I went to renew my drivers’ license this past Saturday and felt like I had just steeped through the looking glass.
When I do my training classes on customer service, I ask attendees “What state government agency is universally hated in every state?” The answer I get most often is Department of Motor Vehicles. So Saturday after four years of avoiding going to the DMV I had no choice. It was close to the end of the month and it was a Saturday. The worst possible time to renew, but I had no choice; my license was going to expire on Sunday. Reluctantly I went and I was prepared for the worst.
As I pulled up to the main DMV office – the only one open on the weekend, I saw empty parking spaces. My first thought was that the DMV was now closing early in response to budget cuts. I even started to drive past the DMV when I noticed a couple of people walk in the door. I was shocked. Things looked strange and were getting stranger. It was almost as if I had seen a fully dressed white rabbit walking through the doors of the DMV.
I made a questionably legal U-Turn right into the parking lot to chase the rabbit and hoping no one saw that maneuver moved quickly inside the building to get lost in the crowd. As I dropped down the rabbit hole, I thought “Uh oh! Not a big enough crowd to get lost in.”
A Highway patrolman walked in the door. Was he looking for me? Like the Mad Hatter, I put my hat on, and pulled the brim down low in an effort to blend in as I joined the line to be screened.
In the DMV here, you have to be screened to move to the next level of bureaucracy. The process reminds me of the “tea party” where nothing makes sense. You have to stand in line to get permission to stand in line.
I quickly moved up in line until I was before one of the “screeners.” These are people who make sure you have all the right documentation BEFORE you get in the REAL line. In the past this line would have taken me 35 to 45 minutes on a good day. A good day would have meant being in the parking lot ten minutes before the door opens on a Wednesday in the second week of the month. On a Saturday towards the end of the month this line alone would have been a good hour plus wait.
But this line moved. It moved so fast, I couldn’t read my book because the people behind me kept telling me “the line moved.” I moved through the screen line in 13 minutes.
The attitude of the screener was different. In the past they would just hold out their hand to receive your paperwork, look at it and give you a number. You hoped they didn’t send you back home chasing some obscure piece of paper.
After receiving a service number, you would have to go and sit and wait for your number to be called. This time smiling like the Cheshire cat she greeted me, and after looking at my paperwork, called me by name and told me the renewal line was moving pretty fast and they would have me out pretty soon. Of course, though shocked she even talked to me, I didn’t believe her.
Once I got my number, I looked at the Call Board and saw there were 42 people ahead of me. Now this was more like the DMV I remembered. I sat down and started reading. I had been reading only about ten minutes when I looked up as saw there were only three people ahead of me. My first impulse was to look and see if my watch had stopped – no DMV line moves this fast. In the time it took me to check my watch and look up at the board again – MY number was up.
I looked at my watch. “Curiouser and curiouser!” I thought to myself. This can’t be real I must be dreaming because I had spent only 11 minutes waiting.
I went to the window, reviewed all my information, and paid and was told to go to the photo window. Four minutes after my number was up, I was on my way to the photo window. What happened next shocked me even more.
The clerk took my picture and then told me she thought it didn’t look good and asked my opinion of it. My head was spinning. Did I hear her right? It didn’t look good and she wanted my opinion? I thought they were trained to take bad pictures. I looked and agreed it was lousy.
Then just when you think things can’t get more shocking they do…she retook my picture FOUR TIMES until she got one we both agreed was good. Five minutes later I was walking out with a new drivers license.
I came in expecting a two to three hour exercise and walked out in a little over thirty minutes. Something had changed. What happened? The place was quiet. No one was stressed. People seemed happy. There were only two possibilities here. The first was this was the site of the first Stepford DMV operation. The second possibility was massive use of recreational drugs.
The is a third possibility that was so far fetched I didn’t even consider it until them: something has changed in the way the government does business.
It is a crazy world. Black is white. Bad is good. Corporations are now reviled for poor customer service and the DMV is the paragon of perfect customer service.
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Customer Service. Show all posts
Monday, October 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
The First Cut is the Deepest
My car caught fire today and burned into my mind a lesson every storeowner needs to know about the most powerful advertising campaign ever created: Word of Mouth (W-O-M).
I was having yet another problem with my satellite Internet service and was being dragged through the depths of hell (see previous post: An Eternity in Hell) once again. I needed a break, an excuse to go to town, a cup of coffee and Internet access – all in that order.
So I shut down operations for the rest of the day. I drove to town, got a cup of coffee, sat with a few people and righted the wrongs of the world, and then used the free wireless Internet access to do my email routine for the day.
As I was leaving I heard something pop under my car and pulled over to see what happened. As I stepped out of the car I saw flames coming out of the left front wheel well. My power steering hose ruptured and set my car on fire. I hung up on a friend explaining, “Car’s on fire, gotta go.” Reached into the car popped the hood and grabbed my large coffee and put out the fire.
Coffee: the Swiss Army Knife of consumable beverages. Don’t drive without it.
Once the fire was out, I was able to crawl under the car and figure out what happened. So I went back into the coffee shop to get a refill while I waited for a tow truck. I explained to the girl behind the counter I needed a refill because I had to use the coffee to put out the fire. The clerk was wondering if they should charge extra for that as she refilled my cup.
But what happened next was the most interesting thing; everyone in the coffee shop began debating where I should take the car. Recommendations and horror stories about the different auto repair shops in town were coming at me from all directions.
I wish I had a tape recorder going. It would have been very good for the owners of the different auto repair shops to hear the unsolicited stories that were being told about their businesses today. In the end, I was very strongly influenced by the discussion on where I would have my car towed. I picked the shop that had the most champions, telling the most positive stories based on their experiences.
The tile of this post, “The First Cut is the Deepest” is the title of a song by Rod Stewart about how deep and wonderful or how deep and painful love can be. It is appropriate in this case, because it explains how deep the love/hate customer experience can go.
In my sales training I teach salespeople to look beyond one customer to the entire circle of influence. What you do and say to one customer will be heard and experienced by many. Many you will never hear from if for the one, the First Cut is a bad experience. This is the power of W-O-M advertising.
Word-of-mouth advertising is the most powerful form of marketing in the world today. It is something that can make or break a business. It is so powerful that Madison Avenue is trying to figure ways to duplicate or ways to control a W-O-M campaign’s power.
