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Re:Focus: Why You Shouldn’t Hire An Ostrich To Do Customer Service

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For some time Customer Care has morphed into Customer Scare. We don't treat the people we assist as human beings-they are annoyances we wish would disappear. Even in pleasant interactions I hear people respond to my saying "thank you" with "no problem." Of course, it's NO problem!!! I'm the customer!!! How about responding with "MY PLEASURE!" In today's world, where having a job is treasured, why do some of us act like it's a burden?

With that intro, here is a post from Re:Focus, Simon Sinek's blog, that addresses this issue:

From Re:Focus via sinekpartners.typepad.com:

When an ostrich feels threatened it buries its head in the sand. The ostrich believes, so the theory goes, that if it can’t see you, then you don’t exist. Danger averted. This is one of the primary reasons we don’t hire ostriches for customer service jobs. Simply ignoring a customer will not alleviate their problem nor will it make them go away. It may come as a surprise then how many customer service professionals seem to have been trained by ostriches.

Just a few days ago, I walked up to a counter at the airport to ask the gate agent a quick and simple question. I saw she was on the phone as I approached and expected to wait a minute or two. As she saw me approach she averted her eyes down and away. I stood and waited patiently.

Standing right next to her, I could hear her call. It was about something work related but it included a lot of he-said-she-said also. I only had a quick question; she wouldn’t even need to look anything up on her computer or even end her conversation. I politely interrupted, “I’m sorry, can you tell me where the B terminal is please?” Instead of asking whoever was on the other end of the line to hold on a second so she could quickly answer my question, she actually turned away from me even more, not even acknowledging that I existed. Like an ostrich, she thought that if she couldn’t see me, then I don’t exist or at least I’d go away.

I didn’t go away. Instead, I seethed.

I tend not to be the seething sort, so it fascinated me why I seethed. Was it because I want all the attention and I expect to be listened to and heard on my terms, when I wanted it, especially by someone who is supposed to be in a customer service role?

I could have easily walked away and asked someone else. I probably could have found a sign if I looked around a little more. Damn her, she’s a customer service agent and I’m a customer!

Nope. It was none of those things.

A few days later, I was in a hotel and wanted to know which way the conference center was. Again, a simple question that wouldn’t require anyone to do any work, look anything up on a computer or even stop what they were doing. Just like a few days before, I approached the concierge counter and the concierge was on the phone. Like a few days before, she was talking about something work related but there was clearly a little extra friendly banter. Like a few days before, she didn’t interrupt her call to help me. She continued to talk on the phone leaving me standing there to wait for her. But she did one simple thing completely different. She looked over the phone, held up her finger and mouthed the words, “I’ll be right with you…”

I didn’t go away this time either…but this time, I felt fine.

No seething. No anger. No incensed customer demanding immediate attention.

So often, companies forget that 100% of customers are people. And people are human. And humans are a sensitive sort. A delicate mix of caffeine, sleep-deprivation, hormones, uncertainty, social awkwardness, stubbornness and a dash of the-world-revolves-around-me-because-I’m-the-customer. Though we think we want answers and immediate attention, in reality we just want to be acknowledged. We just want someone to show us, in some way, that they recognize that we exist. If we don’t get that, we demand even more than we really need and act like a buffoon until we do. In contrast, if our existence is acknowledged, we show remarkable patience and generosity.

More than one of my friends have complained to me that when they come over to my apartment, I just scream out come in. They will walk in while I’m finishing an email and, without looking up, I’ll just shout out, “hey.” The first time I heard the complaint I pushed back, “I’ve known you for years, you’ve been here thousands of times, just give me a minute and I’ll give you all my attention.” Then I added the kicker, “why so selfish?” But my friends are human (for the most part) and are, like me, a sensitive lot. So after more than one person told me it was rude, I tried taking my head out of the ground.

Now, when my friends come over, I hear the same knock and, even if the door is unlocked, I get up and let them in. “Hey,” I say, “come in, I’m just finishing an email, give me a minute and I’ll be right with you.” They say, “don’t worry, take as long as you want.” I get more time to finish what I need to and no one feels uncomfortable.

Perhaps we should change the term "customer service representative" to "people service representative" just to remind everyone that customers are people too.

p.s. no need to send me an email telling me that ostriches don't actually bury their heads in the sand. I know they don't. But that doesn't change the fact that too many customer service representatives do.

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Listen Up, American Airlines! There is NO excuse for RUDE!

I don't cry pretty and to tell you why I was crying will add to my embarrassing display of snot-nosed, mascara running tears: someone was mean to me. She was rude, unkind, and disprespectful and those were the positives I took away from our encounter.

Let's back up a bit: I fly to Chicago frequently to visit my mother, now age 92 and suffering some form of dementia. My favorite domestic airline is Southwest; however, it flies into Midway Airport which is much farther from my mom's home than O'Hare Airport. That means I must fly either United or American Airlines. Oops, I need to back up even more:

For years and years I loved flying on American Airlines. Do you remember some years ago when American had more legroom in Coach? How cool was that? My "Loss of Love" Affair with American Airlines began when a flight attendant told me I was sitting in the wrong seat, 9D. A stockily built mega-frequent flyer was standing next to her and carried the same boarding pass as I had. The flight attendant told me that my "travel agent" must have made a mistake and that there was no way I could be carrying a boarding pass for 9D. I looked at the piece of paper---yep, it said 9D--no mistake! And, by the way I was the travel agent who issued this ticket. Trust me, there was no mistake. Not wanting to create a scene (like I did today), I meekly moved to another seat while the flight attendant counseled me to take this up with the person who booked the ticket and had obviously screwed up.

