Over Memorial Day weekend, I brought my son to a two-day basketball camp in Lakewood, CO. The first day, we stopped by an independent coffee shop (flanked to the north and south by Starbucks) where I ordered a double espresso in a ceramic cup for dine-in.

Cooper and I then took seats among the open tables. A few minutes later I heard the barista call out, “Double espresso!”

When I looked up, I saw my espresso order sitting on the far end of the bar. I got up, walked the 20 feet or so to the end of the bar, and retrieved my order. There, I noticed the barista talking with two other employees behind the counter and thought about the opportunity she missed to “go the extra mile” and deliver the order to my table. (For the record, there were three employees and five customers total in the coffee shop, with no customers in line waiting to be served.)

A few weeks ago I posted this blog containing three unique words that pertain to exceptional customer service. One of the words was cosset, which means to pamper or treat with excessive indulgence. I think of cosseting as a higher form of expressing genuine interest in a customer. It’s the subtle difference between handing customers’ purchases over the counter and walking around the counter to hand them directly to the customer, as do Nordstrom employees. It’s really nothing more than an extra step—a gesture of appreciation and respect. And it doesn’t go unnoticed.

The barista who fulfilled my order missed an opportunity to cosset her guest and, in so doing, make a positive lasting impression. Cynical employees might say, “C’mon, you’re perfectly capable of getting up and walking 20 feet to get your own espresso.” And they’re right—as my actions demonstrated.

Similarly, a guest in your home is capable of fetching her own cup of coffee but my hunch is that most of you will insist on serving her. And if you don’t, over time, I suspect you’ll have fewer guests in your home.

It’s no different at the local coffee shop. Over time, it too will have fewer guests to serve—starting with me. (We chose not to return on the second day of the camp, as there were plenty of other options nearby.)

Illustration: Aaron McKissen

I recently read through the American Express 2012 Global Customer Service Barometer research report prepared by Echo Research and found many of its conclusions to be rather predictable:

• Consumers think businesses are paying less attention to providing good customer service
• Consumers will spend more with companies that provide excellent service
• Consumers value excellent service
• Consumers are telling more people about their customer service experiences
• Poor service can lead to lost sales
• Consumers lose their temper with customer service representatives
• There is room for improvement in customer service wait times

There was one page, however, that got my attention. On p. 12 of the report, consumers were asked, “Which of the following customer service issues would be most likely to influence you to switch brands or companies?”

[Although I would have appreciated this more as an open-ended question (i.e., “What customer service issues have caused you to switch brands or companies?”), that's not how this survey was formatted.]

In response to the question, a third of consumers (33%) cited “a rude or unresponsive customer service representative” as the most likely customer service issue to influence them to switch brands or companies.

What’s remarkable to me about this finding is that it’s consistent with consumer research from three decades ago. I recall TARP statistics (1978) and research from Dr. Michael LeBoeuf (1987) that exposed poor treatment by employees (rudeness or indifference) as the number one cause for customer defection.

But, as elementary as it sounds, I suppose it bears repeating:

If you’re an employee: The most effective way to further your work objectives (e.g., receive more hours, earn desirable shifts, increase tips, advance your career, etc.) is to be kind to customers and demonstrate a sense of urgency in responding to them.

If you’re an employer: The most effective way to grow your business is to hire kind employees who have a history of demonstrating a sense of urgency in responding to customers. (This information can be obtained through behavioral interviewing questions designed to reveal a person’s actual past behavior—rather than prompt imagined responses to pie-in-the-sky hypothetical questions—during a job interview.)

As the American Express report indicates, exceptional customer service is not complicated. It starts with kind employees who are responsive to customers’ needs. It’s really quite simple when you think about it.

Thank you for reading.

P.s. Incidentally, other than rude or indifferent treatment by employees, what customer service issues have caused you to switch brands or companies?

I recently discovered that at least one employee at my local supermarket has no fear of consequences for his behavior at work.

The King Soopers employee who bagged my two gallons of milk and bottle of Mr. Bubble (don’t judge me…) said, “Damn! I’d need this whole bottle for my bath!”

After bagging the last item, he immediately began texting on his smart-phone (I’m being generous…). Bewildered by his behavior, I removed the gallons of milk from their respective plastic bags (I didn’t want them bagged—he didn’t know because he didn’t ask), grabbed the bag containing the bubble bath, and left the store.

There was no acknowledgment of any kind (“Sorry, I didn’t know you didn’t want your milk bagged” or “Can I give you a hand with that?”), no appreciation (“Thank you”), no farewell (“Goodnight”), no respect (I felt disrespected and devalued as a customer), and, worse, no fear of consequences from management (as his “Damn!” was quite audible and he was texting in plain sight).