W-O-M is either the cheapest or most expensive form of marketing depending on how you treat your customers. Most frustrating for owners is the fact it is totally out of their direct control, or so they think. The real truth is the fact it is totally under your control because it is dependent on how good or bad you treat your customers.
No advertising campaign in the world will be able to move me the way the W-O-M campaign in the coffee shop did today. It moved me because there was a high level of authenticity in their stories. Because it happened to them the stories were told with authority, passion and emotion.
The W-O-M campaign has a dual effect. Just as it made them the shop of my choice, it has also made me a better customer for them. I have high expectations for a satisfactory outcome from my visit there because I got a number of powerful stories of personal experience told with passion.
Even though I have never been to the shop before this, I have a high level of trust in these guys, because they are trusted by people I trust and respect. I am more likely to believe what they tell me about the problems and accept without question their recommendation because of the unsolicited testimonials.
Just as the power of the positive recommendations is true, so is the power of negative recommendations as indicated by the previous post “Fade to Black.” There are a couple of auto repair shops that spend a lot of money advertising that were only briefly considered, but fell out of competition, dragged down by the weight of the negative W-O-M stories.
The W-O-M recommendations have higher credibility with me than the slickest ad because the stories were unsolicited. Instead of having a paid actor in a paid ad, saying what he is paid to say, by the guy who owns the business and has vested interest in convincing you to come to his place of business; I had before me people who went to the businesses and are sharing their experiences and the results of their decision.
I’m not saying all the positive W-O-M stories had positive outcomes. They just had positive experiences. In fact the story that impressed me most about the shop I had my car towed to was about a botched repair:
A repair that took two days instead of the forecasted four hours.
A mechanic who admitted he made a mistake and what he thought was wrong with the car wasn’t.
An offer to pay for one day of a car rental so he could fix the right thing without further inconveniencing his customer.
Here was a mechanic who gets it. He knew that giving good customer service was going to pay off many times over the cost of the car rental and it has. Seven people heard this story told with pride and passion and one of them had his car towed to the shop based on that story. I am sure that if any of the others in the coffee shop yesterday afternoon have need of auto service or repairs, this shop is going to get the first chance at their business too.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Aloha to an Old Friend
I got bad news yesterday. I heard through the grapevine my favorite bar and grill was sold, and rumor has it turning into a martini bar.
It was a place I have been going to off and on for about twenty-six years. Even though I now live on the mainland, I still managed to get back a number of times over the years. Going back was like going home. I still remember the first time I went there as if it happened yesterday.
I had just come off of a very long and very bad sailing trip from Kona to Honolulu. We had a fast boat and would be sailing with the trades, so the trip back usually took us about eighteen to twenty hours. For a short trip like that all we took with us in the way of supplies was a large thermos of Kona coffee (of course), cooler full of beer and soft drinks, a dozen submarine sandwiches, a few bags of potato chips and a couple of platters of assorted sushi rolls.
God has a sense of humor and he showed it on this trip. We left in the early afternoon to make landfall in Honolulu around lunchtime. About midnight, halfway to Honolulu we were becalmed on a sailboat with a dead engine. We drifted in the channel for three days in the one spot in Hawaiian waters totally devoid of any other boat traffic. Stubborn pride kept us off the VHF radio.
We ran out of food before we ran out of wind, so we never had a chance to ration out the food. We ran out of beer and soft drinks the first day of drifting, because we never in our wildest dreams thought the calm would last beyond the next morning. For the next two days we were reduced to rationing out melted ice for drinking water.
As people who are starving to death while dying of thirst with absolutely nothing to do are prone to do, we spent the next two days discussing in great detail our favorite foods and drinks and the meal we would order if we survived this ordeal. As the hours pasted we continued torturing ourselves with descriptions of food and delicacies beyond our reach and pocket book.
At three in the morning on the third day we were awakened by the sound of sails flapping in the wind. The trade winds returned. We flew out of deep sleep into action as we trimmed the sails and set course for Honolulu. The trades were strong and we hung out every bit of rag we could to crank every bit of speed out of the boat.
As we sailed towards home a debate began, “Where should we go to eat?” For the next seven hours each person submitted a name and a description of the food in detail as they pleaded their case for their favorite restaurant. We all finally agreed on a place, but the process was brutal. It made us even hungrier.
I have to admit, the selected restaurant was not my choice. There were many other names submitted that offered better fare, more substantial fare, more diverse fare, or cheaper fare. The winner was selected based for one reason: It was close to the harbor.
Feast of Feasts! The waitress looked at us as we entered. We looked bad, and I‘m sure we were a tad on the ripe side. I was sure her first thought was going to be to call the police. But she was a pro and had dealt with her share of castaways. She lead us to a table and without even asking brought pitchers of ice water and glasses with ice cubes and lemon slices in them. It tasted wonderful. As we drank water she brought out baskets of fresh baked bread – one basket per person.
People at the surrounding tables who have often wondered what a pack of hyenas sounded like when devouring a fresh kill learned that morning.
Our waitress was Lani. After leaving the baskets she gave us a little time to recover our dignity before she came to the table to take our orders. She handled with kid gloves to the point we didn’t even know we were being handled. She got us to calm down. She corrected our manners. She got us to use our “polite voices.” She helped us work our way through menus that overwhelmed us with choices, and served us nirvana on a platter. She went out of her way to make our meal memorable and it was. At that moment life was perfect.
The owner came over and introduced himself. I am sure that he was just coming to check to see if this was going to get out of hand. We assured him that Lani had us under control because she did. My friends and I adopted the place. It became our sanctuary…our version of “Cheers.” I probably ate at least five to ten meals a week there for years until I got married. Although the other waitresses were as good as Lani, I always tried to get into her section.
One day I was having coffee with the owner and pointed out that from my perspective, the girls ran the place. I was surprised when he confirmed it to me. “I was just damned lucky they decided to keep me.”
He told me that he learned the secret to running a very successful bar and grill from another very successful owner. “Hire good people, give them all the support they need, and stay the hell out of their way.”
Lani was the epitome of his declaration. She made that first meal there very memorable. Over time she showed me the power serving with sincerity could have on other people. She led a team every bit as devoted to caring for the customers as she was. Twenty-six years was a good run in food service. She is the gold standard by which I gauge restaurant service to this day.
I have said my Alohas to an old friend this day. It was my home away from home, and the people who worked there were my friends. It was like the theme song for the television show “Cheers;” it was a place where everybody knew my name. In this increasingly impersonal world there are not many places like that left.
