Poor customer service: whose fault – the chicken’s, or the egg’s?
Further to my last blog on here, a couple of comments defending retail staff’s apparent lack of motivation on the job made me wonder just where the problem really lies in this country.
Coming from Canada and being a very regular visitor “back home” I never fail to be impressed when I go into a Canadian supermarket or even a petrol station and find such a difference in attitude from customer facing staff. Almost without exception and regardless of ethnic background they are friendly, helpful, and seem to enjoy – enthusiastically – what they’re doing.
It’s not just about saying “have a nice day,” either. A number of times I’ve been shopping for food at an “IGA” in a small Ontario town and even though the store has been reasonably busy, not only have they packed my groceries without being asked but also someone has offered to help me out to the car with the bags. Despite being the wrong side of 50 I don’t really look like Quasimodo so I have to assume the offer is made out of courtesy, not pity. And when I’ve offered a tip to the person concerned, without exception it has been refused.
- Image by Kaptain Kobold via Flickr
I have yet to go shopping for food in a Spar, Co-op, Tesco Express or other similar small supermarket/convenience store in Britain and receive any help other than, in some but not all cases, the assistant unsmilingly putting my stuff into bags as they ring it up. Some staff in larger supermarkets do smile occasionally, but don’t pack your groceries unless you specifically ask for help.
So where does the problem really lie?
I’m very tempted to say “training,” or rather lack thereof, judging by the swift tiptoe through a few procedures my friend’s son received when he was hired by our local grocery store. And when my son got a part-time job at a local branch of a building materials merchant, although he was put through some safety procedures when it came to product knowledge and selling to customers he had to busk it.
But much as I think the sun shines out of Canada’s bum, I can’t believe retailers over there invest much more time and effort into training staff than their UK counterparts do. Various members of my family who have worked either part or full time for anything from Macdonald’s to a local gas station have confirmed this.
That leaves one question mark: motivation?
Could it be that customer service has an aura of the deadbeat about it here in the UK? Is working in a grocery store or builder’s merchant just a way of earning rather meagre wages until you find something better? Why does there seem to be so little pride to be had in helping people to buy what they need? So little pride in doing a good job? In one of the comments on my last blog, we read about a wonderful lady assistant in a village store who helped her entire community and was loved for it. That’s something anyone should be proud of. But now?
And it’s not just grocery sales staff who need a motivation transplant. Think clothing stores … electrical/IT stores … department stores … even posh jewellery or fashion stores, unless you walk in followed by two minders, dripping bling and Chanel No 5 and flashing the latest diamond-encrusted Amex card.
Canadians (and Americans) may think customers are idiots some of the time and, just as over here, they’ve probably got a point. But “the customer is always right” culture is still burning bright over there and people know damned well that it’s the customer, idiot or not, who pays their wages. So customers matter – not just because the boss says they do, but because individual staff members realise and appreciate it.
What do you think?
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14 Responses to Poor customer service: whose fault – the chicken’s, or the egg’s?
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That’s not an easy one …
I don’t think it has anything to do with training, but with both the worker and client.
In Oz, it’s the same, everybody is nice and smily. Everybody.
It’s chicken and egg indeed – If the client isn’t nice, then the worker loses the enthousiasm. If the worker hasn’t entousiasm, it puts off the client etc … etc … Where on earth does it start?
I do know that from my experience being a waitress 15 years ago. I started off all nice and smily, ended up walking out of the job. I couldn’t take the abuse anymore, and I’d rather not do the job than do it feeling and looking miserable.
Then again, some peeps don’t even start with enthousiasm. That’s another matter really. Recruitment. I doubt anyone can train anyone to be nice if it’s not within them.
Nathalie
That’s not an easy one …
I don’t think it has anything to do with training, but with both the worker and client.
In Oz, it’s the same, everybody is nice and smily. Everybody.
It’s chicken and egg indeed – If the client isn’t nice, then the worker loses the enthousiasm. If the worker hasn’t entousiasm, it puts off the client etc … etc … Where on earth does it start?
I do know that from my experience being a waitress 15 years ago. I started off all nice and smily, ended up walking out of the job. I couldn’t take the abuse anymore, and I’d rather not do the job than do it feeling and looking miserable.
