Why is customer service so bad????

[fallfanatic]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

This is one of the most dangerous failings of humanity; the need to lump people into groups, then talk about them. As a fringe resident of the "Millenium Generation" (now twenty) I can assure you that, just as some white people can dance, some black people don't like fried chicken, and some Christians open-minded, some young people actually aren't like the ones you've experienced (and, in turn, generalized).

Sheesh. What idiocy.

I too agree....I have a 17 year old son who is one of the most compasionate, caring, hard working, honest, and would give the shirt off his back just to help another, people you will ever meet. And this isn't just something I know, but everyone who has ever met him. I have total strangers coming up to me just to tell me what a great kid I have.
You can not lump everyone into one group. There are plenty of "uncaring, all about me" people out there, but they are in all age groups. Likewise, there are many out there who really do care and put everyone else before themselves. May I suggest you start looking for those people instead of focusing on the others...

[blueeyes30]

Originally Posted by TimtheGuy

I actually was referring to all customer service, not just restaurants. I lived in the Memphis and Northern MS area for 9 years working in the Casinos. That has to be one of the worst areas in the country for customer service. At the casinos you can find some ok customer service, among much bad, BUT in the Memphis area it is truly horrible. I realize your area is not Memphis, but I travelled around the surrounding area as well. While better than Memphis/MS it still left something to be desired.

Here you can go to a convenience store, a fast food joint, a retail store or a restaurant and odds are you will get A+ service with a smile. I was disputing the poster who says it is the same all over.

That's kind of a broad statement to make.

In my ventures throughout Northeast TN and Southwestern VA, I find customer service pretty good overall. Of course there are some less than pleasant experiences, but I don't dwell on those.

You said you were in Memphis and the surrounding area. Well that area doesn't represent the whole South or Tennessee.

I had some very bad experiences with customer service in Ohio but I am not going to make statements like "The Midwest lacks customer service."

[yankeegirl313]

Customer service? What is that??

[the.camera.eye]

As part of the management staff in a grocery store, I have to say that I believe good customer service begins AND ends with the example set by the management. My experience has shown me that if you show you care about your customers (and employees for that matter) then usually, your fellow employees will too. I get to deal with nearly every segment of society at least five days a week!!

While I don't believe that EVERY member of the newer generations is spoiled and/or lazy, the sad truth is that about 85-90% of them are. Some are trainable, and have made great employees for me, while others are nothing short of being completely worthless! I could never claim to do everything right, but I at least WANT to do the best job I can.

Enough of my gripes though...

Regards..

[RetiredAZTeacher]

OK, several comments....

1) I agree with the.camera.eye member as regards customer service. As with most people, I've worked in lots of different industries/jobs. I know how the employees are trained by management to act is how (usually) they will behave with customers. It's not easy to be polite all the time and to everyone, but it can be taught by management/teachers.

2) I agree with dreamofmonterey a bit. I, too, have noticed poorer customer service here than in Arizona. At both the 'box' stores mentioned and at restaurants. However, I have also had absolutely terrific, cheerful service at many places, too. It is hard to clump ALL stores together, but the bad service I have had, has been really bad...being ignored, having a clerk roll his eyes at me when I asked for directions to an item, being frowned at, etc.

I do not think this phenomenon is merely a product of working a minimum wage job...it again goes back to management training. I remember my minimum wage forays in the business world (when minimum wage was $1.60 hr), and my bosses also stressed, "the customer is always right...even when they are wrong" and then explained how we were to respond to customers--the grouchy, the mistaken, the rude. And my son worked at a huge box store as his first job, and the management had weekly mandatory 15-minute seminars before shifts began about customer service and selling.

3) Having been a high school teacher for 25 years, I can attest to the fact that many young people (generally, not specifically) are not interested in minimum wage jobs, almost acting as if they are 'below them'. I have heard many students say to another, "I'm not going to work there, they only pay minimum wage. I want at least $10" or whatever their figure is. These young people will be resentful & possibly rude to customers if they have to end up at a minimum wage job because they are already going into the workforce with a poor attitude. And older people on a poor paying job will be resentful & bitter because they are in those same jobs.

People forget that minimum wage is not a punishment, it's a protection so young people and older people with little education don't work in 'sweatshop' environments as did many in the early 1900s for just pennies a day. However, in our society mindset of "I deserve...", it is easy to become bitter and angry on the job. Although, I've never understood poor service at restaurants--that is a job that is directly related to service with your tip $. Restaurant workers have to know that a smile and pleasant attitude will give them more money at the end of the day...don't they?
(OK, enough of my teacher soap-box rantings)

That said, there are good & bad employees everywhere....they just seem a bit more pronounced here, in both directions, in my opinion. But that is certainly nothing to make me leave this beautiful area.

[the.camera.eye]

Great comments!
I know for sure that poor cust. serv. exists in all stores, formats, etc. The saddest part, to me anyway, is that the ADULTS many times are just as bad as the "teenage" crowd. Sometimes, they are even worse. It's only fair to pay someone an honest wage, but it seems that in our region, everybody wants to make $15/hour to do nothing. And you can just about forget expecting them to come in and care about their job.

As RetiredAZTeacher said, these people are coming into the job market with terrible attitudes to start with. That mindset is not conducive to learning your job, doing it effectively, and most important KEEPING YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY!! After all, they're the ones paying your salary.

The cynical side of me says to pay the bad individuals "what they deserve," which is nothing! I personally believe in the Robin Hood strategy of "taking from those who don't do their job, and giving that money/benefit to those who do."

I know I speak in broad generalizations sometimes, but I'll try to clarify to avoid confusion.

Regards..

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by the.camera.eye

Great comments!
I know for sure that poor cust. serv. exists in all stores, formats, etc. The saddest part, to me anyway, is that the ADULTS many times are just as bad as the "teenage" crowd. Sometimes, they are even worse. It's only fair to pay someone an honest wage, but it seems that in our region, everybody wants to make $15/hour to do nothing. And you can just about forget expecting them to come in and care about their job.

As RetiredAZTeacher said, these people are coming into the job market with terrible attitudes to start with. That mindset is not conducive to learning your job, doing it effectively, and most important KEEPING YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY!! After all, they're the ones paying your salary.

The cynical side of me says to pay the bad individuals "what they deserve," which is nothing! I personally believe in the Robin Hood strategy of "taking from those who don't do their job, and giving that money/benefit to those who do."

I know I speak in broad generalizations sometimes, but I'll try to clarify to avoid confusion.

Regards..

Um??? I work as a bank Ops Mgr---15.00 an hour in Delaware maybe.

NOT and NEVER in NE Tennessee. There is a severe lack of work ethic here. I lived here and owned real estate over 3 years, and had a hard time finding a reputable fence company (to whom I would have paid a few thousand ) to send decent work men with clean clothes (i.e. no ripped and beer stained t-shirts.)

Its the reality.

[zddt22]

Not really. My sister in KY makes $2.80 plus tips in a server job and gives great service! There are lines waiting for her tables. She's poor and been that way for 16 years with 4 kids and a no good husband. So your little theory went out the window fella!