I’ve come to terms with the fact that my old hangout is gone. It will soon to be replaced by a new generation’s version of “Cheers.” I only hope the new owner has enough sense to “Hire good people, give them all the support they need, and stay the hell out of their way.”
It was a place I have been going to off and on for about twenty-six years. Even though I now live on the mainland, I still managed to get back a number of times over the years. Going back was like going home. I still remember the first time I went there as if it happened yesterday.
I had just come off of a very long and very bad sailing trip from Kona to Honolulu. We had a fast boat and would be sailing with the trades, so the trip back usually took us about eighteen to twenty hours. For a short trip like that all we took with us in the way of supplies was a large thermos of Kona coffee (of course), cooler full of beer and soft drinks, a dozen submarine sandwiches, a few bags of potato chips and a couple of platters of assorted sushi rolls.
God has a sense of humor and he showed it on this trip. We left in the early afternoon to make landfall in Honolulu around lunchtime. About midnight, halfway to Honolulu we were becalmed on a sailboat with a dead engine. We drifted in the channel for three days in the one spot in Hawaiian waters totally devoid of any other boat traffic. Stubborn pride kept us off the VHF radio.
We ran out of food before we ran out of wind, so we never had a chance to ration out the food. We ran out of beer and soft drinks the first day of drifting, because we never in our wildest dreams thought the calm would last beyond the next morning. For the next two days we were reduced to rationing out melted ice for drinking water.
As people who are starving to death while dying of thirst with absolutely nothing to do are prone to do, we spent the next two days discussing in great detail our favorite foods and drinks and the meal we would order if we survived this ordeal. As the hours pasted we continued torturing ourselves with descriptions of food and delicacies beyond our reach and pocket book.
At three in the morning on the third day we were awakened by the sound of sails flapping in the wind. The trade winds returned. We flew out of deep sleep into action as we trimmed the sails and set course for Honolulu. The trades were strong and we hung out every bit of rag we could to crank every bit of speed out of the boat.
As we sailed towards home a debate began, “Where should we go to eat?” For the next seven hours each person submitted a name and a description of the food in detail as they pleaded their case for their favorite restaurant. We all finally agreed on a place, but the process was brutal. It made us even hungrier.
I have to admit, the selected restaurant was not my choice. There were many other names submitted that offered better fare, more substantial fare, more diverse fare, or cheaper fare. The winner was selected based for one reason: It was close to the harbor.
Feast of Feasts! The waitress looked at us as we entered. We looked bad, and I‘m sure we were a tad on the ripe side. I was sure her first thought was going to be to call the police. But she was a pro and had dealt with her share of castaways. She lead us to a table and without even asking brought pitchers of ice water and glasses with ice cubes and lemon slices in them. It tasted wonderful. As we drank water she brought out baskets of fresh baked bread – one basket per person.
People at the surrounding tables who have often wondered what a pack of hyenas sounded like when devouring a fresh kill learned that morning.
Our waitress was Lani. After leaving the baskets she gave us a little time to recover our dignity before she came to the table to take our orders. She handled with kid gloves to the point we didn’t even know we were being handled. She got us to calm down. She corrected our manners. She got us to use our “polite voices.” She helped us work our way through menus that overwhelmed us with choices, and served us nirvana on a platter. She went out of her way to make our meal memorable and it was. At that moment life was perfect.
The owner came over and introduced himself. I am sure that he was just coming to check to see if this was going to get out of hand. We assured him that Lani had us under control because she did. My friends and I adopted the place. It became our sanctuary…our version of “Cheers.” I probably ate at least five to ten meals a week there for years until I got married. Although the other waitresses were as good as Lani, I always tried to get into her section.
One day I was having coffee with the owner and pointed out that from my perspective, the girls ran the place. I was surprised when he confirmed it to me. “I was just damned lucky they decided to keep me.”
He told me that he learned the secret to running a very successful bar and grill from another very successful owner. “Hire good people, give them all the support they need, and stay the hell out of their way.”
Lani was the epitome of his declaration. She made that first meal there very memorable. Over time she showed me the power serving with sincerity could have on other people. She led a team every bit as devoted to caring for the customers as she was. Twenty-six years was a good run in food service. She is the gold standard by which I gauge restaurant service to this day.
I have said my Alohas to an old friend this day. It was my home away from home, and the people who worked there were my friends. It was like the theme song for the television show “Cheers;” it was a place where everybody knew my name. In this increasingly impersonal world there are not many places like that left.
I’ve come to terms with the fact that my old hangout is gone. It will soon to be replaced by a new generation’s version of “Cheers.” I only hope the new owner has enough sense to “Hire good people, give them all the support they need, and stay the hell out of their way.”
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Fade to Black
I am watching the retail auto industry with great fascination. It reminds me of the title of a book by Kurt Vonnegut: “Slaughter House Five: A Duty Dance with Death.” Based on what I saw happen last year and again this year, the US automakers are dancing as fast as they can.
The current “death dance” began in earnest the summer of 2005 when the Big Three all launched marketing campaigns pushing price discounts to drive sales. The “Employee Discount” program launched by General Motors was quickly followed with similar programs launched by Ford and Chrysler. The Big Three spent millions of dollars advertising their discount programs and unit sales increased dramatically. By the end of the summer all three companies succeeded in their goal to increase the number of units sold. They all set new volume records.
By the end of the year all three companies were in deep financial trouble and the business news stories were full of “bankruptcy” predictions. By the second quarter of 2006 GM was giving employees up to six figures to quit. Ford was laying off 30,000 to 45,000 people; closing factories and shifting a lot of manufacturing to other countries. This year looks like it is going to be a more vigorous dance than last year based on the ad campaigns for summer of 2006.
On the other hand, the foreign manufacturers didn’t play the discount game and saw a bigger increase in sales than the Big Three during the summer. More importantly, their increased sales were at full retail pricing. Toyota is now the Number two retailer jumping over Ford and their stock value is ten times that of GM. Nissan is talking about buying up to 25% of GM. Honda made so much money they don’t know what to do with it all so they are branching out in airplane manufacturing.
Why didn’t sales fall for the foreign manufacturers in the face of such a massive discount sale by the Big Three? The foreign manufacturers knew something that the Big Three didn’t know. They knew today’s car buyers are now more focused on the process of buying a car than they are on the price of the car.
It doesn’t mean that price was unimportant – it just means price wasn’t the primary decision factor for most of their buyers.