Then again, some peeps don’t even start with enthousiasm. That’s another matter really. Recruitment. I doubt anyone can train anyone to be nice if it’s not within them.
Nathalie
I’m not so sure having the assistant packing groceries would be an improvement, in many cases. Certainly I can never do it well enough to please my husband, who is rather a perfectionist in these matters.
I find it quite useful to have poor skills in certain areas
I’m really not very good at washing up either.
It’s a shame that shops don’t seem to realise how much a difference it makes – but when you do find the exceptions it must pay off for them – we would never go anywhere else than our local mechanic in newhaven for instance, and always recommend them when we can.
I’m not so sure having the assistant packing groceries would be an improvement, in many cases. Certainly I can never do it well enough to please my husband, who is rather a perfectionist in these matters.
I find it quite useful to have poor skills in certain areas
I’m really not very good at washing up either.
It’s a shame that shops don’t seem to realise how much a difference it makes – but when you do find the exceptions it must pay off for them – we would never go anywhere else than our local mechanic in newhaven for instance, and always recommend them when we can.
I must be very lucky. My experience is that poor customer service (in shops, at least) is the exception rather than the rule. I wonder if it’s regional? The town I live in is fairly small, so people often know each other, or at least regularly see each other.
People tend to be exceptionally kind and helpful to me, and I know it’s not just sympathy because I’m a crip, because they were helpful before then too. They’re even more helpful now, and rarely patronisingly so.
My daughter worked on the checkouts at Sainsburys for a while (part time job while she is at uni) and got paid next to nothing, but she took pride in what she did and regularly won various awards they ran for positive customer feedback. She did have some abusive customers – who would complain that the queues were too long, or they were out of stock of somethng they wanted (hardly my daughter’s fault) and I can imagine that a few years of that would wipe the smile off her face eventually.
Maybe we are more surly shoppers, and that’s why we have more surly shop assistants?
Twitter: evenbreak
I must be very lucky. My experience is that poor customer service (in shops, at least) is the exception rather than the rule. I wonder if it’s regional? The town I live in is fairly small, so people often know each other, or at least regularly see each other.
People tend to be exceptionally kind and helpful to me, and I know it’s not just sympathy because I’m a crip, because they were helpful before then too. They’re even more helpful now, and rarely patronisingly so.
My daughter worked on the checkouts at Sainsburys for a while (part time job while she is at uni) and got paid next to nothing, but she took pride in what she did and regularly won various awards they ran for positive customer feedback. She did have some abusive customers – who would complain that the queues were too long, or they were out of stock of somethng they wanted (hardly my daughter’s fault) and I can imagine that a few years of that would wipe the smile off her face eventually.
Maybe we are more surly shoppers, and that’s why we have more surly shop assistants?
Twitter: evenbreak
Taking the bigger picture:
It’s a long time since I last went to Canada, let alone lived there, so we’re back to the memory thing…
However, I wonder how much of the attitude is influenced by living in a relatively ‘young’ country where anything’s possible, so there’s a kind of ‘can do’ spirit and optimistic outlook (as that would apply equally to Australia). And one of the ways that manifests itself is how even strangers interact with one another – pleasantly, politely and helpfully?
Also, there seemed to be more in the way of both community belonging and much more s p a c e than we’re used to on our tiny island. So maybe whilst you know more people in your neighbourhood you don’t feel crowded in on or that you’re ‘living on top of each other’.
Customer service specifically:
That should be laid fairly and squarely with the retail owner.
If that’s ME and you, as a customer, have a bad experience as a result of the way you’ve been treated by my one of my staff I want you telling ME about it first and giving me the chance to put that right.
That principle applies whether I have one, 20 or 200 outlets because as the business grows I will have put in systems, procedures, whatever you choose to call them to replicate what made the first one successful -
Part of that was repeat custom and part of THAT was due to the fact that my customers feel valued.
That’s demonstrated by stocking what they want and need at prices that fit their pockets
Opening at times that are convenient for THEM
And serving them well
That’s all well and good as long as I’m still alive and kicking and actively involved – maybe where it starts to go downhill is where shareholders, bean counters and short term CEOs take over the reins.
They DON’T love retailing, they’re NOT interested in the communities where my stores are located (apart from what the demographics tell them) – they’re in it purely for the returns.
