Some say customer service is a lost art, do you agree? ?

Yes, it seems rare that anyone goes the extra mile to

take care of a customer & gives their minimum effort.

Sunday night I went out to eat with 3 friends. The waiter

was obviously cramming in as many customers as he could.

Doing his 'job' but seemingly uncaring as everything he did

was in a rush! I felt rushed & so did the kids I was with; we

all wanted to finish up & leave! Had he been sincere in his

service, he would have received a much better tip!

does that help?

I agree. I think you should do your best whether you have a crummy job or not. If it's that crummy, why keep the job? When I worked retail, I may have had a bad day or two, but it always made me feel good to acknowledge a customer and be helpful. It drives me crazy to walk into a store somewhere and the employees don't even look up. Even just a nod or a smile - just an acknowledgment that I'm there. It's not much to ask.

time warner is always good, apple is always good. Customer service is not a lost art.

verizon is always bad. anthem is always bad. att is hit or miss.

I'm just using names many people would know...

this has nothing to do with etiquette, it's more work or consumer related, but good customer service is subjective. some people want to be raging dillweeds and still expect everyone to be nice to them. on the other hand, some customer service reps unfairly take their aggression out on people who genuinely need help solving problems.

Some people don't belong in customer service jobs period. There is a woman who works at the grocery store near me who is always hostile for no apparent reason. Not necessarily with the customers, she is usually pissed at another co-worker and complaining about it but it makes for a horrible experience every time I end up in her line.

I personally work in customer service and I think I do a pretty good job of at least pretending I'm happy to be there and happy to see the customers (most days anyway) but my manager is awful with them. Customers will ask him completely legitimate questions like "see this giant hole in these pants? Could I get a discount on them?" and he flips out on them. He'll yell at them to read the price tag that's what they cost, buy them or get out.. Yesterday he yelled at a couple customers for not putting away the things they weren't going to buy. I mean I would love for them to put their stuff back if they don't want it but since they don't work there I don't think we get to demand that..

it depends where you are. if you work at a fast food restaurant or a grocery store, you're working shifts for minimum pay and have no intentions of making a career out of it.

but i remember in paris, at nice restaurants, the older waiters have done it their whole lives, and there's really an art to it. i remember a guy folding tablecloths so precisely and happily hah

well i do customer service at my work.. and i have to tell you.. were not always in abad mood.. and we dont make the rules.. sometimes we even think its wrong when a customer calls and complains and there right but our supervisors wont do anytinng about it.. ive been bitched at and yelled at.. and some people are extrememlt rude. sometimes all you can say is sorry and try to make them more confrotbale like maybe like free shipping or sometign bt yeah.. sometimes there nothing we can do about it..

No, there are still allot of companies who care.

Many companies don't have the right people in a customer service position. You must have a person who knows how to react in a crisis situation, and make the customer feel like he's wanted and is being taken care of, too may of them are offensive, abusive, and just plain stupid. This translates into lost $$$ for the company, but allot of managers today are too blind and too stupid to realize this, they're only focused on their wallets and their name on the door.

Verizon, in my opinion has the worst customer service of any company.

But, everything changes, someday an executive at a major corporation will step up, see the light, and upgrade his customer service, this will get big media attention and everyone else will do it because its the "in" thing.

Two words that they can use, that would make a big difference.

Please and Thank You!!

please let me help you, please let me hear whats bothering you, please let me tell you how I can help you...

Thank You for giving me the opportunity to help you, Thank You for doing business with us, Thank You for calling...

It all just takes common sense.

i try to be as nice and as helpful as possible , but sometimes people just push my buttons . I work in my schools bookstore , and this guy went off on me because we didnt have a dressing room for him to try on a pair of sweat pants .

I really don't like the people who start off the transaction in a store with a stone face without saying anything. It's part of their job to at least act polite right? Say hello? Say thank you and good bye?

Stupid young girls seem to always act like that. Once, a girl did that and in the end, tossed the change on the table even when i had my hand outstretched to get the change. That is just rude!

Another youngish girl at whole foods was telling the bagger how she 'felt like ****' the whole time she rang me up. Ugh. My friends assume that it's because they are young women and so am i, and that they feel demeaned to have to "serve" their peer, but still, they need to get over it and not be so bitter if that is the case.

ok i feel better getting that out, haha.

Well, it depends on how you approach the clerk !!!

An attitude gets you nowhere.