I got off on this whole car-buying tangent because I just noticed that one of the local car dealers is the latest “Death Dancer.” He has just finished his “LIQUIDATION SALE.” The doors have closed and rumor has it the site will soon be turned into another pharmacy to match the ones on the other three corners.
I never bought a vehicle from my local car dealer. Having heard horror stories from those who did caused me to stay away. I mention this because apparently there were enough horror stories out there enough people went out of their way and bought cars in Reno (86 miles east) or Sacramento (79 miles west) rather than shop at the local dealer.
Although I never shopped there, I did go there on several occasions and it was easy for me to see what the problem was: “conflictive staffing.” It’s a new term and you read it here first. I use it to describe the conflict between the sales staff profile and customer demographic profile. In other words you had an older (baby boomer) customer base that never really clicked with the 20 something salespeople.
This area has an older population. According to Walgreen’s who purchased the site, they have been looking to move into this area for a while because 33% of the area’s population is 55 years or older (That explains why we will soon have a major pharmacy center on all four corners.) compared to 9% for the state of California as a whole.
Say what you want about the baby boomer generation, but as a retailer there is one thing you need to know, we have money, and we want respect. If not for ourselves, at least for our money.One thing I know that minimizes the enjoyment I get while shopping is the generational conflict. I am older; most of the salespeople I encounter are younger. Being younger is not a crime, unless they are in management positions in retail operations…and untrained.
Shopping is a feast of the senses. The more senses I (and other shoppers) engage, the better the experience and the more likely I (we) will buy. Realtors have been all over this for a while. I don’t think there is a home showing anywhere without the obligatory smell of fresh bread or cookies in the kitchen to engage the sense of smell. There also always seems to be fresh cut flowers on the table or in the living room while Yanni plays on the stereo engage the sense of hearing. Realtors are very careful to engage and pace themselves with the demographic profile of their customer. Too bad that doesn’t happen often in retail.
I went into a furniture store last week, and the music (and I can’t believe I am actually going to say something my father once told me) playing in the store was anything but music…to me. The music must have sounded good to the salespeople who were kind of moving to the beat (?) as they walked around in the store (mostly by themselves) but it drove me out of the store. It wasn’t just this store.
A week ago when a business trip got extended, I went into a men’s clothing store to buy shirts. The store was empty save for two young salespeople. One was on the computer. The other was on her cell phone. Both were too busy to help me. The music gave me a headache. Young, untrained salespeople badly managed, is the reason why car dealers, and many other retail stores are doing the “duty dance with death.”
Not feeling very appreciated is one thing. Not having my wallet appreciated is the opening bar of music calling more dancers to the floor. So I was treated in this clothing store pretty much the way friends of mine were treated in the now defunct dealership. Badly! So my wallet and I left, and since I’ve yet to learn to buy clothes over the Internet, I went to the mall. That is why all the strip malls have the same cookie cutter stores in mall after mall after mall. They are bland and boring, but least you have an idea what to expect.
It doesn’t take much to avoid joining the other "death dancers" on the conga line. If you are going to hire young salespeople train them. Train them to pay attention to customers. Train them to respect customers. Train them to serve customers. That’s all it takes to get me to shop in your store.
The current “death dance” began in earnest the summer of 2005 when the Big Three all launched marketing campaigns pushing price discounts to drive sales. The “Employee Discount” program launched by General Motors was quickly followed with similar programs launched by Ford and Chrysler. The Big Three spent millions of dollars advertising their discount programs and unit sales increased dramatically. By the end of the summer all three companies succeeded in their goal to increase the number of units sold. They all set new volume records.
By the end of the year all three companies were in deep financial trouble and the business news stories were full of “bankruptcy” predictions. By the second quarter of 2006 GM was giving employees up to six figures to quit. Ford was laying off 30,000 to 45,000 people; closing factories and shifting a lot of manufacturing to other countries. This year looks like it is going to be a more vigorous dance than last year based on the ad campaigns for summer of 2006.
On the other hand, the foreign manufacturers didn’t play the discount game and saw a bigger increase in sales than the Big Three during the summer. More importantly, their increased sales were at full retail pricing. Toyota is now the Number two retailer jumping over Ford and their stock value is ten times that of GM. Nissan is talking about buying up to 25% of GM. Honda made so much money they don’t know what to do with it all so they are branching out in airplane manufacturing.
Why didn’t sales fall for the foreign manufacturers in the face of such a massive discount sale by the Big Three? The foreign manufacturers knew something that the Big Three didn’t know. They knew today’s car buyers are now more focused on the process of buying a car than they are on the price of the car.
It doesn’t mean that price was unimportant – it just means price wasn’t the primary decision factor for most of their buyers.
I got off on this whole car-buying tangent because I just noticed that one of the local car dealers is the latest “Death Dancer.” He has just finished his “LIQUIDATION SALE.” The doors have closed and rumor has it the site will soon be turned into another pharmacy to match the ones on the other three corners.
I never bought a vehicle from my local car dealer. Having heard horror stories from those who did caused me to stay away. I mention this because apparently there were enough horror stories out there enough people went out of their way and bought cars in Reno (86 miles east) or Sacramento (79 miles west) rather than shop at the local dealer.
Although I never shopped there, I did go there on several occasions and it was easy for me to see what the problem was: “conflictive staffing.” It’s a new term and you read it here first. I use it to describe the conflict between the sales staff profile and customer demographic profile. In other words you had an older (baby boomer) customer base that never really clicked with the 20 something salespeople.
This area has an older population. According to Walgreen’s who purchased the site, they have been looking to move into this area for a while because 33% of the area’s population is 55 years or older (That explains why we will soon have a major pharmacy center on all four corners.) compared to 9% for the state of California as a whole.
Say what you want about the baby boomer generation, but as a retailer there is one thing you need to know, we have money, and we want respect. If not for ourselves, at least for our money.One thing I know that minimizes the enjoyment I get while shopping is the generational conflict. I am older; most of the salespeople I encounter are younger. Being younger is not a crime, unless they are in management positions in retail operations…and untrained.
Shopping is a feast of the senses. The more senses I (and other shoppers) engage, the better the experience and the more likely I (we) will buy. Realtors have been all over this for a while. I don’t think there is a home showing anywhere without the obligatory smell of fresh bread or cookies in the kitchen to engage the sense of smell. There also always seems to be fresh cut flowers on the table or in the living room while Yanni plays on the stereo engage the sense of hearing. Realtors are very careful to engage and pace themselves with the demographic profile of their customer. Too bad that doesn’t happen often in retail.
