It may sound odd, but much of the reason Grooming Lounge operates as it does from a Customer Service standpoint stems from our dissatisfaction with how we’ve been treated by other establishments. Going back to when our little company was an even smaller sketch on a napkin, we constantly remarked that today’s “customer service bar” is set so low, just about “any service” is considered “good service.” Obviously, Grooming Lounge doesn’t agree with the status quo and we’ve tried, hopefully with success, to reach high levels of hospitality (that’s even better than customer service) within all our points of contact.
But, we see major missteps daily whenever we’re the consumer, and while they generally piss us off, such instances do serve as great “what not to do” learning experience. And … having set this up enough, here are some of the things, in our humble opinion, that happen with far too much regularity in service-related businesses. We try to do the opposite and hope such businesses (you probably don’t know who you are) will take note:
ACTING AS IF SOMETHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE CUSTOMER: You’ve been the victim of it dozens of times. You walk into a store or restaurant and the staff doesn’t even give you the time of day. Whether they’re immersed in conversations with one another, on the phone or playing Sudoku, greeting and seeing what they can do for you is simply not a priority. That should be the only priority.
SAYING NO: “No” is the easy way out of everything. Saying “that product isn’t available,” “we’re not allowed to do that,” or “I can’t” is just not the answer paying customers want to hear. Sure, not every request can be granted, but each should certainly be investigated and comparable alternatives offered.
THINKING THERE AREN’T OTHER OPTIONS: I sign used to sit at my dentist’s office that said “Ignore your teeth and they’ll go away.” Well, the same can be said for customers. When businesses act high and mighty, as if they’re the only game in town, people look for alternatives. Thus, customer-service businesses should treat every customer as if he/her were their last.
SCHEDULES AREN’T EVERYTHING: A mentor of mine always told the story of the grocery chain he used to work with. During daily rounds, the company founder saw a dirty sign and asked the cleaning attendant how often he wiped it down. The attendant proudly proclaimed “I clean it every day at 1:30 and 5:30,” smiling with pride. The founder frowned, responding that the right answer should be “I clean it whenever it needs to be cleaned.” He was right — things need to be done when they need to be done, not just when they fit into a schedule.