Long ago, I bought into the management principle: Blame the process, not the person.

So it’s appropriate at this juncture to ask, “What processes are to blame for this employee’s boorish conduct?”

I can think of several:

• Employee selection
• Onboarding
• Employee training
• Development/communication of performance standards
• Behavior modeling by management
• Ongoing performance management (including feedback and recognition)

Certainly, King Soopers is not the only culprit. Until employers address these processes in meaningful ways, employees will continue to offend customers by their indifference—with no fear of consequences.

Illustration: Aaron McKissen

It is widely acknowledged that the number one reason customers quit doing business with a company is due to perceived indifference towards them as customers.

When I ask audiences to describe what it feels like to be treated indifferently, I receive responses such as, “I feel unimportant” and “I feel as if I don’t matter.”

Customers are important and customers do matter.

If indifferent treatment is the number one problem, then it reasons that it’s also the number one opportunity.

Years ago, I read The Pursuit of Wow!, an influential book by Tom Peters. In it, he makes the following comparison between bookstore salespersons, Joe Doaks and Jane Blivens:

A customer comes to Joe’s register to check out. “Hey, I saw the book Ike and Monty: Generals at War on your shelf,” he says. “I’m reading it. It’s really great.” Joe looks at him glassily, keeps working the register, and mutters, “Uh huh” in a total and final acknowledgment.

Jane Blivens is at the register. Same customer. Same line, Ike and Monty, etc. Jane responds, “That’s great. What did you like about it?” The customer gives a 45-second description, completes the transaction, and leaves.

What has Jane done? She’s lit up the customer by paying attention.

Peters concludes: “This story is aimed at retailers (hire the Jane clones, fire the Joe look-alikes; encourage clerks to be chatty, not officious, distracted automatons). And aimed at could-be Joes and could-be Janes: Regardless of the company rules and regulations, you have enormous power, on your own, to grow—or shrivel.”

Frontline employees have a choice: Treat customers indifferently or, as Peters suggests, light them up by paying attention to them.

Opportunity is knocking during every interaction you have with customers. Don’t shrivel in their presence! Make the choice to treat customers differently—as important partners in your business who matter a great deal—and marvel as you and your business grow!

Besides paying attention to them, what are some other ways to treat customers differently?

Last week I came across the story of an Arizona college professor and mother of four, Dr. Erin Carr-Jordan, who discovered alarmingly unsanitary conditions at several area McDonald’s children’s play areas. If you missed it, here’s the story and a shocking video tour of her local McDonald’s Playland.

As a parent of four young children myself, I find this story disturbing on many levels. Aside from exposing children to harmful bacteria and pathogens (including fecal contaminants) due to apathy and negligence, McDonald’s has also displayed indifference towards Carr-Jordan’s feedback and violated the Corporate Values trumpeted on its website.

Although she complained to four different managers on six separate occasions (in addition to sharing her concerns with McDonald’s Corporation), nothing was done over a period of weeks to address the cleanliness of the children’s Playland structure seen in the video.

If McDonald’s is willing to neglect public areas like Playland structures, what happens behind the scenes in parts of the restaurant that are off-limits to customers? And if they disregard a mother’s feedback concerning the safety and well-being of her children—especially during this time of unprecedented transparency inspired by social media—what do they do with feedback that other customers share pertaining to other issues?

While McDonald’s is heralded as the model of operational consistency, it appears as though its actions in response to Carr-Jordan’s revelations of the appalling conditions within its Playland structures have been decidedly inconsistent with the corporate values expressed on its website.

In a section of its website titled McDonald’s Corporate Responsibility = Values in Practice, the company asserts that “corporate responsibility is about living our values each and every day. It’s about taking action, achieving results and always maintaining open lines of communication with our customers and other key stakeholders.”

“…maintaining open lines of communication with our customers…” Really? How does banning Carr-Jordan from visiting eight local McDonald’s restaurants in an attempt to thwart her efforts to hold them accountable and silence her criticism demonstrate corporate responsibility?

McDonald’s elaborates further on its corporate values:

We place the customer experience at the core of all we do
Our customers are the reason for our existence. We demonstrate our appreciation by providing them with high quality food and superior service, in a clean, welcoming environment, at a great value.

“…in a clean, welcoming environment…” Really? Have you seen the video?

We operate our business ethically
Sound ethics is good business. At McDonald’s, we hold ourselves and conduct our business to high standards of fairness, honesty, and integrity. We are individually accountable and collectively responsible.