I went into a furniture store last week, and the music (and I can’t believe I am actually going to say something my father once told me) playing in the store was anything but music…to me. The music must have sounded good to the salespeople who were kind of moving to the beat (?) as they walked around in the store (mostly by themselves) but it drove me out of the store. It wasn’t just this store.
A week ago when a business trip got extended, I went into a men’s clothing store to buy shirts. The store was empty save for two young salespeople. One was on the computer. The other was on her cell phone. Both were too busy to help me. The music gave me a headache. Young, untrained salespeople badly managed, is the reason why car dealers, and many other retail stores are doing the “duty dance with death.”
Not feeling very appreciated is one thing. Not having my wallet appreciated is the opening bar of music calling more dancers to the floor. So I was treated in this clothing store pretty much the way friends of mine were treated in the now defunct dealership. Badly! So my wallet and I left, and since I’ve yet to learn to buy clothes over the Internet, I went to the mall. That is why all the strip malls have the same cookie cutter stores in mall after mall after mall. They are bland and boring, but least you have an idea what to expect.
It doesn’t take much to avoid joining the other "death dancers" on the conga line. If you are going to hire young salespeople train them. Train them to pay attention to customers. Train them to respect customers. Train them to serve customers. That’s all it takes to get me to shop in your store.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Another One Bites the Dust
Just when you think things couldn’t get any more bizarre in the retail world, they do. If I didn’t know any better, I would think there was a workshop out there for owners and managers on “100 Ways to Abuse Customers.” If a workshop like this existed, it would have been led by Orin Scrivello, the Dentist played by Steve Martin in the movie “The Little Shop of Horrors.”
Yesterday I was heading home from a business trip. I was near the end of a four-hour drive, when I pulled into town and I needed to use the restroom. I also wanted to pick up a couple of movies, so I stopped at the video store thinking I’d kill two birds with one stone. I walked in and went first to the restroom but the door was locked.
Thinking someone was in there a I waited for a few minutes, and then I noticed a sign taped to the wall about two feet from the door that read: “Ask for key at counter.” In my mind I was wondering why they didn’t put the sign on the door as I went to the counter to ask for the key.
After waiting in line for about five minutes while the clerk checked out two people ahead of me, I finally got to the head of the line and asked for the key. The clerk got a very annoyed look on his face, picked up the phone and called for someone to cover the counter for him. While waiting for his replacement the clerk told me he would open the door for me. Before I could ask, “Why not just give me the key?” his replacement arrived and he led the way back to the restroom. Along the way, he explained that he has to escort me; “company policy.”
Once we got there he knocked loudly on the door, and in a voice that everyone in the store and the next two stores could hear asked, “Is anybody in there?” After waiting about ten seconds he knocked again with all the subtly of a drummer in a marching band. Receiving no answer, he opened the door and walked in.
I was stunned because now I had to wait again. If I had gone to the gas station instead of the video store, I’d have filled the tank, got a newspaper and been half way home by now. But before I could leave out of frustration, he came out and in a booming voice announced, “I have to inspect it before I can let you in.”
After I finished in the restroom, I asked to see the manager. I wanted to let her know what I thought about the new policy. Unfortunately the store was short staffed and the manager was manning a check out window and there was another line in front of her and the last thing I wanted to do was to stand in another line I this store. So I wasted my time, didn’t get any movies and left.
My philosophy is that life is too short to suffer situations I don’t like. So I will make changes. I have heard about Netflix from a number of my friends. Up to now I haven’t looked into it, but I will right now.
I just got back from Netflix. I have very high expectations because it was easier than I thought it was going to be. Much more affordable than renting videos, and a bonus for me...NO LATE FEES. I think I am going to like this service a lot. I have completed my list and my first videos are on the way. And no public humiliation required.
What did this one episode of bad customer service cost the business? A lot.
I am not a very heavy user of movie rentals compared to a lot of people I know, but I rent two or three videos a week or between one hundred thirty and one hundred and seventy videos a year. My circle of immediate family and friends do about the same or more. Some a lot more. I know that once I start receiving my movies a lot of my friends and family are going to try it if for no other reason to avoid late fees.
Will my defection from the local movie rental to net movie rental be the triggering event in their demise? I doubt it. But my defection is going to have an impact on them once the ripple effect kicks in and the members of my circle of influence start to recommending the service to their circle of influence and the number of movies being mailed to our town escalates at a geometric rate. This has happened in our town in the past as Internet book buying helped cause several book stores in town to close.
Bad customer service at local stores (and the new customer service policy on "restroom access" at this store is a text book example) is the primary reason why the Internet Retail is growing at triple digit rates. Will this store survive the Internet? I don't know, and because of the way I was treated, I don't care.
Yesterday I was heading home from a business trip. I was near the end of a four-hour drive, when I pulled into town and I needed to use the restroom. I also wanted to pick up a couple of movies, so I stopped at the video store thinking I’d kill two birds with one stone. I walked in and went first to the restroom but the door was locked.
Thinking someone was in there a I waited for a few minutes, and then I noticed a sign taped to the wall about two feet from the door that read: “Ask for key at counter.” In my mind I was wondering why they didn’t put the sign on the door as I went to the counter to ask for the key.
After waiting in line for about five minutes while the clerk checked out two people ahead of me, I finally got to the head of the line and asked for the key. The clerk got a very annoyed look on his face, picked up the phone and called for someone to cover the counter for him. While waiting for his replacement the clerk told me he would open the door for me. Before I could ask, “Why not just give me the key?” his replacement arrived and he led the way back to the restroom. Along the way, he explained that he has to escort me; “company policy.”
Once we got there he knocked loudly on the door, and in a voice that everyone in the store and the next two stores could hear asked, “Is anybody in there?” After waiting about ten seconds he knocked again with all the subtly of a drummer in a marching band. Receiving no answer, he opened the door and walked in.
I was stunned because now I had to wait again. If I had gone to the gas station instead of the video store, I’d have filled the tank, got a newspaper and been half way home by now. But before I could leave out of frustration, he came out and in a booming voice announced, “I have to inspect it before I can let you in.”
After I finished in the restroom, I asked to see the manager. I wanted to let her know what I thought about the new policy. Unfortunately the store was short staffed and the manager was manning a check out window and there was another line in front of her and the last thing I wanted to do was to stand in another line I this store. So I wasted my time, didn’t get any movies and left.
