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Never Forget Who’s Paying You

By September 7, 2011Culture, Encouragement

If you have a job. Be thankful for those providing you an income.

Perhaps it’s a pet peeve of mine…maybe it’s generational…maybe it’s because in one day it seemed to happen everywhere I went, but I see a shortage of smiling, friendly faces in the work place. Some people simply don’t appear to enjoy their work and their customers get to experience that firsthand.

Perhaps it’s the way I was raised…

When I was 12 years old working in a grocery store for $1 an hour, I was proud of the $30 I took home each week. I put a smile on my face and treated customers well, even when I would have rather have been hanging out with my friends. Why? Because I was thankful for a job and knew their business at the store was helping to pay me. I’m not trying to sound boastful or arrogant or like a really old man 🙂 .  I wasn’t alone back then. It was the way most people I knew were raised also. (BTW, I’m not that old and never walked to school in the snow 🙂 )

I don’t know what’s changed…maybe it’s just me..but customer service seems to be lacking many places these days. In spite of the fact that many are looking for work, I seem to encounter employees who are rude, disinterested or just plain lazy many places I go. There still appears to be a desperate need for employees who are willing to work hard and be pleasant towards customers. I know small business owners who have agreed with and experience my observation.

Obviously there are plenty of places and individuals still offering a pleasant customer experience…I’ve had some very pleasant experiences with customer service even recently…so…if the shoe fits with this post wear it…otherwise I’ll see you next post, but if you have a job in…

Customer service

Retail

Restaurant

Medicine

TSA or other airport security

Government

And frankly…sometimes

Church

…if you have a job dealing with people, put your smile on, be pleasant to work with and be around, thank God for an income, and make your employer proud to write you a check each payday.

Any questions?

There. I feel much better.

Am I alone in recognizing the decline of customer appreciation skills? 

I also realize it goes both ways. Culturally speaking, the customer side may have changed too. I do know this…a pleasant attitude is more likely to attract a pleasant attitude. That’s why I’m making a pledge. If you work with me as a customer, I commit to giving you my best attitude as a customer. I’ll do my best to be a good part of your day. I realize how hard it is working with people everyday. I promise to be kind, courteous and patient (and that last one is hard for me 🙂 .) If tips are involved I will tip well. I’ll try to help you have a better day earning your income. Who’s with me in this? 

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Ron Edmondson

Author Ron Edmondson

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Join the discussion 13 Comments

  • True Ron! I have seen deteriorating customer service over a period of time. I fly to various projects of my organization as a part of my job requirement. The cabin crew and air hostess service to the passengers have become more ritualistic and theier customer service is on adecline for sure.

  • Anne says:

    *treating your service personnel like they are not human

  • Anne says:

    Speaking as one who has now worked 6 years in direct contact with customers, most are flat out rude. I can't tell you the number of times I've been talked down to, not looked at, yelled at, and even physically threatened. I try to put my all into my work and treat everyone who comes through as well as possible, to the point that I have certain customers who will only buy when I'm working. Now, I did not live in the days when $1 and hour was an acceptable wage, but I'm willing to bet that treating your service personnel was not acceptable then.

    I'd like to leave with this thought: Yes, those working in customer service should remember who's paying them, but those who are asking these people for help would be wise to remember who's giving them information / helping them pick a product / ringing up their total / preparing their food. It's a symbiotic relationship.

  • @kurtboemler says:

    Just curious, but how many of the commentors here have worked a service-based wage job in the last 10 years?

    Both my wife and I have. You know why these folks aren't smiling? It's because the work is often difficult with little compensation which usually equates to a job that becomes quite demeaning after time. I've worked at Walmart where they worked me 39.5 hours so that they didn't have to pay me benefits. I worked in a shoe store where my boss would call mandatory store meetings after closing with four hours notice whether it was your day off or not. I worked a security job at a major theme park where I was regularly scheduled 14 days in a row without a day off. All of this in the context of the last ten years.

    (As an aside, did you know that UPS drivers have had their quota increase from 120 stops in a day to 190 in the last decade without a comparative increase in compensation? At the same time, the fleet size has been reduced. What would it look like without the Teamsters representing the workers?)

    At none of these jobs was I treated like a human being with worth. I was a resource. It's a soul-sucking way to live. I was fortunate that I was not dependent on these jobs and I know I was working toward a career where I could answer my calling, but many are stuck in these positions, barely making it from meager paycheck to the next. And if it isn't bad enough not to be treated with any value by one's supervisor or employer, then there are the rude and self-entitled customer. I'm in the church biz now, and I'm appalled at how poorly church staff members and pastors treat service people. It makes me feel like some sort of freak when I treat servers well in that context.

    Chick-fil-a workers are good at what they do because Mr. Cathy understands that if one treats one's employees with respect, they will work hard for the company. Walmart workers are surly because they're getting crapped on by their managers who get crapped on by their mangers and onward and upward.