It will be interesting to watch Wal-Mart’s future with its declining Walton family involvement – though Sam Walton set up a great blueprint
Any sense to any of the above or a load of drivel?
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
Taking the bigger picture:
It’s a long time since I last went to Canada, let alone lived there, so we’re back to the memory thing…
However, I wonder how much of the attitude is influenced by living in a relatively ‘young’ country where anything’s possible, so there’s a kind of ‘can do’ spirit and optimistic outlook (as that would apply equally to Australia). And one of the ways that manifests itself is how even strangers interact with one another – pleasantly, politely and helpfully?
Also, there seemed to be more in the way of both community belonging and much more s p a c e than we’re used to on our tiny island. So maybe whilst you know more people in your neighbourhood you don’t feel crowded in on or that you’re ‘living on top of each other’.
Customer service specifically:
That should be laid fairly and squarely with the retail owner.
If that’s ME and you, as a customer, have a bad experience as a result of the way you’ve been treated by my one of my staff I want you telling ME about it first and giving me the chance to put that right.
That principle applies whether I have one, 20 or 200 outlets because as the business grows I will have put in systems, procedures, whatever you choose to call them to replicate what made the first one successful -
Part of that was repeat custom and part of THAT was due to the fact that my customers feel valued.
That’s demonstrated by stocking what they want and need at prices that fit their pockets
Opening at times that are convenient for THEM
And serving them well
That’s all well and good as long as I’m still alive and kicking and actively involved – maybe where it starts to go downhill is where shareholders, bean counters and short term CEOs take over the reins.
They DON’T love retailing, they’re NOT interested in the communities where my stores are located (apart from what the demographics tell them) – they’re in it purely for the returns.
It will be interesting to watch Wal-Mart’s future with its declining Walton family involvement – though Sam Walton set up a great blueprint
Any sense to any of the above or a load of drivel?
Twitter: Linda_Mattacks
There is a huge amount of sense in your post Linda, and no drivel whatsoever.
I’m particularly fired up by the whole issue of how cramming more than 60million people into a small pair of islands – actually one-and-a-bit islands – is just asking for people to become claustrophic and generally pissed off.
I’m a Canadian as you know and it frightens me when I think you could fit the British Isles into Ontario, the province I come from, no less and five times. Yet the population of the UK is more than five times that of Ontario.
OK, parts of northern Ontario aren’t very user friendly because they’re cold, but all the same -we have more space over there. Much more.
Is the incredible over-crowding here in the UK a factor in determining people’s attitudes not only to retail customer service, but in terms of business – and more importantly, morale – across the board?
Is over-crowding partly responsible for ethnic and cultural dissent, racism, hooliganism, road rage and a host of other problems?
Of course you get similar issues in countries like Canada and Australia too. The main difference, though, is that in physically bigger countries there is more room for everyone to be who they are, and to come together as diverse communities in they way that they want to – rather than have to be stuffed up each others’ nostrils whether they like it or not.
Heaven only knows, I haven’t got any answers for how to resolve this problem here in the UK. But sure as hell I know – from having witnessed the psychology of cultural overcrowding even in such frivolous examples as traffic jams on the M25 – that there are serious problems we need to address.
OK, a stuffed-up country that results in a bolshie checkout clerk is hardly life-threatening … but it does serve as an indicator of what I firmly believe to be far more threatening problems.
I welcome your views!
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
There is a huge amount of sense in your post Linda, and no drivel whatsoever.
I’m particularly fired up by the whole issue of how cramming more than 60million people into a small pair of islands – actually one-and-a-bit islands – is just asking for people to become claustrophic and generally pissed off.
I’m a Canadian as you know and it frightens me when I think you could fit the British Isles into Ontario, the province I come from, no less and five times. Yet the population of the UK is more than five times that of Ontario.
OK, parts of northern Ontario aren’t very user friendly because they’re cold, but all the same -we have more space over there. Much more.
Is the incredible over-crowding here in the UK a factor in determining people’s attitudes not only to retail customer service, but in terms of business – and more importantly, morale – across the board?
Is over-crowding partly responsible for ethnic and cultural dissent, racism, hooliganism, road rage and a host of other problems?
