What does "Closed" mean to you?

[plague]

I agree that many customers for some reason feel like they're better than the customer service people. Customers often talk to a customer service person worse than they would a complete stranger on the street, cause that stranger might beat the crap out of them. The customer feels rather safe though, from the customer service person.

However, a lot of people posting in this thread that have a customer service job, don't have the right attitude. Like the gun toting customer at the truck stop, we should assume that all customers have a gun and are willing to kill us if we aren't sensitive and polite. There is no sane reason to not be as polite as possible, and there is no good reason to tell a customer "No".

If one doesn't have the authority to say "Yes", then one shouldn't have the authority to say "No". Try a "Here's my understanding of the store policy. Let me see if I can get an exception for you," and escalate the issue.

I'm a customer service manager for a call center. Our customers definitely aren't inconvenienced by end of shifts, as employees expect to work past their shift if needed. If they can't do it, then I will get them relieved, usually relieving them myself. Those that feel some entitlement to inconvenience a customer because the customer could have planned their day around the business transaction are being hypocrites.

I don't blame any customer service person though, when I get poor customer service. I blame their management team.

 

[RoJoHen]

I agree that many customers for some reason feel like they're better than the customer service people. Customers often talk to a customer service person worse than they would a complete stranger on the street, cause that stranger might beat the crap out of them. The customer feels rather safe though, from the customer service person.

However, a lot of people posting in this thread that have a customer service job, don't have the right attitude. Like the gun toting customer at the truck stop, we should assume that all customers have a gun and are willing to kill us if we aren't sensitive and polite. There is no sane reason to not be as polite as possible, and there is no good reason to tell a customer "No".

If one doesn't have the authority to say "Yes", then one shouldn't have the authority to say "No". Try a "Here's my understanding of the store policy. Let me see if I can get an exception for you," and escalate the issue.

I'm a customer service manager for a call center. Our customers definitely aren't inconvenienced by end of shifts, as employees expect to work past their shift if needed. If they can't do it, then I will get them relieved, usually relieving them myself. Those that feel some entitlement to inconvenience a customer because the customer could have planned their day around the business transaction are being hypocrites.

I don't blame any customer service person though, when I get poor customer service. I blame their management team.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that, while a lot of people in here might be bitching about their customer service jobs, that doesn't mean they don't do it to the best of their ability when they're actually there.

I consider myself to be very good at my job, and yes, there are plenty of customers that do things to piss me off, but I would never let them know that. I suck it up and do my job. I might be upset and bitch about it later, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

A good customer service employee might as well be an actor.

 

[trampledamage]

On a lighter note - my retail story

Back when I worked in a book shop, a man comes up to me and says "I'd like to be a book for my wife." "Sure" says I, "What sort of books does she like?" Man shrugs, "Don't know. What do you like?" Pause "I like crime books, how about we look at more general fiction?" Actually he was nice, and I think we did find a book for him too.

 

[Trekker4747]

On a lighter note - my retail story

Back when I worked in a book shop, a man comes up to me and says "I'd like to be a book for my wife." "Sure" says I, "What sort of books does she like?" Man shrugs, "Don't know. What do you like?" Pause "I like crime books, how about we look at more general fiction?" Actually he was nice, and I think we did find a book for him too.

Yeah, I forgot. As service employees we're expected to be clairvoyant.

Customer: [points to the case] "Give me two of those."

 

[TheBrew]

I agree that many customers for some reason feel like they're better than the customer service people. Customers often talk to a customer service person worse than they would a complete stranger on the street, cause that stranger might beat the crap out of them. The customer feels rather safe though, from the customer service person.

However, a lot of people posting in this thread that have a customer service job, don't have the right attitude. Like the gun toting customer at the truck stop, we should assume that all customers have a gun and are willing to kill us if we aren't sensitive and polite. There is no sane reason to not be as polite as possible, and there is no good reason to tell a customer "No".

If one doesn't have the authority to say "Yes", then one shouldn't have the authority to say "No". Try a "Here's my understanding of the store policy. Let me see if I can get an exception for you," and escalate the issue.

