Odds are if you ever spent time in the service industry you have a pretty good understanding of the welcoming process. Whether you are the clerk at the front desk, the host at a restaurant, or a door greeter, you are sometimes the first impression of the company you serve.
I have cringed way too many times recently while on a day job assignment in another state because of the callousness of people working on the front lines in service. In fact, some of the experiences have been appalling.
One of my experiences was so bad that I promised myself I would share the experience in future training sessions. I was in self check-out. I prefer to interact with cashiers but this wasn't really an option because all the lanes were closed but one and it was crowded. There were signs on multiple self check-out machines indicating they were out of order.
My check-out situations are outside the norm as I prefer multiple receipts for reimbursement purposes. Apparently, this alerts the person watching over self checkout that there is a problem. My "checker" was completely oblivious. In fact, when I asked for help he appeared annoyed. This happened a second time when his help didn't really help. This checker was even more annoyed at my second request. Finally I was all set. Trying to be nice, I walked over to him and thanked him for his help. That's when he gave me the "look." It's the same look a football coach gives the ref when he disagrees with a call. It's not the look you give when a paying customer is simply asking for help.
Pay careful attention to your body language the next time you are interacting with others, especially if you are on the clock. Have a great day.
No comments:
Post a Comment