Do you believe Customer Service is lost forever.

[npk]

When was the last time you were greeted or thanked when you purchased anything from a store. It seems everywhere I go lately customer service has taken a backseat. Some stores should really take the time to train their staff better to thank someone who has patronized the store they work at. Ugh.

[Chan790]

1. Every day. n/m

[AlCzervik]

2. i bought things at 2 different stores on Sunday at the mall (i really hate malls)

and shopping for that matter but at both stores i got a welcome and a thank you, both sales people were courteous and helpful. I still hate shopping ans the mall but i was treated just fine.

[npk]

3. Well that is good to hear

I can't remember the last time I was greeted or thanked when shopping.

[curse of greyface]

4. No I'm still on hold I'm their next caller ... apparently it's a peak hour nt

[mopinko]

5. shop at smaller stores.

or better yet, buy direct from the producer.

[npk]

7. I usually do

But it shouldn't matter the size of the store. One should expect good quality service no matter where they buy. Some people are restricted to what stores are close to where they live. They may also not have the means to buy direct. I would just like to see some businesses acknowledge they need to improve on their customer service.

[spinbaby]

21. Yep

We recently bought a dishwasher from a small, locally-owned appliance store. A MUCH different experience than Lowes or Sears.

[Deja Q]

6. Walking wallets -- and be sure to hold out the receipt to the greeter dude.

See, we're thieves even though we might have only social anxiety disorders or might be late for something but are otherwise contributing society; Which is sad to suggest greeters and receipt checkers are to assume all customers are thieves, as I know some greeters and receipt checkers and they're genuinely nice people who are in all likelihood underpaid, and in all honesty I can't blame them for doing their jobs either... perception being 9/10ths of the law, that 10th person ends up being the judas goat, straw sheep, sacrificial lamb, whatever...

[siligut]

8. It exists sometimes.

I just got some of the best service ever from Costco! Went out of her way to save and hold an item for me. Thing is; now I have to return it! Man.

[stewartcolbert08]

9. I DO NOT BELIEVE IT IS LOST!

They are inventing new machines and robots that are very polite every day!! Especially to answer the phone LOL

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. Not lost, just a "lost art"

I met with a potential client last week (the owner of a Mercedes dealership).

He took a phone call while I was there, apparently one of his salespeople, and said:

"No, they already feel like one person hasn't gotten back to them. You need to call them back right now and take care of this."

It sounded like a customer called a sales manager (or another salesperson) to complain about lack of follow-up and that person pulled an "I'll look into it and get back to you" move.

Rule #1 in customer service: Whoever picks up the phone owns the customer's issue.

I'm especially tuned into customer service right now because I am in the middle of interviewing new programmers so that I can part ways with my current ones. They are very talented and capable and do not understand the slightest thing about customer service and client relationships. The amount of damage control (and hand-holding) I've had to do over the last couple of years has reached the "enough is enough" stage.

:toast:

[Iggo]

11. My boss doesn't.

Which is why I have to "smile through the phone."

Yee-gads.

[margotb822]

12. When I worked at a store in CS,

I got treated like crap by many customers, so it came back to them. I think it's a cycle, so now I try to be nice to CS people because I realize it usually isn't their fault. However, if I catch attitude from someone, it's on.

[realisticphish]

16. this

i'm polite to every single customer, and maybe 1 in 4 is polite back, and only half treat me like anything other than some trained monkey.

[Kat45]

13. Sometimes the cashier in the checkout line doesn't even look at you.

I especially notice it with the young'uns. They'll be talking to their friend at the next register, flirting with the bagger, whatever. Everything but interacting with you.

[emilyg]

14. Happens a lot. What they don't

understand is that the customer "signs" their paycheck. No customers - no paychecks.

[realisticphish]

15. I greet and thank every single customer at my store

and so do all my fellow employees


edit: and this isn't necessarily directed at you, OP, but when people complain about CS, I always wonder about how they behave towards the employees to begin with. Of course, there are many bad retail clerks, no doubt, but I've been treated like dirt by a large proportion of my customers, even regulars. So, eventually, it gets hard to give a shit about some people. I still give everyone a chance, and it's hard to make me mad, but I give up on some people. Store employees read customers, believe me, and if you aren't nice to them, there's no chance they're going to go out of their way to be nice back.

that aside, rude people are rude people, and i really don't think it's anything that changes with time. retail sucks, has always sucked, and will always suck :shrug:

[quakerboy]

17. I get the most awesome service everytime

of course, I use the self check, so that may be part of it.

[harmonicon]

18. just the other day....

I actually hate it when I'm greeted and thanked in most cases. It's disgusting. When I worked retail, I was supposed to greet everyone who came into the store, but I didn't, because I hate that, and lots of people hate that. I would greet the regulars. "Hello!" means something some times, but as a script, it's pointless.

I was, however, really pleased the other day when a guy in a shop thanked me for buying stuff from him. He's the owner, and I think he's really pleased when I come in, because he knows that I'll spend money, and I'm not an ass. There's a place in town that's a little cheaper, but it's a chain store, and the people there are assholes. I'd much rather buy stuff from the guy who owns his business which he runs mostly by himself, and is actually pleased to have my business.

[Orsino]

19. No. It was out of style for many years...

...but the big corporations are rediscovering it, out of necessity. They've realized that it's usually cheaper to keep an existing customer happy than to go out and find a new one.

In practice, this means nicer phone attitudes and fewer transfers, plus people who'll actually call you back to ensure you're satisfied. My own company's doing this, and it's paying off in the way it was intended.

It'll probably take a few years for such practices to become the standard, but it's the way things are trending now. I hope.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

20. I don't know if it's lost,

but where I live, it's undergoing a transformation and I'm not sure I like it.
Most of the younger people working the registers at a grocery store, for example, are not rude or anything, they're just sort of, dis interested maybe? It's hard to put my finger on, but I truly do not like the register and bag person carrying on a conversation, that I'm not part ofm while they work! :)
Or being called "buddy','dude' or 'pal' by the checker. I don't need sir or anything like that, but I sure as hel don't like 'buddy'!!!! :(