Have we as a nation become so accustomed to terrible customer service?

So accustomed that we don’t even notice it anymore? 🤷‍♀️

Or worse, we don’t recognise good customer service when it tries to smack us in the face? 🤛

Last Friday I had the pleasure of spending an hour or so in the company of Greeter’s Guild’s (only) member Troy Hawke, I’m sure you’ll have seen him on your Facebook or Insta feed - he’s the guy in the purple smoking jacket.

Troy was so outraged at various retailing giants’ bad customer service reviews 📉 👎

That he launched a one-man crusade to make people smile…

Sounds simple, doesn’t it? 😃

And who wouldn’t want this dapper gentleman with his:

Pencil moustache👨

Sporting his signature purple smoking jacket 🧥

Positioned at their door 🚪

Greeting unsuspecting customers with friendliness such as…

‘We’re delighted to have you as a customer’, 😁

And then upon leaving…

‘Thank you for shopping at our store, did you get everything you needed? Have the BEST day!’ 👋

Well, it seems there are plenty of retailers out there who aren’t quite so enamoured with greeting their customers with unsolicited compliments! 🙄😡

Cue the below conversation between Troy and a manager of a well-known DIY store (diplomatically remaining anonymous for the purposes my post!)…🤣

Store manager: Who are you and what are you doing?

Troy: Hello, I’m from the Greeters’ Guild just to improve customer service in the post-pandemic era, to put a smile on everyone’s faces. 😊

Store Manager: No, we don’t want it, thank you. ❌

Troy: You don’t want a smile on anyone’s face? 😀

Store Manager: No, cos we’ve got customers complaining. 😩

Troy: Oh, what was the nature of the complaints if you don’t mind me asking? 🤔

Store Manager: That you’re greeting them. 👋

Troy: They’re complaining that I’m greeting them?🫢

Store Manager: Yeah. It’s not what we’re about. 😮

Troy: You don’t like friendliness? 😻

Store Manager: No. ❌

Troy: Fair enough, I understand, I’m off-brand, I’m off-brand.

Troy (to customer): Welcome to [store name] 🔨🪛🪚 sir, 😊 I hope you find everything you need.

Store Manager: No we don’t want that, we don’t want that. 🛑

You get the idea…

I’m utterly discombobulated (you’ll have to ask Jack Grealish about that one…⚽️) how anyone would turn away free friendliness and smiles 😃 from their customer experience.

The question is your business greeting customers like Troy?

If you’re welcoming them with open arms and making the feel special that’s awesome. 👏

HOWEVER

If you’re like the grumpy store manager then you’re likely loosing business 💰

MAYBE

Don’t know what your customer experience is like or where to start?

If so drop me a message!

And in the words of the great Troy Hawke:

‘Shoulders back, admit your mistakes, don’t take any nonsense…

And you have a great day 😉’

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