It is so sad to see the deterioration of guest service in America. Odds are, if you walk into a convenience store to buy a coffee or a soda, more than likely, the only interaction you’ll get from the clerk behind the counter is “Three dollars.” Whatever happened to simple niceties in this instance such as:
- How are you today?
- Did you find everything you need?
- Is there anything else I can help you with?
- That’ll be three dollars. Have a great day- I hope to see you soon!
All of these simple niceties are important for a guest to feel good.
I often ask my audiences if they’ve seen the movie Back to the Future. Most people raise their hands and then I ask, “Did you see Back to the Future in the movie theater?” as the movie has just reached its 30th year anniversary. The reason I ask this is because when I saw Back to the Future in the movie theater, one of the funniest scenes was when Michael J. Fox is back in the 1950s and he walks by a gas station, a car pulls around behind him and pulls into a gas station next to the pump, goes over the little black line and a DING! DING! is heard and four people sprint to the car. One guy pumps the gas, one guy washes the window, one guy checks the oil and one guy checks the tire pressure. The theater erupts in laughter. Why? Because nowadays you’re lucky if the guy behind the bulletproof glass even looks at you when he takes your money at a gas station. Sadly, that’s what we’ve come to accept as service in America.
I am convinced that people will spend their money in a business that might not have the best product or the best pricing, but the business that makes you feel good!