“We are individually accountable and collectively responsible.” Really? How does ignoring Carr-Jordan’s feedback and banning her from its restaurants support this value?

We strive continually to improve
We are a learning organization that aims to anticipate and respond to changing customer, employee and system needs through constant evolution and innovation.

“We are a learning organization that aims to anticipate and respond…” Really? How does devaluing Carr-Jordan’s findings and attempting to silence her contribute to this value?

Instead of resisting its critics, McDonald’s should embrace them. Consider how this story might have played out if McDonald’s decided to acknowledge Carr-Jordan’s feedback as valid and initiated protocol to ensure the proper maintenance and sanitation of its children’s play areas.

It should not require YouTube videos, unflattering media reports, public pressure, and regulatory action to force McDonald’s and other corporations to do what is in the best interest of their customers and in alignment with their professed corporate values.

I’m not lovin’ the way McDonald’s has responded to this important issue. While Carr-Jordan is doing the heavy lifting of consumer (and child) advocacy in this case, I am committed to promoting her cause and boycotting McDonald’s restaurants until this issue has been addressed in a meaningful and responsible way.

Will you join me?

This post is the fourth in a series that will identify 10 different obstacles that have emerged from my analysis of customer satisfaction data. Maybe you will have encountered one or more of these obstacles in your own business? The fourth obstacle is nonchalance.

Nonchalance is defined as having an air of easy unconcern or indifference.

Why is it that employees frequently behave indifferently towards customers, yet snap to attention in the presence of the division president? Specifically, why do employees anxiously prepare for a planned visit by the corporate brass by making repairs, waxing the floors, and pressing their uniforms, but feel comfortable texting friends, smoking near store entrances, and complaining or bantering in the presence of customers?

I have a theory about this: Familiarity breeds contempt.

Most employees rarely come into contact with and, thus, are not familiar with the division president. Oh sure, they may know his or her name but they are generally not familiar to the point of lowering their guard or relaxing in the executive’s presence.

Not so with customers. Customer-facing employees come into contact with customers all the time. And whether or not they recognize a particular customer, there is a sense of familiarity with customers in general. And where there is excessive comfort and familiarity, there is contempt—a lack of respect—and a tendency to take the relationship for granted.

It’s not that employees don’t know what exceptional service is or how to deliver it. They do. And they consistently showcase this behavior in the presence of the division president. The issue is that many employees seem disaffected by customers as if to say: “Oh, you’re just a customer. For a minute there I thought you were someone important like the division president.”

Earlier, I listed three behaviors that I regularly observe in retail settings: texting, smoking near store entrances, and complaining or bantering in front of customers. These behaviors are chronic. They occur frequently. However, when the division president is on-site these behaviors are exceptions.

When executives grace the operation with their presence, the floors are spotless, there are plenty of employees scheduled, uniforms are pressed, there are lots of smiles, and there is a tangible sense of urgency—even a bit of giddiness and extra pressure to perform.

The best operations do not distinguish between a scheduled site visit by a division president and the scheduled opening of the store to service customers. Sure, there may be a bit of anxiety associated with the presence of a company executive—that’s natural—but the company’s standards don’t wane in the absence of headquarters staff.

Nordstrom comes to mind as an example of a retailer who shines whether a customer or Blake Nordstrom is entering the shoe department. The last time I was in Nordstrom, an employee from the men’s department walked me to the women’s department in search of an umbrella for my wife. When we returned to the men’s department, I decided to buy a bottle of cologne too. It was an impulse buy—in the moment. I had not planned to buy it and, in the absence of his exceptional service, I would not have.

Here is an assignment for division presidents everywhere: If you really want to see how your operations run, stop by unannounced in a ball cap and jeans over the weekend. Don’t embarrass anyone. Just observe and take mental notes about what you see—both assets and liabilities.

Then, assuming there is a gap (or chasm) between what you observed during your last official visit and this one, take action.

Establish or reinforce credible standards to guide employees’ behavior. Make sure that every manager is aware of the standards and actively uses them to manage their employees’ performance. And, perhaps most importantly, hold managers accountable to model these standards at all times. If they don’t, the standards are no longer credible and become unenforceable.

When employees see their managers modeling established standards of service and procedure, they will perform similarly. When this happens, employees will no longer appear aloof or nonchalant towards customers. They will stop texting friends, smoking near store entrances, and complaining or bantering in the presence of customers.

Instead, they will treat customers with the same courtesy, respect, and urgency with which they treat the division president. And their customers will notice.