My philosophy is that life is too short to suffer situations I don’t like. So I will make changes. I have heard about Netflix from a number of my friends. Up to now I haven’t looked into it, but I will right now.
I just got back from Netflix. I have very high expectations because it was easier than I thought it was going to be. Much more affordable than renting videos, and a bonus for me...NO LATE FEES. I think I am going to like this service a lot. I have completed my list and my first videos are on the way. And no public humiliation required.
What did this one episode of bad customer service cost the business? A lot.
I am not a very heavy user of movie rentals compared to a lot of people I know, but I rent two or three videos a week or between one hundred thirty and one hundred and seventy videos a year. My circle of immediate family and friends do about the same or more. Some a lot more. I know that once I start receiving my movies a lot of my friends and family are going to try it if for no other reason to avoid late fees.
Will my defection from the local movie rental to net movie rental be the triggering event in their demise? I doubt it. But my defection is going to have an impact on them once the ripple effect kicks in and the members of my circle of influence start to recommending the service to their circle of influence and the number of movies being mailed to our town escalates at a geometric rate. This has happened in our town in the past as Internet book buying helped cause several book stores in town to close.
Bad customer service at local stores (and the new customer service policy on "restroom access" at this store is a text book example) is the primary reason why the Internet Retail is growing at triple digit rates. Will this store survive the Internet? I don't know, and because of the way I was treated, I don't care.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
An Eternity In Hell
I have satellite Internet access, and I had a problem today. Three out of five lights were glowing green, one was blinking green and one was yellow. Not a good sign. So I called tech support, which I dread, for no other reason than it is in India. I always seem to have a difficult time explaining my problems due to language and cultural barriers.
Solving the problem takes being transferred up three to four levels of support and telling the whole story over again to someone who barely has a grasp on the American version of the English language. As a result it usually takes a very long time to get problems resolved.
Today, something was different. Instead of being routed to India, I was now the customer of a different company. It seems the company I have for access has been sold to another company. Maybe, things would be faster and smoother I thought. My hopes were immediately dashed by a welcoming message on the phone system that ran for 45 seconds. And once we got past the welcoming message, the menu had so many choices and options that by the time the choices were all listed, I had to hit star to repeat the menu to remember the one that I needed. Once I selected tech support option for my satellite receiver I was put on hold.
I was on hold a long time listening to the same 45 second message extolling the virtues of my new service provider followed by the first sign of what I can call an electronic torture session: “Please remain on the line, calls are answered in the order they are received.” After which I got to listen to the virtues of my new service provider…again and again and again. Each repeat of the message was beginning to feel like being lashed by a bullwhip.
This went on for about seven or eight minutes before I got the bright idea of counting how many times I was lashed with the whip… I mean how many times I had to listen to the message. After nine more lashes, I began to try all my tricks to get past the automated system, and no matter what I tried, I kept getting “That is not a valid selection.” And the lashing…I mean the message would start over.
After a while it gets past the point of frustration and borders on the stupid. I sat here on hold listening to the same message over and over again for nearly an hour. This is where the stupid part comes in. I am justifying sitting here being tortured; by thinking I have been here on hold so long I must be getting to the top of the queue. As I have that thought, the demons inside the phone system laughed so hard they start to choke.
After an hour and fifteen minutes, the repetition of the message started doing strange things to me. I became paranoid. I knew that some how they knew I had been waiting a long time and they were waiting for the right moment to dump my call. I needed to go to the bathroom, but knew the moment I left someone would pick up my call and decide no one was there and hang up forcing me to start the process all over again…so I suffered. And by all indications, if I want high-speed access I will continue to suffer.
As a customer, I am being taken for granted and I know it. Proof of this the fact it is a reoccurring problem, and each time I call tech support it takes longer and longer to talk to a live tech. This is proof to me the company is spending money to get customers, but not spending enough to keep pace with the increases in customer service calls.
Sitting here uncomfortable and feeling stupid for sitting here this long letting them do this to me, I made a decision. I am going switch high-speed access providers. This was not an easy decision for me to make. I was a satisfied customer for a long time, but as the company grew, customer service shrank. I wonder how many others abandoned ship before I finally saw the water level rising. No wonder the company was sold.
During this opportunity I had to reflect on life, I had other calls coming in on my line, and instead of putting this line on hold to take other calls; I let them go through to voice mail. For all I know one of them could have been Ed McMahon calling to tell me I won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, but since I didn’t pick up they called some one else.
Frustrated beyond belief at going through this same problem every few months, I am about to abandon ship. I am no longer a loyal and patient customer. After I get my service back on line I am going to do research and the satellite provider with the best marks for both customer service and reliability are going to get my business.
Finally at one hour and twenty-one minutes I got a different message, “Your call is now being transferred.” and my hopes soared. I felt vindicated for having waited. I was elated about the fact my problem would soon be solved. Maybe the new company was going to be the answer to my prayers after all. I was over the top excited again because some one was about to take my call!
“Hello. I am Rajheed, but you may call me Steve.” I was back in hell.
Solving the problem takes being transferred up three to four levels of support and telling the whole story over again to someone who barely has a grasp on the American version of the English language. As a result it usually takes a very long time to get problems resolved.
Today, something was different. Instead of being routed to India, I was now the customer of a different company. It seems the company I have for access has been sold to another company. Maybe, things would be faster and smoother I thought. My hopes were immediately dashed by a welcoming message on the phone system that ran for 45 seconds. And once we got past the welcoming message, the menu had so many choices and options that by the time the choices were all listed, I had to hit star to repeat the menu to remember the one that I needed. Once I selected tech support option for my satellite receiver I was put on hold.
I was on hold a long time listening to the same 45 second message extolling the virtues of my new service provider followed by the first sign of what I can call an electronic torture session: “Please remain on the line, calls are answered in the order they are received.” After which I got to listen to the virtues of my new service provider…again and again and again. Each repeat of the message was beginning to feel like being lashed by a bullwhip.
This went on for about seven or eight minutes before I got the bright idea of counting how many times I was lashed with the whip… I mean how many times I had to listen to the message. After nine more lashes, I began to try all my tricks to get past the automated system, and no matter what I tried, I kept getting “That is not a valid selection.” And the lashing…I mean the message would start over.
