Customer Service

Toastmasters Competition

I was out on Sunday 29th to Dundee for the area Toastmaster Public Speaking Competition, if any of you are Toastmasters we are in area 43 and the winners of this will go on to take part in the District then National then at international level in the USA. I was competing in the evaluation contest. Forres Toastmasters did well winning the speech and coming second in the Evaluation event.

Forres to Dundee is a 3.5 hour drive on the way back we stopped at a famous town just of the A9 to grab food and stretch the legs. We found a fish and chips shop, the food was good but the service will really make me consider if I am ever going back.  

Having watched the assistant pour enough salt over the previous customers chips to cause a heart condition I asked if I could pour my own salt and Vinegar and was told NO. Now I know it is tough being on the front line of customer service, however the word NO delivered without reason leaves a bad taste regardless of how good the food is.  Having asked why I received no answer there was a stand off until the pot was reluctantly passed to me.

There was a charge for the tomato sauce in sachets on the counter and we were told that we had to place the empty packets in a bin at the other end of the room.  I am sure there were reasons for this behavior but with my own anger coming up I did not have the patents or interest to enquire.

We are in a changing world where Customer Service and reputation will be more important than ever. The woman at the take away is trying to get customers to bend to her will through poor communication. I wonder how many people leave vowing never to return 

I was angry for how we had been treated, but it is more than that, if it is her own business then I am sad for her. Worse than this, if she is working for someone else then I am sad for him or her, do not know the damage she is doing. You can impose rules on your customers but they need to understand why.

In my late teens, we would frequent a local Kebab shop the owner knew all of the teenagers and would banter with everyone, He knew just about everything there was to know about the crowd that came into the shop.  Everyone followed the rules that Tony set, no rubbish out side his shop no swearing in the shop. Now this is a different case as Tony had a fixed client base so he had to make it work. He managed the shop on the strength of his personality, using humor and an interest in his customers we respected him and enjoyed the interactions.

My guess is that this shop off the A9 has a rich source of passing customers and they do not need to build relationships to maintain the trade at the moment, things might change.

Here is the tip check your customer service, make sure you have your best people working at the coal face give the customer added value, make them laugh thy will appreciate you tell their friends return and buy again.

I am not going back to that little place off the A9 unless I have to

All the best

Paul Harvey

PS. As a marketing coach I help you identify those issues that hold you back and move you forward. That could be the customer service, or just getting the message out in to the world through the rich assembly of tools that are open to us. Give me a call; tell me you where you are at. 20 minute is free and I love talking and helping.  

PPS I do not take work if I cannot help but I will pass you to someone that can.