Devoted to small businesses and those who run them

I think genuine service and thanks are hard to generate in staff - particularly if they're rushed, overworked or otherwise stressed. Receiving genuine service is rare enough to be noticed and commented on ...

Over the last two days, on three separate occasions a member of staff of large companies has said something negative about their company to me, the customer. In each case, this too has come as a big surprise!

Hi Lucy
You said... "Receiving genuine service is rare enough to be noticed and commented on ..."

A sad indictment on the state of play in customer service, isn't it?

I think you've nailed something there about staff attitudes and stress levels. Staff need to be valued too.

I wonder though if some people by their very nature are more likely to provide good customer service than others, even if they aren't feeling on top of the world.

What do you think?

I think the bedrock of good customer service is a staff that feels good about the company, the people and the products they're working with. That means the company itself must really want to delight their customers. They also need to hire people who have the right stuff - friendliness, caring, enthusiasm. Everyone wins that way.

Hi Isabella
Thanks for your great insights... beautifully said, and I couldn't agree more.

I agree with Lucy. So often, stores treat their staff as so much fodder for the mill. Long hours (especially over the Christmas period), time away from families over weekends and nights, angry customers who are 'always right'... how can any store manager expect happy smiling floor staff when they earn so little for so much sacrifice?

Eye contact and a smile goes a long way I think.

When companies only pay attention to the bottom line, that's when customer service goes down the drain.

Your post and the the comments made by your readers brings to mind the question, "Can a busienss really instill customer service into their employees?" My experience tells me that if an employee is not happy in his/her job, they will never provide good customer service, regardless of emplyer policies and even rewards. They will simply recite slogans and phases as required by management. To have your employees provide good customer service, you must create a culture that enables them to enjoy their work, feel appreciated by their superiors, and feel that their good customer service really makes a diffence to their own welfare within the company. That is not an impossible task but one to which management must place a high priority.