Pick up a copy of today’s paper to read our Customer Service special section. Read a piece from it below.

Examples of bad customer service

 

We asked our Facebook friends “what is your pet peeve” in customer service?

1. Trying to assist me when I didn’t ask for help.
2. Phone calls not returned.
3. Arrogance.
4. Standing alone at the counter while employees are complaining about their boss.
5. When employees stop serving you to talk to other employees including management about when they need to take their break.
6. When I am invisible.
7. Not being able to speak with a real person (on the phone).
8. When they don’t really know what they are doing.
9. When they don’t apologize for mistakes or appreciate your business.
10. When you are given a robot answer “thank you for shopping.”
11. When they give you the wrong change and then act like it was something you did wrong.
12. When a cashier who is ringing up your purchases talks to another employee.
13. Coughing or sneezing into their hands and then getting my change.
14. When they don’t verbally say the total, then when I look at them, they make a swiping hand motion toward the display on the register as if to say, “There’s the total right there, stupid.”
15. Complaining about how short staffed/busy they are today.

Do any of these answers sound familiar?
What should you do about this as a customer?

 

Examples of best and worst customer service traits

 

We asked the Tribune’s Facebook friends the following: What is the No. 1 best customer service trait?

A smile!

Taking your time with your guests so you build a relationship with them.

Saying “yes.”

Listening.

Whatever, whenever.

Anticipating and exceeding the guests’ expectations

Empowered employees who truly like their job.
What is the No. 1 worst customer service trait?

Misdirecting or misleading the guest so they’ll go away.

Dealing with a company where owners have little appreciation for the servers on the front line and or dealing directly with those owners.

Making your guests feel like you have better things to do than wait on them.

Acting like you are right and the customer’s an idiot.

Saying “no.”