I'm a customer service manager for a call center. Our customers definitely aren't inconvenienced by end of shifts, as employees expect to work past their shift if needed. If they can't do it, then I will get them relieved, usually relieving them myself. Those that feel some entitlement to inconvenience a customer because the customer could have planned their day around the business transaction are being hypocrites.

I don't blame any customer service person though, when I get poor customer service. I blame their management team.

I'm just gonna go ahead and say that, while a lot of people in here might be bitching about their customer service jobs, that doesn't mean they don't do it to the best of their ability when they're actually there.

I consider myself to be very good at my job, and yes, there are plenty of customers that do things to piss me off, but I would never let them know that. I suck it up and do my job. I might be upset and bitch about it later, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

A good customer service employee might as well be an actor.

Then I deserve an Academy Award.

 

[Amaris]

On a lighter note - my retail story

Back when I worked in a book shop, a man comes up to me and says "I'd like to be a book for my wife." "Sure" says I, "What sort of books does she like?" Man shrugs, "Don't know. What do you like?" Pause "I like crime books, how about we look at more general fiction?" Actually he was nice, and I think we did find a book for him too.

Nice! When I worked at Walmart (Electronics) I actually built up a clientele. People would ask specifically for me, and when I wasn't there, would leave business cards for me when I would return. I was completely honest and only recommended what I knew the customer would actually need. Walmart didn't like this, and felt I had spent "too much time with the customer". Priceless.

J.

 

[SeerSGB]

On a lighter note - my retail story

Back when I worked in a book shop, a man comes up to me and says "I'd like to be a book for my wife." "Sure" says I, "What sort of books does she like?" Man shrugs, "Don't know. What do you like?" Pause "I like crime books, how about we look at more general fiction?" Actually he was nice, and I think we did find a book for him too.

Yeah, I forgot. As service employees we're expected to be clairvoyant.

Customer: [points to the case] "Give me two of those."

Customer: I want a large coke.
Start pouring Coke Classic
Customer: No, no, no, I want Dr. Pepper, why are you pouring a coke?
Me: Cause you said Coke.
Customer: Well I meant Dr. Pepper, how hard is understand a drink order.
dump glass, rinse, and start pouring Dr. Pepper.

Customer: Popcorn double-butter.
Start scooping popcorn, run butter (machine is premeasured it runs for "X" amount- a single serving- and shut dwon), shake, run butter again: double butter.
Customer: I said double butter.
Me: Yes, I made sure it had double butter as requested.
Customer: Well that doesn't look like it, I put more on it at home.
Run two more shots of butter.
Customer: That's still not enough.
Me: Sorry, but I have charge for more than that (techinically, I was suppose to charge for each shot past two).
Customer: What?! You can't charge for extra butter!
Me: Sorry company policy, I can call the manager of the...
Customer dumps popcorn on floor and throws tub behind the counter and storms out of theater.

 

[Trekker4747]

"What's the difference between this one and that one?"


Seriously, I think reading-comprehension is dead.

 

[Snaploud]

"What's the difference between this one and that one?"


Seriously, I think reading-comprehension is dead.

I might have asked the same question. The 8 ounce steak costs less per ounce than the 12 ounce steak. Is the 12 ounce steak a better cut?

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

"What's the difference between this one and that one?"


Seriously, I think reading-comprehension is dead.

4 ounces and 400 dollars.

 

[Snaploud]

"What's the difference between this one and that one?"


Seriously, I think reading-comprehension is dead.

7 ounces and 400 dollars.

Actually, that would be 4 ounces...

 

[the 4th hanson bro]

don't know what you mean.

 

[Trekker4747]

"What's the difference between this one and that one?"


Seriously, I think reading-comprehension is dead.

I might have asked the same question. The 8 ounce steak costs less per ounce than the 12 ounce steak. Is the 12 ounce steak a better cut?

Just the way the pricing is.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Customer: I want a large coke.
Start pouring Coke Classic
Customer: No, no, no, I want Dr. Pepper, why are you pouring a coke?
Me: Cause you said Coke.
Customer: Well I meant Dr. Pepper, how hard is understand a drink order.
dump glass, rinse, and start pouring Dr. Pepper.

