I'm not sure if it's the high temperatures or if there's some astrological sign I'm not aware of, but it seems that almost every customer I have dealt with lately is on edge about one thing or another. With the understanding that tensions and emotions can rise, I think we need to remind ourselves that we get as much out of a customer experience as we put into it, regardless of whatever side you are on. You know the expression "treat others the way you want to be treated"? Yeah, kinda like that.

For context, I'll provide a little bit of a situation I had. It's something that in the grand scheme is insignificant, but that day it was a major deal for this guy. Essentially he just got his dates wrong, which is all fine well and good. Until you start blaming the business and the person behind the counter because there's no possible way it's actually your fault. When they finally realize their error, they have already put their foot in their mouth, so they decide to keep the negative attitude through their apology. I never look for any sort of grand gesture apology, but if you are in the wrong, you should apologize to the person you took your frustrations out on. It's the same expectation I would hold for myself.

All that being said, I took some time for reflection after this scenario, and I came to a conclusion. I'm all for having a positive customer service experience, both as the manager and as a customer myself. But the term customer service should not be thrown around like a threat to a business, nor as a prize to hold over a customers head.

If you work in retail or hospitality, or basically anywhere, you're expected to provide excellent service to everyone that comes in the door. And I feel, as a whole, our society tries to accommodate that. But there are no real expectations of customers when they walk into an establishment. Having a customer approach, you can sometimes feel like seeing the UNO wild card tossed into the discard pile, because you'll never know what they are about to ask for.

I'll use the Business to Business Sales industry as an example (don't tell my Dad, he'll let it go to his head). Stay with me, you're about to hear (read, whatever) the term 'representative' a few times. In these situations, both sides of a coin are coming together wanting something. The sales rep wants to meet their sales quota, and the company representative wants what they need at the price they want. The company representative holds a certain expectation of the sales representative, but the sales representative cannot hold the same for the company representative.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you want repetitive positive service with a company, you need to act that way. Think back to when you were in a job you may not have been thrilled about but did it anyway because you needed the money. Or, if you're a customer, think back to when you were in the worst mood and everyone you interacted with dealt with your attitude. If you're a parent, think about how you want your working child treated.

I guess all I wanna say is, let's try to be better. Be a better customer, and always try to serve your customers with a smile.