Where has all the customer service gone?

This past weekend I gave two separate Publix bakeries the opportunity to be my hero. And to my dismay, both stores failed to rise to the occasion. I had overlooked ordering the right kind of cake for my son’s birthday, assuming that I’d be able to find something at the store without too much trouble. After all, I only needed a quarter sheet cake with a flat top where I could place a photo frosting sheet that I had purchased online, to go with my son’s Anime themed party. I figured they’d have an undecorated cake in the freezer or something. Unfortunately, every single cake was covered in sickeningly sweet roses and distorted blobs that were probably meant to represent balloons, but were applied by someone who was likely stocking shelves last week and figured cake decorating would be, (forgive me) “a piece of cake.” I had seen a Publix commercial where a woman was in the midst of some sort of cake emergency and a delightful Publix baker saved the day. Surely, it wouldn't be that big of a deal to scrape off a few roses and smooth out the icing? Apparently I was wrong. Staff at both bakeries told me that they could not (would not) do that for me. Their attitude was, “Here’s what we have. Take it or leave it.”

I understand that sometimes you can’t help a customer. Part of the reason I was not on the ball with the cake ordering thing was the fact that Publix would not do a cartoon character photo topper due to copyright issues. So I had to order it online and pay an extra $17 for overnight shipping. But I completely understand this instance of not being able to serve a customer. It breaks Publix’ rules, which are set in place to keep them from being sued. I get it and respect it and didn't push the matter. But as far as my problem with the cake itself, I was able to take a cake home, scoop off the flowers and do an adequate job of smoothing out the top myself, in a matter of minutes. Publix, with their better tools and infinite quantities of icing, could have fixed the cake in the bakery and made it look much better than I did.

I’m not sure if it was laziness or lack of training that led to my disappointment (in two different stores), but what really got me was the sense of apathy. Let’s say that there was a lack of training and that the bakery worker didn't know how to fix the cake. Or maybe bakery workers can’t do anything that’s out of the norm…think about restaurants who refuse to alter a menu item for a customer because they can’t figure out how to put it into the computer. No matter what the reason was for these bakers to not be able to help me, there should have been some expression of empathy and remorse that they couldn't do better. It would have only taken a moment for one of them to come from behind the bakery case to say, “I know how you feel, let’s see if we can come up with some ideas based on what’s here in the case.” That’s all I would have needed for me to walk away from there without spending much more time thinking about it. Instead, I started thinking about every disappointing Publix bakery experience I’d ever had…like when they stopped making my favorite lemon cupcakes, or the fact that I can never get chocolate cake at the Publix nearest my house, and that every decorated birthday cake that we order has clearly been decorated by an amateur and never looks like the photo in the catalog. I’m ready to give up on Publix bakeries now.

I was chatting with my girlfriend, Vashti, at the party about my poor customer service experience at Publix and she countered with some of her own stories of recent customer dis-service. Vashti’s in the middle of renovating a new house, and is therefore ready and willing to spend thousands of dollars on home improvement supplies. She’s been at Home Depot nearly every day for a couple of weeks. You’d think she’d be on a first name basis with most of the employees there. Instead, she had to chase down employees to try to get them to help her, and had them literally tell her that they wouldn't help her. Now we’re not talking about them saying, “No we don’t have that item in stock, but perhaps I have something else that will work,” or, “No, that’s not the right product for the job, but here’s what you should use.” In one trip, she was looking at lighting and wanted someone to check on pricing for an item that was on a high shelf. Several people told her, “I don’t work in this department,” or, “I can’t help you.” She was finally able to locate an employee who cared enough about the business and its customers to climb up on a ladder and get the item down for her. 

On another trip, Vashti wanted information on counter-tops. The employee in the kitchen department told her, “Oh it’s going to be a lot of trouble. We’ll have to send someone out to measure, etc…” But when Vashti tried to make an appointment to get someone out there to measure for her counter-tops, she was blown off. Maybe the Home Depot employee thought the job was too small. It’s the only reason I can think of that would someone would refuse to make an appointment in that situation. But what they neglected to consider was that even though the counter-top job was relatively small, this woman was renovating an entire house by herself and had she been treated like an important customer (as all customers should be) she would have continued to patronize this store. Instead, not only did they lose her business for the counter-top job, she is unlikely to do any more shopping at that store when there is a Lowes and an Ace Hardware right down the street.

In an economy where people are desperate for work, I can’t understand why people who are fortunate enough to have a job, don’t do everything they can to be the absolute best at their job. In most instances, I feel that it’s the fault of the company that employs these people. There is obviously inadequate training and a lack of accountability on the parts of both the employees and the managers. No employee will ever care as much about a company as the company owners do. Employees are usually paid, whether or not the customer is happy. A business that is large enough to have employees needs to establish a thorough training program with emphasis on customer service above all else. It’s not enough to just get through your day and to do the tasks that you’re assigned. Sometimes my teen-aged son will mop the floor, but there is still crud left on the floor. And I have to explain to him that the act of passing the mop over the floor is not what I’m asking him to do. I’m asking him to use the mop as a tool to create a clean floor. And even if the mop has touched every part of the floor, that doesn't necessarily mean the job is done. Employees’ interactions with customers are the greatest factor in whether or not a company retains a customer’s business. They need to be taught that their job is not simply to accomplish tasks of stocking shelves or babysitting a cash register. Their job is to be a part of the customer experience, to help solve the problem of every customer who walks through the door, and to help build the reputation of the business that will promote longevity and success for that business.

As a small business owner, you may be your only employee. Which means you are the only person who can create that ideal customer experience. In a party situation, you sort of take the roll of an employee who is tasked with making the party host look good so that everyone talks about how awesome the party was. So ask yourself, “When I go do a gig, am I simply doing the work (face painting, henna, tattoos, etc…) or am I helping to create an experience that will make these party guests think that the party host is the best party host ever?” 

In Japan, it is considered rude to tell someone, “No.” The word is practically non-existent in their language. A business person will strive to come to some agreement or compromise that will allow the business relationship to continue. It is extremely rare when I have to tell a customer, “No, I can’t help you.” If a customer is asking for something that I can’t accommodate, usually an unwarranted discount because they’re “having a hard time and can really use a discount,” I will try to at least give them some ideas on how to get what they need. I understand and relate to having a hard time and needing a discount. But it wouldn't be fair to my retailers or my other customers if I just randomly gave out discounts. I find out what kind of budget the customer has and give them suggestions on how to get the most value for their money. Sometimes they just need someone with a little experience to help them think outside of the box. 

In our industry, the number one reason that causes us to disappoint a customer is probably related to scheduling. We simply can’t be in two places at once, and it seems that everyone wants their party to be held on the same day at the same time. When you start having that problem, it might be time to start considering hiring employees. I’ve had people call and ask for a henna artist or a face painter for a last minute event or because the person that they hired had cancelled, and even if I didn't have a henna artist or a face painter available, I can always find someone who can do glitter tattoos. Any one of my kids could do that for a party, and the client will remember my company for saving their day. When you do start hiring employees, just remember that training does not stop at teaching them how to provide face and body art services. The most important service that they will provide is customer service.