The customer didn't have a Southern accent, did they? (AFAIK, they use 'coke' as a generic term down there)

 

[Trekker4747]

Customer: I want a large coke.
Start pouring Coke Classic
Customer: No, no, no, I want Dr. Pepper, why are you pouring a coke?
Me: Cause you said Coke.
Customer: Well I meant Dr. Pepper, how hard is understand a drink order.
dump glass, rinse, and start pouring Dr. Pepper.

The customer didn't have a Southern accent, did they? (AFAIK, they use 'coke' as a generic term down there)

Even then, how was he supposed to "just know" that "coke" meant "Dr. Pepper"?

I get this all of the time with people expecting me to be a mind reader:

"Yes, I want some hamburger."
...
...
"Ok, which kind would you like? Ground Chuck? Ground Round?
"Oh, sorry, umm.... I'll have some of the Ground Chuck."
...
...
"How much can I get for you?"
"Oh, I'll have four pounds."
:I start packaging weighing and packaging it up:
....
"Oh! Can I get that in one-pound packages? Four of them?"

:face palm:

Apparently, I should be asking a long questionaire's worth of questions to help people. "Yes I'd like some meat." "Ok, just fill out this form, you can have a seat over there. Need a pen?"

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Yeah, and its 10x worse for servers, not only because of the inevitable power trip brought on by being served...

And also because the customer has probably been drinking, and people are so much more circumspect and well-behaved when they're drinking.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

I will say this, working retail has turned me into a better customer. Being on the retail side of it, i never realized just how mean people can be. What i really hated was guests who would come into the store and pick something up and walk around the whole store and at the end, decide not to buy it, so now it's the other side of the store and of course, it's part of our job to clean it up. Working retail has made me very polite and sympathetic to those that work retail and food.

 

[TheLonelySquire]

On a lighter note - my retail story

Back when I worked in a book shop, a man comes up to me and says "I'd like to be a book for my wife." "Sure" says I, "What sort of books does she like?" Man shrugs, "Don't know. What do you like?" Pause "I like crime books, how about we look at more general fiction?" Actually he was nice, and I think we did find a book for him too.

Yeah, I forgot. As service employees we're expected to be clairvoyant.

Customer: [points to the case] "Give me two of those."

Customer: I want a large coke.
Start pouring Coke Classic
Customer: No, no, no, I want Dr. Pepper, why are you pouring a coke?
Me: Cause you said Coke.
Customer: Well I meant Dr. Pepper, how hard is understand a drink order.
dump glass, rinse, and start pouring Dr. Pepper.

Customer: Popcorn double-butter.
Start scooping popcorn, run butter (machine is premeasured it runs for "X" amount- a single serving- and shut dwon), shake, run butter again: double butter.
Customer: I said double butter.
Me: Yes, I made sure it had double butter as requested.
Customer: Well that doesn't look like it, I put more on it at home.
Run two more shots of butter.
Customer: That's still not enough.
Me: Sorry, but I have charge for more than that (techinically, I was suppose to charge for each shot past two).
Customer: What?! You can't charge for extra butter!
Me: Sorry company policy, I can call the manager of the...
Customer dumps popcorn on floor and throws tub behind the counter and storms out of theater.

Maybe he went to take out a loan for the cost of the refreshments?

 

[TheLonelySquire]

I will say this, working retail has turned me into a better customer. Being on the retail side of it, i never realized just how mean people can be. What i really hated was guests who would come into the store and pick something up and walk around the whole store and at the end, decide not to buy it, so now it's the other side of the store and of course, it's part of our job to clean it up. Working retail has made me very polite and sympathetic to those that work retail and food.

Sometimes I decide I don't want an item or two when I get to the register. I give it to the cashier. I assume they have runners that will put it back where it belongs. As it should be.

Oh, and the biggest crock in supermarkets? Self-check out. If I wanted a job as a cashier I'd apply for one.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Now, if they would give the item to the cashier, i wouldn't mind. It would be in a few centralized locations, and we could easily put it back. When there are things all over the store, it gets that much more difficult to clean it all up.