When working in any sort of customer service job, one often deals with customers who are naturally angry, unhelpful and look down on you for the position you’re in and the uniform you wear. Dealing with these kinds of customers is not a fun experience, but generally gets better when employees end up laughing at said customer in the back, mimicking them in high voices and mocking their entitlement. However, when a good customer comes through the store–someone who is happy, smiling, and polite–employees end up working harder than ever before for them. Being a good customer raises employee morale and makes a better experience for everyone. Here are five easy to follow tips to ensure you have a great experience as a customer:
1.Treat Employees like People, not Robots
Employees have feelings, just like you. It goes a long way when you smile and ask how our day is going after we’ve asked you. We are human and enjoy human connection, and, just like you, we make mistakes. When we do make a mistake please just let us know – we will do everything within our power to remedy it.
2. Don’t Argue with Us
Before we are sent out to work, we are trained. We know the rules regarding coupons and company policies, and we follow them. We do not make the rules, the policies, or the prices. We can’t break the rules just for you, and no, we can’t give you our employee discount. Please trust us when we tell you that we can’t do something for you, our managers are going to tell you the same thing. Try to understand.
3. Tell Us Whether You’re Paying Debit or Credit – It Actually Matters
So, we, the employees, give you your total and you just throw us a card. There are hundreds of different credit, debit, and gift cards out there, and in a variety of different colours. We don’t know what card you’re throwing at us, and we feel bad when we have to ask. Some companies require employees to file receipts differently based on what card is used. Furthermore, most companies discourage employees from touching the credit and debit cards of customers, which makes for an awkward encounter. If you tell us whether it’s debit or credit we will happily get the machine ready for you.Â
4. Know What You Ordered
This applies to any establishment! At most fast food places, employees will call out your order to the front when your food is ready. Know your order, and don’t take just any bag of food. The people who hand out your food are not the same ones who take your order. Employees in fast food trust you to be able to take your own food from them. When you don’t take your own food, you wind upangry, as do the customers whose food it was. The same thing goes for retail. Don’t get to the front of the register, have the cashier ring everything up, and then ask why it costs so much when you’re the one who put everything on the belt. If you know what your order is, your speed of service is going to be better, and everyone is going to be happier.
5. Take the Survey, My Manager is Watching
We finish ringing up your order and then we start our little speech about the survey almost every store has. We tell you the perks of doing the survey – which are real – and we don’t even get halfway through before you’ve walked away, or we get the, “I don’t need the receipt.” Then we get yelled at by our managers for not getting enough surveys in. If you take the receipt and do the survey you get free stuff, and our managers continue to like us. It’s a win-win situation!Â
These five simple, easy-to-follow steps will greatly improve your experience as a customer!