OK, I am about to rant a little, but I just can't take it one more minute! If I walk into another retail store where some disembodied, twenty-something voice from behind me in the clothing racks or from the back of the store says "Welcome to [fill in the blank]", scarring the hell out of me, I am going postal!!! Don't these young people know what real customer service means? Don't they know you need to make EYE CONTACT with the customer when they enter your establishment, then speak? Didn't their manager's look up from their IPhones or Blackberries long enough to explain this one important component to the "official greeting"?
For heaven's sake! Stop rattling off your greeting like a Pavlovian dog the minute you hear the door chime. Move your ass across the showroom floor and get in my line of vision before engaging me in conversation. Instead, you're giving me a whiplash from trying to find you, while I'm doing an impression of Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver,...."Are you talkin' to me?...Are you talkin' to ME?!"
The only retail store that has really impressed me lately with their customer service is, believe it or not, the AT&T Wireless store. I hope the smart marketing executive that turned these stores around got a huge raise. I used to dread the AT&T store. You would stand around for what seemed an eternity before any of those snotty kids would look up from their computer screens to help you. Now, it's an entirely new experience. You are greeted face-to-face at the door by a polite, well trained customer service rep and that customer service rep stays with you every step of the way until you leave the store. Excellent! A+, AT&T. My only complaint is the last time I was in the AT&T store to purchase a hands-free system for my car, the young woman helping me suggested a system she knew I would like because her mom really liked hers. Ouch!
Happy Organizing
