other" group don't go on a rampage against that dominant group. We all have idiots in our select group. I respect your wife's concerns, we've seen it many times. However, when similar bad service that can't be excused happens to me, and I know that based on that one bad employee's actions I'm not ever returning to that establishment again...I feel that I NEED to alert management about that employee, and let them know that they're losing a customer because of this knucklehead's actions. This is in fairness to the store owners/managers in case they may want to do something to keep from losing future customers. I'm sure they'd appreciate being alerted to this so they can correct said situation.

[Orion21]

Oh, Orion! Let me say first that yes there ARE some of MY people who cause other Black folks to be ready to take a sheet and cut two eye holes out. I know that. Just as there are some folks in the "dominant" group, shall we say - who do things that make their own wonder how it is that all of the "other" group don't go on a rampage against that dominant group. We all have idiots in our select group. I respect your wife's concerns, we've seen it many times. However, when similar bad service that can't be excused happens to me, and I know that based on that one bad employee's actions I'm not ever returning to that establishment again...I feel that I NEED to alert management about that employee, and let them know that they're losing a customer because of this knucklehead's actions. This is in fairness to the store owners/managers in case they may want to do something to keep from losing future customers. I'm sure they'd appreciate being alerted to this so they can correct said situation.

You and I agree. There are some people who feel too self conscious to do the right thing. If it were just me I would have reported this to a manager right away, but I respected my wife's feelings on this matter and let it go. It was a mistake, and I am sure others will report similar behavior in the future. It just goes to show good customer service starts at the hiring process. Hire good people, then train them well and 90% of the battle is won.