Indifference vs. Difference

It’s pretty easy to spot poor customer service and even easier to identify trends because we see the same mistakes made in retail locations everyday. In an article on HospitalityNet.org, Steve Curtin points out three behaviors that we all see on shopping trips and gives a simple explanation for why these unacceptable practices live on.

The behaviors are 1) employees checking text, emails and social media instead of attending to customers, 2) employees smoking just outside of the entrance of the store and 3) employees holding conversations with co-workers while helping customers. These conversations generally involve complaining about work, another co-worker or even a customer right in front of other customers. Curtin chalks this behavior up to indifference and questions whether the employees would act the same if they knew a division president would be making an on-site visit. He uses the tale of the, “Emperor’s New Clothes,” as an analogy for the apathy that enables these customer killing actions to proliferate.

On the flip side, consider the case of the King of Prussia Mall as documented in the Pottstown Mercury. This is a case where the Mall, not the mall tenants mind you, has hired a corporate trainer to help the customer service desk, mall greeters and maintenance staff improve customer service skills. The resulting stories of extraordinary customer service are exemplary. After training, a series of “mystery shops” were performed to judge things like friendliness and courteousness. The staff received a close to 100% score.

The King of Prussia Mall put an interesting tag on the program. They called it “Concierge Training” and made sure everybody who worked for the mall including the maintenance staff know what the expectation are. As a side note, it turned out that the maintenance staff is especially adept at applying the high standards.

The King of Prussia Mall is not afraid to say, as Curtin suggests, “The Emperor is Naked!” and battles the indifference though empowered and knowlegible employees who make a difference.