Whatever Happened to Customer Service?
Okay, it's rant day on my blog. Yesterday both my girls tested positive for strep, and I told the doc my son also had a cough and sore throat. She said if he still felt bad this morning, to bring him in to be tested.
So, since he only wants to miss one day of school and you have to be on anitbiotics for 24 hours before you're not contagious, I dragged my ass out of bed at the usual 6:20 (which sucks when nobody's going to school) and took him in first thing this morning. The clinic is open for walk-ins from 8 - 9 a.m. and I wanted to be first in line.
Well, we were second. When we pulled into the parking lot at 7:50, there was already a car waiting, a dad with his little girl who's still small enough to be riding in a rear-facing car seat. As we sat there waiting for the doors to open, several cars pulled into the lot between 7:55 and 8:05 but they were all nurses/office people. The doors weren't unlocked until 8:05, and they didn't start taking people back until 8:15. Even then, they were waiting for the computers to boot up, etc., and even though we just needed to see a nurse for the throat culture, we weren't taken back until 8:25, after a couple of other walk-ins who showed up.
You know, in my day (yeah, back in the stone age, ya whippersnappers), I always had to be at work early enough to get any necessary prep done before my shift actually started. If the sign on the door said we opened at 8 a.m., that door was unlocked right at 8 a.m. (or sooner) and we were all in place, ready to help people. When I was a cashier at TG&Y, I had to have my register counted and ready to check people out before the doors opened in case someone just wanted to duck in the door for a pack of gum on their way to work. When I worked in an office, I was expected to be there at least 15 minutes early to get the coffee started, the computers booted up, etc. Even now, after all these years, I'm 10-15 minutes early for EVERYTHING. The kids are at school at least 10 minutes early so they have time to get to their lockers and find what they need for their first class.
Unfortunately, that kind of work ethic seems to be a thing of the past, at least around here. Every single time I go someplace right when they're supposed to open, they're invariably 5-10 minutes late (or more) unlocking the doors and nobody's ready to help me after the doors open. What happened?! Even if the employees don't care about punctuality and preparedness, you'd think the employers would. Is being late and already falling behind first thing in the morning the kind of rep you want your business to have?
On the other hand, I have a degree in business management and a buttload of continuing education in leadership and customer service, much of it from Disney Institute, so my standards are pretty high. Am I just expecting too much?
So, since he only wants to miss one day of school and you have to be on anitbiotics for 24 hours before you're not contagious, I dragged my ass out of bed at the usual 6:20 (which sucks when nobody's going to school) and took him in first thing this morning. The clinic is open for walk-ins from 8 - 9 a.m. and I wanted to be first in line.
Well, we were second. When we pulled into the parking lot at 7:50, there was already a car waiting, a dad with his little girl who's still small enough to be riding in a rear-facing car seat. As we sat there waiting for the doors to open, several cars pulled into the lot between 7:55 and 8:05 but they were all nurses/office people. The doors weren't unlocked until 8:05, and they didn't start taking people back until 8:15. Even then, they were waiting for the computers to boot up, etc., and even though we just needed to see a nurse for the throat culture, we weren't taken back until 8:25, after a couple of other walk-ins who showed up.
You know, in my day (yeah, back in the stone age, ya whippersnappers), I always had to be at work early enough to get any necessary prep done before my shift actually started. If the sign on the door said we opened at 8 a.m., that door was unlocked right at 8 a.m. (or sooner) and we were all in place, ready to help people. When I was a cashier at TG&Y, I had to have my register counted and ready to check people out before the doors opened in case someone just wanted to duck in the door for a pack of gum on their way to work. When I worked in an office, I was expected to be there at least 15 minutes early to get the coffee started, the computers booted up, etc. Even now, after all these years, I'm 10-15 minutes early for EVERYTHING. The kids are at school at least 10 minutes early so they have time to get to their lockers and find what they need for their first class.
Unfortunately, that kind of work ethic seems to be a thing of the past, at least around here. Every single time I go someplace right when they're supposed to open, they're invariably 5-10 minutes late (or more) unlocking the doors and nobody's ready to help me after the doors open. What happened?! Even if the employees don't care about punctuality and preparedness, you'd think the employers would. Is being late and already falling behind first thing in the morning the kind of rep you want your business to have?
On the other hand, I have a degree in business management and a buttload of continuing education in leadership and customer service, much of it from Disney Institute, so my standards are pretty high. Am I just expecting too much?
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