After a while it gets past the point of frustration and borders on the stupid. I sat here on hold listening to the same message over and over again for nearly an hour. This is where the stupid part comes in. I am justifying sitting here being tortured; by thinking I have been here on hold so long I must be getting to the top of the queue. As I have that thought, the demons inside the phone system laughed so hard they start to choke.
After an hour and fifteen minutes, the repetition of the message started doing strange things to me. I became paranoid. I knew that some how they knew I had been waiting a long time and they were waiting for the right moment to dump my call. I needed to go to the bathroom, but knew the moment I left someone would pick up my call and decide no one was there and hang up forcing me to start the process all over again…so I suffered. And by all indications, if I want high-speed access I will continue to suffer.
As a customer, I am being taken for granted and I know it. Proof of this the fact it is a reoccurring problem, and each time I call tech support it takes longer and longer to talk to a live tech. This is proof to me the company is spending money to get customers, but not spending enough to keep pace with the increases in customer service calls.
Sitting here uncomfortable and feeling stupid for sitting here this long letting them do this to me, I made a decision. I am going switch high-speed access providers. This was not an easy decision for me to make. I was a satisfied customer for a long time, but as the company grew, customer service shrank. I wonder how many others abandoned ship before I finally saw the water level rising. No wonder the company was sold.
During this opportunity I had to reflect on life, I had other calls coming in on my line, and instead of putting this line on hold to take other calls; I let them go through to voice mail. For all I know one of them could have been Ed McMahon calling to tell me I won the Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstakes, but since I didn’t pick up they called some one else.
Frustrated beyond belief at going through this same problem every few months, I am about to abandon ship. I am no longer a loyal and patient customer. After I get my service back on line I am going to do research and the satellite provider with the best marks for both customer service and reliability are going to get my business.
Finally at one hour and twenty-one minutes I got a different message, “Your call is now being transferred.” and my hopes soared. I felt vindicated for having waited. I was elated about the fact my problem would soon be solved. Maybe the new company was going to be the answer to my prayers after all. I was over the top excited again because some one was about to take my call!
“Hello. I am Rajheed, but you may call me Steve.” I was back in hell.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Another Inconvenient Truth
Today I went to see “A Inconvenient Truth” at a local movie theater. The movie was great, but the experience was horrible. The theater has a very unfriendly customer service policy: “Box Office will open 15 minutes before show start time.” It is a bad enough policy to begin with and circumstances conspired to make it worse.
It was ironic that we were going to see a movie about “Global Warming” on one of the hottest July days on record. It was 106 degrees in downtown at 12:35 pm. We still had ten-minutes before the box office would open and there were about twenty “baby boomers” all waiting to get in the theater.
Several people tried to get the attention of the teenagers inside the “air conditioned” theater lobby, but they ignored all attempts at communication as they chatted with one another.
At 12:45 pm, several people began knocking on the door to remind the teenagers that it was time to open up the doors and ticket window, but they were involved in a very intense conversation and couldn’t be bothered to open the door. By now the group of people waiting to get into the theater had swelled to about 50+. The line at the ticket booth extended out from under the awning into the bright and very hot sunlight.
By 12:50 pm, people were knocking on the door, and the teenagers finally began to move to their positions. By then about a third of the group left to go see the movie at a theater in a bigger town with a cinema multiplex 25 miles away.
At 12:55 pm an angry crowd began to enter, with most people bypassing the popcorn counter because:
1) They were angry with the teenagers, and
2) They didn’t have enough time to buy anything before the movie would start.
Now it is time for “Another Inconvenient Truth” for all business owners based on what happened here today. The way you treat your customers tells more about the long-term survivability of your business than any balance sheet ever will and your prospects aren’t good.
The movie theater didn’t sell as many tickets as it could have and should have for two reasons. The first was their minimalist approach to customer service: “Box Office will open 15 minutes before show start time.” I would love to learn the thinking behind a policy designed to minimize the amount of money a company can take in, while maximizing the amount of bad will generated with customers.
The second reason was the attitude of their staff. The staff was more concerned about talking with each other, than they were in serving the customers. I haven’t been to the theater in over a year. I don’t think I will ever go back after this experience.
It was ironic that we were going to see a movie about “Global Warming” on one of the hottest July days on record. It was 106 degrees in downtown at 12:35 pm. We still had ten-minutes before the box office would open and there were about twenty “baby boomers” all waiting to get in the theater.
Several people tried to get the attention of the teenagers inside the “air conditioned” theater lobby, but they ignored all attempts at communication as they chatted with one another.
At 12:45 pm, several people began knocking on the door to remind the teenagers that it was time to open up the doors and ticket window, but they were involved in a very intense conversation and couldn’t be bothered to open the door. By now the group of people waiting to get into the theater had swelled to about 50+. The line at the ticket booth extended out from under the awning into the bright and very hot sunlight.
By 12:50 pm, people were knocking on the door, and the teenagers finally began to move to their positions. By then about a third of the group left to go see the movie at a theater in a bigger town with a cinema multiplex 25 miles away.
At 12:55 pm an angry crowd began to enter, with most people bypassing the popcorn counter because:
1) They were angry with the teenagers, and
2) They didn’t have enough time to buy anything before the movie would start.
Now it is time for “Another Inconvenient Truth” for all business owners based on what happened here today. The way you treat your customers tells more about the long-term survivability of your business than any balance sheet ever will and your prospects aren’t good.
The movie theater didn’t sell as many tickets as it could have and should have for two reasons. The first was their minimalist approach to customer service: “Box Office will open 15 minutes before show start time.” I would love to learn the thinking behind a policy designed to minimize the amount of money a company can take in, while maximizing the amount of bad will generated with customers.
The second reason was the attitude of their staff. The staff was more concerned about talking with each other, than they were in serving the customers. I haven’t been to the theater in over a year. I don’t think I will ever go back after this experience.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
What's Love Got to do With It?
I love dealing with local businesses. I had a good relationship with a copy/print house in town. My local copy store is a young business that is growing fast, and in doing so I think they are planting the seeds of their own destruction.
I walked in this afternoon with a copy and bind job that would have cost me about $400 dollars. It is a good-sized ticket in an operation that does mostly $2 - $5 dollar sales during the day - at least when I have been there.
Normally when I walk in I am greeted properly. I am given prompt and courteous attention. Things are done in such a smooth and professional manner I am usually out of there in ten to fifteen minutes feeling loved. For some, today did not go so smooth or professional and it took me almost an hour and I left empty handed and definitely not feeling loved.