This morning I stopped by my local King Soopers to pick up a few groceries. One of the items on my list was a pound of sliced turkey from the deli counter. Sometimes I pass on deli meat if there’s a wait but today I was in luck as there was no line!

One aspect of my business involves mystery shop services, so I’m in the habit of evaluating wait times, employee behavior, cleanliness, and other aspects of customer experience. I started my watch.

As I stood in front of the deli counter, I noticed there were four employees present: a butcher preparing the display case in the meat department adjacent to the deli counter and three deli employees busily performing their job functions.

This is an important observation. As I waited, not one of the four employees was goofing off, sending a text, reading a newspaper, or talking with a coworker. All were on task.

While one employee had his back to me, the others were all facing forward. At six feet tall and 200 pounds, I am not a small man but no one seemed to notice me. I waited. Two minutes went by, then three minutes. As I continued to wait, a blog post began to form…

Consumer behavior is fascinating. There are a variety of ways that different customers might choose to deal with this situation. Some customers, in the absence of a bell, will wave their hand or call out to get an employee’s attention. Others, giving the employees the benefit of the doubt and being sympathetic to their side duties, will patiently wait to be acknowledged.

Personally, I’m inclined to walk away. Why should I reward poor customer service with a sale when there are three competing supermarkets within a mile of each other?

After three and a half minutes, I made eye contact with the butcher who smiled and nearly disappeared from view before he halted, recognized that I had been waiting a while, and called out, “Counter!”

The deli employee who approached me did not smile. Perhaps she was annoyed that I had interrupted her side work? She conveyed indifference as she prepared to execute another deli transaction: Take the order, slice the meat, weigh the meat, bag the meat, price the meat, and deliver the meat… “Next?”

Because of her demeanor, I made the decision not to reward King Soopers with a $6.99 sale for a pound of Private Selection Oven Roasted Turkey and decided instead to just pick up only the essential items on my list.

While in another part of the store, I encountered the assistant store manager, Ronnie, and shared my experience at the deli counter. She listened to my description of events, apologized on behalf of the deli employees, and made the comment, “It’s because you’re wearing a white shirt. You blended in!”

Ronnie was good natured and having a little fun—and I appreciate that. I did explain to her, however, that the reason I was overlooked had less to do with my attire than deli employees focusing exclusively on their job functions (the duties and tasks associated with their job roles) and neglecting the essence of their jobs (their highest priority): To create delighted customers.

She listened patiently, then offered to go to the deli counter and pick up a pound of the sliced turkey for me free of charge. I told her that was not necessary but she insisted.

While she was away retrieving the turkey, I checked-out and asked the cashier to charge me for one pound of Private Selection Oven Roasted Turkey and be sure to make Ronnie aware that I had paid for it.

The reason I did that is because there are many cynical employees who believe customers only complain to get something for free. That’s simply not true. Most customers complain because their expectations (for quality, accuracy, timeliness, etc.) were not met.

Ronnie met me at the store exit with the deli meat, smiled, and apologized again. Like many customers in the same situation, I thanked her for her help and left the store.

What happens next is entirely up to me. Will I put the experience behind me and return to King Soopers as I did following this incident or will I vote with my feet and shop across the street?

Of this I’m certain: If I choose to return, the quality of customer service I receive will be determined by whether or not employees choose to view me as a priority rather than an interruption—not the color of my shirt.

It occurred to me that rain and customers have a lot in common.

Rain is required to sustain physical life. Customers are required to sustain corporate life.

We want rain on our terms, when it’s convenient, so that it does not interfere with our plans. In business, we’d prefer that customers arrive on time and prepared, so as not to disrupt our operations.

Weathermen track weather patterns in attempts to accurately forecast rain. Revenue managers monitor consumer trends in order to anticipate customer demand.

Rain is taken for granted—unless it’s in short supply. Similarly, customers are treated indifferently—unless they’re in short supply.

We try to shield ourselves from the rain using raincoats and umbrellas. Many businesses attempt to ward off customers by using barriers such as elaborate phone trees and terms and conditions that insulate them from responsibility.

Over the years, humans have tried to influence the rain by using a rain dance whereas companies have long tried to manipulate customers by using a song and dance.

I could go on but you get the idea.

It’s ironic to me that many companies use terms like “guest” and “partner” to convey the intimacy they have with their customers but the reality is that most employees, when given the opportunity, do not behave as though they are serving a valued guest.

Instead, many of the frontline employees I observe appear to be simply going through the motions—treating each customer like the last customer. And so on…

This may explain why 68 percent of consumers surveyed claimed to have quit doing business with a company due to perceived indifference towards them as customers.