Of course you get similar issues in countries like Canada and Australia too. The main difference, though, is that in physically bigger countries there is more room for everyone to be who they are, and to come together as diverse communities in they way that they want to – rather than have to be stuffed up each others’ nostrils whether they like it or not.
Heaven only knows, I haven’t got any answers for how to resolve this problem here in the UK. But sure as hell I know – from having witnessed the psychology of cultural overcrowding even in such frivolous examples as traffic jams on the M25 – that there are serious problems we need to address.
OK, a stuffed-up country that results in a bolshie checkout clerk is hardly life-threatening … but it does serve as an indicator of what I firmly believe to be far more threatening problems.
I welcome your views!
Twitter: SuzeStMWrites
I think a lot of it is culturally defined. Let’s face it, if you’re opening a store in an area where all other stores have friendly and polite customer service routines, you’re going to make sure your staff do as well. And if you live in a country that doesn’t have such a trend, well you’re going to get staff according to the amount you pay.
Yes, I think “shelf stacking” is seen as a dead end job, as is waitressing. I do wish people would have pride in whatever job they choose to do, because it is so demoralising for THEM if they don’t, let alone for the rest of us. If they hate it so much, shouldn’t they try and find something they like?
And, quite frankly, I think it should be pointed out to kids at school that if they aren’t going to bother to make an effort to get any qualifications, these are the jobs that await them…
I think a lot of it is culturally defined. Let’s face it, if you’re opening a store in an area where all other stores have friendly and polite customer service routines, you’re going to make sure your staff do as well. And if you live in a country that doesn’t have such a trend, well you’re going to get staff according to the amount you pay.
Yes, I think “shelf stacking” is seen as a dead end job, as is waitressing. I do wish people would have pride in whatever job they choose to do, because it is so demoralising for THEM if they don’t, let alone for the rest of us. If they hate it so much, shouldn’t they try and find something they like?
And, quite frankly, I think it should be pointed out to kids at school that if they aren’t going to bother to make an effort to get any qualifications, these are the jobs that await them…
I work in Customer Service, on dare I say it a Call Centre….(braces self for onslaught).
However, I am one of the lucky ones – I get such satisfaction out of turning every call I take into a good call, and by that I mean giving my caller what they need – not necessarily what they want.
To be honest, it isn’t difficult but what it does take is a certain mentality. I try to treat each and every caller the same way that I want to be treated when I am the customer. Sometimes this is straight forward and dare I say simple. Other times, it needs someone to actually listen to what is being said, understand it and then look at what can be done to deliver as close to their requirements as possible.
To that end, as a Call Centre advisor, my “stats” may not be the best, but my quality of service is exceptional.
It is difficult in the modern environment, particularly for young people coming into such industries, often not by choice. A lack of experience as a customer doesn’t help and that can only come with time.
You can recieve all the training in the world but until you have experienced bad customer service and know what you expected, can you learn from this and aim to be that person.
I can honestly say that in the last two weeks I have received so many thanks for my customer service and even congratulated on my manner – is that why I do it? No! I do it so that my customer goes away feeling valued – isn’t that what it’s all about after all?
Now what on earth am I to do when I lose my job sometime in the next 12 months, which is due to happen????
I work in Customer Service, on dare I say it a Call Centre….(braces self for onslaught).
However, I am one of the lucky ones – I get such satisfaction out of turning every call I take into a good call, and by that I mean giving my caller what they need – not necessarily what they want.
To be honest, it isn’t difficult but what it does take is a certain mentality. I try to treat each and every caller the same way that I want to be treated when I am the customer. Sometimes this is straight forward and dare I say simple. Other times, it needs someone to actually listen to what is being said, understand it and then look at what can be done to deliver as close to their requirements as possible.
To that end, as a Call Centre advisor, my “stats” may not be the best, but my quality of service is exceptional.
It is difficult in the modern environment, particularly for young people coming into such industries, often not by choice. A lack of experience as a customer doesn’t help and that can only come with time.
You can recieve all the training in the world but until you have experienced bad customer service and know what you expected, can you learn from this and aim to be that person.
I can honestly say that in the last two weeks I have received so many thanks for my customer service and even congratulated on my manner – is that why I do it? No! I do it so that my customer goes away feeling valued – isn’t that what it’s all about after all?
Now what on earth am I to do when I lose my job sometime in the next 12 months, which is due to happen????