The Pandemic Fail — No One is Talking About.
Customer Service Slackers
To mask or not to mask-up. To protest or standby. To combat racism or watch hate rise. These are the topics spewing all over the media since lockdown. What has not been a clear-cut decision for most Americans today is where to eat.
We can recover from the pandemic and the rise of hateful rhetoric, the cure will require kindness, empathy and understanding galore. Can we start with the food establishments? Let’s be honest, they are raking in the dough as more Americans tip the scale. Pandemic weight is real.
Before the pandemic people ran into service stores without a second thought. The ‘Me’ mentality tipped the top of the pillar. We ran into these establishments whispering a hello or a thank you.
We certainly were not asking, “How are you doing today? Are you surviving masked-up all day?”
And we were not leaving more than a 20% tip (at least most of us were not), while others were extra, but this attitude did not spread to every form of service, as a former pizza delivery driver and then a Shipt delivery person, I can confirm the pandemic tipping scale teeters. I once received a $1.00 for a delivery that took twenty minutes to get to and $45.00 for another taking me just as long.
The Promise of Quick Service Days are Gone. But, Not for Long.
What do these service industries offer us now more than ever before? Clean and mostly friendly environments, hassle free, unless you bring the hassle. I once witness a grocery store clerk, tell a customer, “Not today, sir. I have had enough with you customers walking all over the staff, not today.”
My daily visits to this store during the height of the pandemic led me to witness on several occasions the hassle store associates had to endure. Service workers deserve our sympathy, pandemic or not — it is hard work.
20 years of my career was customer service focused but during the pandemic only my needs and mine alone counted.
Service could not be fast anymore. Everywhere you went there was a crowd ready to eat, waiting to buy, just like you. Before stay-at-home orders, customer service ratings appeared on every receipt. Everyone asked you to report their excellent service with a smile and a suggestion of a five-star rating.
I have not seen a receipt with a circled code in over a year.
Why Do We Return?
Tracking which food chains for happy, friendly people became a habit. Which ones gave napkins, ketchup, salt, sauces without asking or charging. Why my favorite (recently recovered from bad press and shutdowns), were stingy with the rice and the chicken for my takeout bowls. Like pizza, this chain has flourished during the pandemic as most fast-food companies have.
On the other hand, hotels rates dropped, and the customer service spiked. The staff going above and beyond to accommodate their visitor’s needs. But can we talk about the resort fees? Even before the pandemic, charging for internet and the use of the pool is ridiculous. Did most hotels do away with this fee during the pandemic? Though some did, most did not.
The Worst is Over — Or is it?
The worst award for highway robbery goes to delivery companies, pizza specifically. Customers believe the delivery fee goes to the delivery driver, it does not.
We canceled an online order for breakfast after they revealed the delivery fees, almost the amount of the entire food order.
How will companies recoup after the pandemic? The rebirth of great customer service is a start. Good word-of-mouth spreads fast.
As we approach the ‘New Normal’ customer service seems to be making a comeback. It will have to if restaurants, mom and pop shops and small hotel chains hope to survive. People spend their money where they feel appreciated.
Everyone Deserves a Second Chance, don’t You Think?
Customers believe in second chances. Last year was like no other — and if we could do 2020 over again, most of us would. Everyone deserves a pass. Well, almost everyone. We will return, because if Americans can agree on anything, it is our love for great food.
Loyal customers will move on. Companies must rebuild their customer service initiatives to keep and gain more customers. Now is the time for businesses to give it their all.
This road is a two-way street and as a customer who has worked on both sides of the counter, customers should show up happy to be out, shopping and ordering food. We need to let our favorite eateries know why we return and why we love them. Good food taste better when served with a smile.
Let us spread gratitude for all the things we can do today that were lost on us a year ago.