Phone or customer?
This is how I felt when I entered a cleaning service facility to have my jacket and suit cleaned and to have the zipper in my jacket repaired.
Maybe someone reading this can help me to better understand.
Firstly, the facility said that it was opened but when my friend and I entered the owner was on the phone.
It was most obvious to us that she was not giving us her full attention and I had to repeat twice what I was asking her to do.
When she finally got it she told me that I had to buy my own zipper replacement from another store.
Then bring it back to her so that she could fix my jacket with it.
This was the first time in my entire life that any such thing was being asked of me.
Up until now, cleaning facilities have always provided zippers and included as part of their costs.
When I asked her when would my stuff be ready she told me to read the receipt.
I was shocked and horrified and the lady owner repeated her response twice.
She could not wait for us to leave her facility as my friend noticed that she hurried back to her phone.
After thinking about this for a bit, we returned to the facility and retrieved my jacket and suit.
Before I left I told her that she may want to consider how she treats her customers.
I told her that it was not acceptable for her to divide her attention between me and her phone.
She immediately offered to go out and buy the zipper but my mind was made up.
She told us that she was on the phone to her lawyer and that it was a matter of life and death.
I told her that maybe she should have put up a notice on her outer door telling her customers that she was temporarily indisposed and that she would be back soon.
I felt that this would have given her enough time to take care of her personal affairs.
I respectfully submit that this was probably one of the darkest moments when it came to customer service.
This lady could have been on the phone to her lawyer but she could have handled this in a more professional manner.
She has lost me as a customer but does she care?
Does she get it that she needs to change how she does business with her customers?
One simply cannot do both at once; be on the phone and at the same time interact with customers!
Hopefully this lady will think about this particular incident.
My final thoughts?
This is a typical example of how customer services and their reps are interacting today
And it will only continue to decline unless we take steps to reverse this very unhealthy and nasty trend!
Just my two cents for today!
Image = the Queen’s Alterations cleaners
To learn more about me as an Award Winning Sight Loss Coach and Advocate visit http://www.donnajodhan.com.