Just like rain, we recognize the value of customers but then try to elude them.

I’ve tapped my Irish roots in order to craft the following limerick:

Customers, they are like rain:

An aggravation that many distain.

The irony the two share,

Is that, unless they are rare,

About them, most will complain.

And lastly, here’s something else I noticed: After much rain, a rainbow appears. After many customers, a pot of gold appears.

Mmm… Maybe there is something to that Irish myth?

As I read the June 6, 2011 BNET post, The 10 Worst Companies For Customer Service I couldn’t help but reflect on a poem that I read in college 25 years ago titled, Ozymandias.

The poem by Percy Bysshe Shelley features the decaying remnants of a statue erected to the renowned and mighty King Ozymandias, bearing the inscription: “My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”

The central theme of the poem is the inevitable complete decline of all leaders, and of the empires they build, however mighty in their own time.

Think of former business empires such as kmart, Blockbuster, Pan Am Airlines, WorldCom, and Enron that once dominated their respective industries but have since relinquished their mighty positions or, in the case of Pan Am, WorldCom, Enron and others, have gone away completely.

In addition to providing indifferent customer service, these organizations also exhibit(ed) an arrogance that seems to blind them to the realities of market forces, evolving technologies, changing consumer preferences, competitive threats, and other factors that influence business success.

Just as the mighty King Ozymandias couldn’t fathom his own demise and that of his empire, nor—I suspect—can the companies appearing on this year’s list of the 10 Worst Companies For Customer Service:

• Bank of America
• AOL
• Capital One
• Sprint
• Time Warner
• Comcast
• Citigroup
• Progressive
• JPMorgan Chase
• Farmers Insurance

The above BNET post offers rationale for why these companies appear on this dubious list. And, while I agree with these reasons, I also believe that the leaders of these corporate empires share the arrogant belief that customers are replaceable and their “kingdoms” will last forever—neither of which is true.

Are you a customer of any of these companies? If so, what has your experience been?

Is it me or do you find that merchants are constantly asking you to “take five minutes” and “tell us how we’re doing” by responding to a customer satisfaction survey?

Sometimes these surveys appear in your email box following a purchase. Other times, hard copy surveys arrive in your mailbox or you’re encouraged to access a website and enter a code that’s printed at the bottom of your receipt.

In large part due to the deluge of surveys, response rates are typically abysmal—oftentimes not generating a sufficient number of responses to enable the results to be statistically valid.

It baffles me that companies continue to pour resources into these satisfaction surveys while consistently forfeiting opportunities to engage customers via social media channels.

Case in point: Last weekend, my family and I dined at On The Border. With one exception, we had a terrific experience. On the bottom of my receipt was the message: “YOUR OPINION MATTERS. We invite you to complete our GUEST SATISFACTION SURVEY. YOU COULD WIN $1,000. A WINNER EVERY DAY!”

The receipt also provided a personal code that I was instructed to enter at the survey website: www.onthebordersurvey.com

Instead of following the script laid out by On The Border to share my feedback, I took to my blog and to Twitter—although I could have just as easily taken to Yelp, Facebook, or another social media channel.

That was three days ago and, as of today, I have yet to hear back. You might be saying, “C’mon Steve. It’s only been three days. Cut them some slack.”

Immediacy in addressing problems experienced by customers is paramount. The more time that separates the issue and its resolution, the less likely it is that the problem will be resolved to the customer’s satisfaction. Even On The Border’s receipt instructs guests to respond to its survey within four days.

Frankly, based on previous experiences I’ve had with other organizations, I would be surprised to receive a meaningful response from On The Border. It’s not impossible. It’s just unlikely.

And when a customer’s posted feedback is ignored, that’s a missed opportunity to engage, address any issues raised, and, potentially, cement his ongoing loyalty towards the company or brand.

Why don’t these companies redirect some of their spending on overused “push” strategies to obtain customer feedback and invest in “pulling” this feedback from social media channels? It’s as easy as searching for relevant keywords on Twitter or establishing a Google Alert to notify organizations whenever they have been mentioned by name in cyberspace.

Many customers, like me, may not conform to a company’s standard customer feedback mechanisms but that doesn’t make our feedback any less relevant or valuable.

Companies that recognize this and adjust their feedback gathering and engagement practices accordingly will benefit from candid, real-time customer feedback. Those that don’t will continue to push their rigid feedback systems onto customers and wonder why response rates are so low.

Your opinion matters. Take five minutes and tell me what you think.