It all started when my color laser printer died this morning while I was trying to print covers for some training manuals. Normally I go to my copy/bind shop and have them print the number of workbooks I need, and I supply the color cover copies. With my printer not working I decided to call and ask if they have the software program to print the workbook covers (something I’ve yet to have them do for me) and was put on hold.
After about five minutes I hung up and called back and before I could say anything I was informed “XYZ Copy & print. Please hold.” After another five minutes waiting, I hung up and called back again, and before I could utter a word was put on hold again.
A person smarter than me would not have driven 20 miles to the shop after that experience. But I am a loyal customer and justified what happened, thinking they were having a peak moment at the time I called. I don’t know why I thought they would be better to me in person than they were on the phone; but I wanted an excuse to go to town and see a movie and this was as good an excuse as any I would have today.
I walked in the door and knew that I had probably made a mistake. I saw only two familiar faces behind the counters with three new ones, and standing room only in front of the counter. The two familiar faces were on the phones obviously trying to straighten out problems. One of the unfamiliar ones was trying to figure out how to locate a job on the computer and not having much luck at it. The other two were trying to handle the crowd at the counter. It was getting uglier and the Owner was nowhere in sight.
I was tempted to leave and go kill some time at Starbucks before going to the movie, but I really needed to get these workbooks in the job queue today so they will have enough time to print, copy and bind them in time to be ready for shipping to a client tomorrow – so I stayed.
Thirty-five minutes I stood there ignored despite many attempts to get someone’s attention. It was the phone scenario all over again, this time in living color. About that time the owner walks in and looks at the chaos and starts walking around trying to get the logjams cleared to no avail.
After waiting for another fifteen minutes I decided that I had waited long enough, and it was getting closer to my movie start time. So I left feeling ignored and went to another copy/print shop. Her employees had driven me into the arms of another store.
In the beginning of this article I said I loved doing business in this shop, but when it comes to business “What’s love got to do with it?” (I’ve been waiting a long time to use that line – Thanks Tina!) Research into consumer behavior has shed some light on the reasons why customers stop patronizing a business:
1% of them have passed away.
3% of then have moved.
5% patronize establishments recommended by peers.
9% of them find cheaper alternatives.
14% of them are dissatisfied with the product.
68% never return due to an attitude of indifference by the staff.
These numbers reveal that 32% of customers never return for reasons beyond the control of storeowners, but 68% never return for reasons that storeowners can control.
What was the problem here today? It looked to me like the owner made a few desperation hires and threw them out on the floor with very little training. If we had been able to talk, I’m sure she would have told me that a few of her people moved to other jobs with very little notice.
On top of the resignations, she had increases in business and had to get the new people on the floor quickly to keep up with the traffic coming in the door and probably didn’t have time to train them. It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances and just bad for her business this happened. Because of today, I was driven into the arms of another copy center. Now I am torn between the two.
Our business relationship took a hit, but because I am a loyal shopper, I will give them another try, but it will be with a critical eye. In the end, I have to do what’s right because its business, not love.
I walked in this afternoon with a copy and bind job that would have cost me about $400 dollars. It is a good-sized ticket in an operation that does mostly $2 - $5 dollar sales during the day - at least when I have been there.
Normally when I walk in I am greeted properly. I am given prompt and courteous attention. Things are done in such a smooth and professional manner I am usually out of there in ten to fifteen minutes feeling loved. For some, today did not go so smooth or professional and it took me almost an hour and I left empty handed and definitely not feeling loved.
It all started when my color laser printer died this morning while I was trying to print covers for some training manuals. Normally I go to my copy/bind shop and have them print the number of workbooks I need, and I supply the color cover copies. With my printer not working I decided to call and ask if they have the software program to print the workbook covers (something I’ve yet to have them do for me) and was put on hold.
After about five minutes I hung up and called back and before I could say anything I was informed “XYZ Copy & print. Please hold.” After another five minutes waiting, I hung up and called back again, and before I could utter a word was put on hold again.
A person smarter than me would not have driven 20 miles to the shop after that experience. But I am a loyal customer and justified what happened, thinking they were having a peak moment at the time I called. I don’t know why I thought they would be better to me in person than they were on the phone; but I wanted an excuse to go to town and see a movie and this was as good an excuse as any I would have today.
I walked in the door and knew that I had probably made a mistake. I saw only two familiar faces behind the counters with three new ones, and standing room only in front of the counter. The two familiar faces were on the phones obviously trying to straighten out problems. One of the unfamiliar ones was trying to figure out how to locate a job on the computer and not having much luck at it. The other two were trying to handle the crowd at the counter. It was getting uglier and the Owner was nowhere in sight.
I was tempted to leave and go kill some time at Starbucks before going to the movie, but I really needed to get these workbooks in the job queue today so they will have enough time to print, copy and bind them in time to be ready for shipping to a client tomorrow – so I stayed.
Thirty-five minutes I stood there ignored despite many attempts to get someone’s attention. It was the phone scenario all over again, this time in living color. About that time the owner walks in and looks at the chaos and starts walking around trying to get the logjams cleared to no avail.
After waiting for another fifteen minutes I decided that I had waited long enough, and it was getting closer to my movie start time. So I left feeling ignored and went to another copy/print shop. Her employees had driven me into the arms of another store.
In the beginning of this article I said I loved doing business in this shop, but when it comes to business “What’s love got to do with it?” (I’ve been waiting a long time to use that line – Thanks Tina!) Research into consumer behavior has shed some light on the reasons why customers stop patronizing a business:
1% of them have passed away.
3% of then have moved.
5% patronize establishments recommended by peers.
9% of them find cheaper alternatives.
14% of them are dissatisfied with the product.
68% never return due to an attitude of indifference by the staff.
These numbers reveal that 32% of customers never return for reasons beyond the control of storeowners, but 68% never return for reasons that storeowners can control.
What was the problem here today? It looked to me like the owner made a few desperation hires and threw them out on the floor with very little training. If we had been able to talk, I’m sure she would have told me that a few of her people moved to other jobs with very little notice.
On top of the resignations, she had increases in business and had to get the new people on the floor quickly to keep up with the traffic coming in the door and probably didn’t have time to train them. It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances and just bad for her business this happened. Because of today, I was driven into the arms of another copy center. Now I am torn between the two.
Our business relationship took a hit, but because I am a loyal shopper, I will give them another try, but it will be with a critical eye. In the end, I have to do what’s right because its business, not love.
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