    So its not about age. Its not about location. Its about a culture that is shifting toward regarding people as commodity/resource/thing and treating them as such. So please, have a little bit of compassion. you don't know what kind of silent hell your unsmiling server might be living.

    But then again, your server could just be a jerk. Who knows, unless you ask?

  • Jon says:

    Ron, I think there are a lot of issues going on here. As was mentioned above, we live in a society that tosses out words like "hero" to anyone doing pretty much anything; who gives rewards for doing nothing, and stresses sameness instead of excellence. And it's not just the work places; it's parents as well and the church and …

    I see younger people walking around looking worse than we did in the '60's barely able to utter a cogent sentence totally fixed on their MP3 player. Things like pride, excellence, neatness, appearance, hard work, best effort and the like are NOT stressed. It's not that they aren't there, but words like entitlement are more common.

    And companies don't value the employees like they used to. Yes, you should be thankful for the job, but the employer needs to treat you well. Not that they shouldn't expect excellence, but if they are going to expect that, then they should work to give you the tools, and staff, and training, and pay that you need to do your job and survive. If you consistently have to go in and do the work or three for the pay of .8, that's going to get old fast.

  • Do you think, instead of age, it has to do with location? I only ask because I grew up in the south, and now live in the Midwest, and I notice a difference in attitude in regards to customer service (not a blanket statement, I have had bad experiences in south and positive in the north as well). But it seems to me here that the union mentality of, "You can't fire me," has permeated many other areas of the workplace. Maybe the younger workforce watched and listened to their parents and their attitudes at their factory jobs, and have now taken it to other area of the job market?

  • Greg Simmons says:

    No you are not alone in that sentiment. Even though jobs are hard to come by these days, it appears that many people in service industries don't care how they treat a customer – the sole source of their pay. Indifferent employees lead to indifferent customers which ultimately go somewhere else where their business is appreciated.

    There is one company that, for the most part, has excellent customer service regardless of location – Chick-fil-a. Truett Cathy realized a long time ago that he was in the customer service business first and the food business second and made that a part of the Chick-fil-a culture. Unlike other fast food chains where I'm supposed to be loving it or having it my way, the employees are expected to LOOK professional and BE professional – clean clothes, shirts tucked in, pleasant attitude followed by the famous "my pleasure" after providing excellent service. How refreshing in an industry too often filled with irritable employees aggravated that they are expected to help customers.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Thanks Greg. We have two Chick-fil-a operators in our church, so I frequent them often…not to mention I love their chicken! You are right. They do an excellent job here. There are several others who do also. As with most everything, it probably starts with leadership.

    • Jon says:

      I agree with the statements about CFA. I have had two sons work there; one is still working there and hopefully my third will start soon. They do stress the customer side of things and I don't think I have ever had any employee whether in person or over the drive-thru box ever come across as less than glad that I was there. Too many other fast food restaurants have employees that seem pained to even have to say "How can I help you"

  • jeremyschandler says:

    I actually was having a conversation about this yesterday. There are probably several main reasons why people are unsatisfied with their job, and thus don't bring the best attitude, but I think that one of the main reasons (for my generation at least) is that fact that we often feel under appreciated. We've grown up in a society that has given us a sticker on every paper and a trophy for sitting on the bench. We were paid for getting good grades. We got some sort of positive affirmation in almost everything that we did. And I don't want it to seem like I'm making excuses, just stating an observations.

    I think the thing my generation must do is change the perspective and expectations of our work. Right now, most of us are sitting in cubes waiting for the boss to tell us good job. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But, if we we're to change our perspective, we would view success differently and would probably end up being more productive.

    Tom Peter's talks about this perspective change a lot in "The Brand You". Essentially, we must view our employers as a client of ourselves. They're investing a certain amount of resources, training, time, and money into us. In return we use our skills, knowledge, experience, and time to provide them with the return they want. The power changes from a "you own me" relationship to a more mutually beneficial one. The key is to remember to use your time to grow as much as you can, learn as much as you can, and look for opportunities to shine. If we change our perspective, we'll won't rely as much on affirmation from our bosses, which will in-turn allow us to be more effective (and possibly earn the praise we've been seeking….)

    I know this is a really long-winded response. I think I'm just trying to put everything I have in my head onto paper….. And thanks for never paying Nate & I for good grades.

    • ronedmondson says:

      Jeremy, I'm mostly referring to those in service fields and working directly with customers, and not necessarily age related. I think the culture is changing and it impacts all age groups from what I can tell. That being said, you provide some excellent insight here into your generation. You help with some excellent advice for your generation too!

  • I have noticed a lack of good work ethic in many places these days as well. I may be a jerk but my tip is always at least 15% unless they are really poor. If they are really good it is always higher. I make the effort to come into their restaurant, they should be excited to see me and treat me well. Yeah, it should be that way in the church as well.