We have all been there. You enter a store and are ignored by surly employees who appear to be annoyed because you may have disturbed their “social” media surfing. Or your server gets your food order wrong and then expects to receive a 25 per cent tip. Or you cannot even find someone knowledgeable to help you find a vital item in a hardware store. Or the expensive vacuum cleaner you just purchased really sucks, literally.
While bad customer “experiences” are all too common, consumers are also more demanding than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic. Surveys consistently show that customers’ expectations have become higher in the last few years.
The pandemic forced everyone to pivot, and in many cases, the new habits adopted during lockdowns have stuck around. After people became accustomed to home delivery and curbside pick-up, many rarely drop by the conventional brick and mortar shops. About 75 per cent of Canadians make e-commerce purchases.
When they do make in-person transactions, consumers tend to demand a high level of service, especially since the price of everything has gone through the roof.
Customer service can make or break a business, according to consumer polls, which show that about 60 per cent of shoppers will switch brands if the “customer experience” is lacking. Common complaints are a lack of empathy, rude staff, long wait times, clueless employees and out of stock items.
Anyone with a customer-facing job knows that serving the public can be difficult.
Consumers should try to walk a mile in the shoes of service workers. There are always certain customers who demand special treatment and think they are the only people in the store.
During the pandemic, people who worked in the essential service sector were hailed as heroes. Employers would post signs thanking employees for showing up to work and customers were urged to be kind to the business’s dedicated staff. But that was way back when “we were all in this together.” Today, everyone seems to be surly. It is not just a Canadian thing.
According to the Gallup Global Emotions Report, anger levels have been rising around the world since 2016, with 23 per cent of respondents now feeling angry on any given day. Four in 10 adults said they experienced a lot of worry or stress while 27 per cent experienced sadness.
Inflation and “tipflation” are raising blood pressure levels. Nobody is forced to tip, but leaving a restaurant without leaving a gratuity is just plain gauche. At the same time it is hard to swallow the suggestion that customers should leave more than the 15 per cent tip.
Customers are justifiably taken aback when they are handed a payment terminal and the recommended tip range is between 18 and 25 per cent.
To be fair we must also remember that it is still possible to be treated well at many places where the “customer is always right” dictum reigns.
The thing is that the unpleasant incidents tend to stick in the craw much longer than the happy interactions.
What are you to do if you are dissatisfied with a product or service? Firstly, take a deep breath. The federal Office of Consumer Affairs, in its list of tips on how to register a complaint, stresses that you should remain calm. Be polite. Respect is a two-way street. A courteous tone can get you better and quicker results. Emphasize your desire to solve the problem and have a positive relationship with the business. Be ready to propose a solution that will resolve your complaint.
If you are a repeat customer, say that you would hate to take your business elsewhere. If you are a new customer, mention that unless the grievance is resolved amicably, you have been there for the first and last time.
Most reputable businesses will listen to a customer who has a problem and who proposes a reasonable solution to resolve it.
Some corporations and governments rely heavily on customer service software, employing “automated agents” rather than humans to deal with complaints.
The bottom line is that no matter how well a business or organization is run, you cannot please all of the people all of the time.
The shopping experience can be enjoyable for all concerned if we remember two concepts: The customer is always right and nobody is perfect.