Fast forward several years--post 9/11--to an age where bus travelers are treated with more civility than some travelers are treated by the major US airlines. Who would have thought that a low-cost airline, Southwest, would rise to the top of the food chain and teach the arrogant big dogs some new tricks? Southwest has a good on-time record; their flight attendants are, for the most part, pleasant, kind and efficient. I've never lost a piece of luggage checked on Southwest---oh, and Southwest doesn't charge passengers to check luggage! Imagine that!

So, back to the present:

I flew to Chicago on Thursday morning and was braced for chaos and crowds because the annual Spring Break exodus began this week. All went smoothly-from parking at the Parking Spot (another fave!), going through Security (smiling employees!!!) and the flight to Chicago with a non-smiling but efficient American Airlines crew.
I usually rent cars from Hertz and that, too, went well. For some reason, the car lacked the usual "IPass" decal that allows me to breeze through the toll booth without stopping, but not a big deal...until (this is where it gets interesting...) I locked my car and could not get back in. I could unlock the trunk with the key and even attempted to
push the back seat down to squeeze into the inside of the car. How can my key unlock the trunk but not the car??? GRRRRR! I was ready for bear. Calling Hertz, I announced "I'm locked out of my car!" The reservationist transferred my call to Roadside Assist. "Here goes nothing," I thought. I couldn't have been more wrong. EVERYONE I dealt with at Hertz was amazing. Rick, at Roadside Assist, with help from Laura and William, arranged for a locksmith to come and unlock the car. Rick even checked Hertz local locations to see if I could avoid driving back to O'Hare to exchange the car. It seems the car had a mind of its own and kept locking itself and not allowing anyone inside! Unable to find cars other than at O'Hare I drove to O'Hare and was treated royally. Thank you Maria, Tracey and Vicky!!! You are amazing! You took a problem and turned it into an opportunity to show how your customer service is superb! Long ago I've learned that we all experience potholes in the road of life. What counts is how we're treated by those assigned to rectify the error--do they shrug their shoulders, look away, or grab a shovel and fill the hole to help me and others who will follow? It's not the problem that's important, it's the satisfactory resolution!
Hertz
Fast forward to today: I was alerted on my mobile phone that my American flight would be delayed---well after the time I needed to already be at the airport to clear security, yada, yada, yada. No problem---I brought my laptop, a book, and some knitting. Easy does it, right? I went to the assigned gate and about 1/2 hour prior to boarding I noticed several people walk over to the waiting area and sit down. "Hi, are you going to Kansas City?" "No," the lady replied, "San Diego." I looked up and the sign behind the counter said, "San Diego." I rushed to a monitor and saw our flight was moved from H14 to H10. I quickly moved to the correct gate.

Because I had yet to learn that the flight from Chicago to Kansas City had been yet again delayed, I wanted to be sure I was at the correct gate because according to the first delayed take-off time, boarding was about to begin. I saw an employee of American Air

Must be a parallel universe to what I experienced!

lines behind the ticket counter and I decided to double-check that I was at the appropriate gate. I waited while a curly-haired employee continued to look down avoiding eye contact. "Is this the flight to Kansas City?" Holding up a finger, while continuing to stare down at her computer screen, she then said, "I'll be right back." She went over to the jetway and looked in. I obediently waited at her desk. She returned and began to type again. "Excuse me," I said, "Is this...?" Again, the hand up telling me to wait. "I'll be with you in 20 minutes. I have a plane to load!" "I just want to know..." "The rebooking Center is by Gate H7," she said and looked down again. Actually, she made that remark to a gentleman who had been waiting 20 minutes for help. I followed him to the rebooking center--a bank of phones to American's Reservation department and automated kiosks. Realizing this wouldn't help me, I returned to the gate, looked at the list of departures and saw my answer, Gate H10! Bingo...but another delay--this time 2 more hours. I sat down, called my husband and told him I'd be even later than I thought. I then described the incident I've dubbed Barbara Meets the Ice Agent, said our usual mushy private stuff, and hung up. I saw the Ice Agent look up and decided to suggest to her she might consider treating customers as living, breathing, feeling human beings. I walked over to the ticket counter and asked if I could speak with her. She said, "If you can wait 20 minutes." What's with this 20 minute rule, huh? I asked the agent for her name. She told me but, because I have a hearing loss, her voice sounded muffled. I asked her to spell her name. Instead, she repeated her name 3 times and I finally heard "Maria." I expressed that I couldn't wait 20 minutes, so she told me to talk to the employee next to her, Wayne, her supervisor. And that is when I lost it. The tears, the snot, the...I know TMI!  Wayne (or was it Lee? It was Lee Wayland or Wayne Leeland...can't remember). Mr. Supervisor listened--well, let me restate. He acted as if he heard and understood what I was saying. He acted like I had a good idea about people treating each other with respect. However, after all was said, tears slowed down, and the mascara created a tic-tac-toe board on my cheeks, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I'm sorry you feel that way. There's nothing I can do!"

American Airlines, NOW HEAR THIS: You have a serious problem with morale-employee and customer alike. Here's a little suggestion to you, Mr. management and Ms. employee: Please treat your customers with respect. Without us, your customers, you won't have a job. I guess that's one way to solve a problem with customer service, eh?

At last you've reached the tail end of this post. A piece of advice: Fly Southwest!