Can good customer service ever come back?

[Anonymous]

We have a lot of people working who just don't give a shit. Not on purpose, but they somehow don't feel bad about anything and are always the victims.
I'm not going to diagnose them, but previously we didn't have adhd people working in a restaurant ever. Some workers cry easily, some panic, some disappear, some break stuff, some forget things. Many can't do two things at the same time. The list goes on and on.

[Anonymous]

Going forward you are going to have to be rich and buy premium products or go to rich stores for any customer service. Everyone else is going to interact with self-checkout kiosks or app AI. No one GAF about your special order/occasion at Olive Garden anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going forward you are going to have to be rich and buy premium products or go to rich stores for any customer service. Everyone else is going to interact with self-checkout kiosks or app AI. No one GAF about your special order/occasion at Olive Garden anymore.

I think we’re getting to that point but not quite there yet, so we’re still having a lot of growing pains where stores/restaurants are understaffed but haven’t put in the big cash investment to have all kiosks for ordering and robots to bring your food to your table at Chili’s or whatever.

[Anonymous]

It's because people in those types of positions don't have to put up with crap from customers or their bosses. They can quit and have a job paying the same amount or few cents more a few days later.

There used to be a big emphasis on loyalty in the workplace. Workers were told to be hard, diligent workers and they'd be rewarded. The older generations bought into that crap but not the younger gens. Why? Because they watched their parents get canned after working for the same company for 10-15+ years.

There also used to be negativity attached to job hoppers. That's gone now. The only way to make more money is to hop from job to job. My last company gave everyone who wasn't a c-suite a pathetically laughable 1% raise. Even though our numbers were fantastic and we hit & exceeded all sales goals for the year. Annnnd they recalled 95% of workers back into the office from remote work. A 1% raise + the added cost of going back into the office was a slap in the face. I started applying for jobs and 3 days later I had my first interview. I was hired the next week at $12k more than I was making at the current job. I loved my old job. Had they given a decent raise and left WFH alone, I would still be there, but now I'm at my new company making $12k more a year with a better insurance and still WFH.

[Anonymous]

For anyone wondering why even managers no longer care:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/06/business/e...rs-overtime-pay.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chick-fil-a (outside the beltway) and Trader Joe’s are doing something right. I’m always amazed how friendly and helpful their workers are.

I think they pay better than most chains plus CFA of course has Sundays off. The same goes for Costco and Aldi in terms of the greater pay and the cashiers at Aldi are allowed to sit for their shifts. The cashiers/employees aren’t necessarily the friendliest but they are fast and know what they’re doing, so I feel like that’s a win.

This is far more important to me than being friendly. I mean, both is great, but I would take competent over friendly. It shows that at least the company is training them well, which is hard to find now.
I also hate it when employees are clearly stoned for their shift. That happens all the time now it seems.

[Anonymous]

I don't need someone to smile and make small talk with me, I just want them to get my order right. If I place an order on a restaurant's app or through Door Dash, there's not even a middle man to misunderstand or make a mistake putting in an order. What I submit is what I expect to get. But something is wrong with our orders about 85% of the time. It's gotten to where I'm pleasantly surprised if something isn't messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a lot of people working who just don't give a shit. Not on purpose, but they somehow don't feel bad about anything and are always the victims.
I'm not going to diagnose them, but previously we didn't have adhd people working in a restaurant ever. Some workers cry easily, some panic, some disappear, some break stuff, some forget things. Many can't do two things at the same time. The list goes on and on.

What??? ADHD people have always been everywhere - they just weren’t diagnosed, medicated, or telling you about it.

[Anonymous]

It's not likely to improve anytime soon.

https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/dc-r...th-customer/3357893/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't need someone to smile and make small talk with me, I just want them to get my order right. If I place an order on a restaurant's app or through Door Dash, there's not even a middle man to misunderstand or make a mistake putting in an order. What I submit is what I expect to get. But something is wrong with our orders about 85% of the time. It's gotten to where I'm pleasantly surprised if something isn't messed up.

This is true for everything, everywhere. It’s like no one cares enough to double check. No one takes pride in doing a good job. Everyone is a soulless robot.

[Anonymous]

Society has shifted permanently. It's been a long time coming, but the pandemic brought it to the forefront. Everyone is out for themselves and feels entitled to things. Few people care how their behavior affects others, or about doing their job well. They take the attitude that they aren't paid enough, or the task is beneath them, or they just don't care. People like this have always existed, but it didn't seem as prevalent 20+ years ago (and I say that as someone who has had her share of terrible, minimum-wage jobs during school). Companies aren't going to fire these employees--and the employees know it--and there's no incentive for companies to pay their employees more or change anything because they're still making money. I don't know if this is late-stage capitalism or what. But it sucks and make daily life unpleasant in a way it doesn't need to be.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To be honest, I’ve always felt like I get pretty good to excellent customer service, everywhere. There are rare exceptions where things are clearly going off the rails but in general everyone always seems to be working hard and trying to help me. So I think maybe it’s your perception.

Agree with this.

If you treat service people with decency, it will almost always come right back to you.

I think if you feel like you're frequently experiencing bad customer service, then that reflects your own character.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chick-fil-a (outside the beltway) and Trader Joe’s are doing something right. I’m always amazed how friendly and helpful their workers are.

I think they pay better than most chains plus CFA of course has Sundays off. The same goes for Costco and Aldi in terms of the greater pay and the cashiers at Aldi are allowed to sit for their shifts. The cashiers/employees aren’t necessarily the friendliest but they are fast and know what they’re doing, so I feel like that’s a win.

This is far more important to me than being friendly. I mean, both is great, but I would take competent over friendly. It shows that at least the company is training them well, which is hard to find now.
I also hate it when employees are clearly stoned for their shift. That happens all the time now it seems.

Costco is probably the last store you can shop at that has retail lifers among the rank and file. I go to my Costco and I’m shocked at how long most of them have been there and they’re all relatively older too. Most have been there 15+ years!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Society has shifted permanently. It's been a long time coming, but the pandemic brought it to the forefront. Everyone is out for themselves and feels entitled to things. Few people care how their behavior affects others, or about doing their job well. They take the attitude that they aren't paid enough, or the task is beneath them, or they just don't care. People like this have always existed, but it didn't seem as prevalent 20+ years ago (and I say that as someone who has had her share of terrible, minimum-wage jobs during school). Companies aren't going to fire these employees--and the employees know it--and there's no incentive for companies to pay their employees more or change anything because they're still making money. I don't know if this is late-stage capitalism or what. But it sucks and make daily life unpleasant in a way it doesn't need to be.

Yeah, I think it has something to do with late-stage capitalism. It will persist as long as there is a labor shortage.

I do wonder what will happen if the tide turns, the economy tanks, and there is a chain reaction with less spending on the more frivolous things like fast food and other retail that tends to employ low wage workers. Then their jobs might actually be in danger and they might not have other handouts to rely on. Will they act differently?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Going forward you are going to have to be rich and buy premium products or go to rich stores for any customer service. Everyone else is going to interact with self-checkout kiosks or app AI. No one GAF about your special order/occasion at Olive Garden anymore.

I am actually fine with AI! no tipping is a plus too