Opinion: Enough with the customer service malarkey

Last month, I experienced awful customer service at a drive-thru, retail store, coffee shop and service repair business.

Certainly, many companies prioritize getting high net promoter scores and 5-star reviews. But that doesn’t mean they’re doing everything necessary to avoid customers switching to an equally good, convenient and affordable competitor. 

Managers who dish out lousy service or use ridiculous practices to pump up the bottom line are part of the problem of losing customers.

Here are three examples of poor service and how to avoid losing repeat business.

1. Don’t focus on tasks and neglect treatment. I laid two items on the convenience store’s counter. The clerk, wearing a manager’s tag, stopped his paperwork, didn’t greet me, scanned my items, returned to his task and waited for me to run my credit card. He said nothing, looked past me and nodded toward the next customer. And no “have a good day” or “thank you” either. Get the work done but also make your customer feel appreciated. With so many convenience stores, switching my business is easy.
2. Don’t save pennies to lose dollars. There’s a loose-leaf tea I like to purchase in bulk. It used to come in a sealable white bag, but when they switched to a much smaller brown sealable bag, it prevented me from squeezing my scoop into the smaller opening without creating a mess. On the next purchase, I asked for the white bag. The manager overheard my comment and said, “We put it in a brown bag now.” I said, “But I can’t get my scoop inside the bag easily.” They obliged, and for several subsequent purchases, I asked for and got a white bag.

Recently, however, I went with a friend and bought some coffee and my regular tea. The manager said, “We’ll put it in a white bag this time, but so you know, on future orders, it will go in a smaller brown bag because white bags cost us more.” I explained again why I like a white bag, and he said, “If you buy one more ounce, we’ll put it in a tin container.” I clarified, “So, if I had bought just one ounce more, you would have put it in a tin container?” He nodded. I thought to myself, “Now you tell me?”

When I Googled restaurant supplies, I found similar, if not identical, white and brown sealable bags, and the cost difference was a measly 15 cents more for the white bag. Ridiculous. Why create friction in your customer’s experience and risk losing $15 revenue over 15 cents? Optimize profits, but don’t be unwise. He could have given me the tin container and turned my experience into a positive one. Instead, two coffee shops are nearby. I’ll give them a try.

3. Please don’t assume we are gullible. Our air conditioning unit went out during the recent heat blast, and we sought recommendations when our trusted provider couldn’t serve us quickly. I called and left messages for three heating, ventilation and air conditioning companies. One company asked if we would authorize “overtime rates” if they couldn’t get to us during regular business hours. That was awkward. In all my years of scheduling maintenance calls for homes and businesses we’ve owned, no company ever asked that. “I’m curious,” I told her, “why would you need to know that?” She said, “Well, it, um, saves us from bothering you later with another phone call to get approval.” I told her I’d think about it but go ahead and have the local scheduler call.

When the local scheduler called, she asked the same question and attempted to explain that somehow it was “saving me the inconvenience of being called back later.” That didn’t sit right with me. It seemed opportunistic for them, potentially boosting their scheduling and hourly rate revenue at a time when people’s anxiety was fever-pitch. I called two other companies, and neither tried that practice. I booked one, and they had my AC fixed in 20 minutes.

Avoid losing customers by stopping poor experiences that stem from indifferent attitudes and practices that create friction. Managers should be a part of the solution, not the problem.

Consultant, professional speaker and author Mark Holmes is president of Springfield-based Consultant Board Inc. and MarkHolmesGroup.com. He can be reached at mark@markholmesgroup.com.