|
|
Like this article? PLEASE +1 it! |  |
|
How to Alienate Both Your Customers and Your Employees in 5 Minutes or Less
| Guest post by: Joni Johnston |
Article Overview: How do customers feel when a manager or employee steps up to solve a customer service problem at the expense of other employees? The answer might surprise you.
 |
Free Download - Business Casual and the Psychology of Office Attire or Who Cares What you Wear to Work as Long as you Perform? By Joni Johnston |
How to Alienate Both Your Customers and Your Employees in 5 Minutes or Less
It's not often I get to experience the real-world parallel to a study I'd just read, but this weekend was the exception.
Here's what happened: My four kids and I were waiting to get a taxi from the MGM Grand to the Venetian where we were going to see a show. Apparently, there is a limit of five passengers per taxi and so we were at the max. A car pulled up, the doorman opened the door, and we started piling in.
When Customer Service Gets Ugly
However, the taxi driver began shaking his head and telling the doorman that he could not take us because there were kids under age 18 and he did not have enough seatbelts. The doorman reiterated the five passenger limit and indicated that the two largest of us (myself and my 15 year old) would sit up front, allowing the three youngest to sit with seatbelts in the back. Again, the driver, obviously distressed, told the doorman that he did not want to get a ticket and he was not supposed to transport any child without a seatbelt. (For those of you wondering where my motherly instincts were, they were apparently dulled by fatigue and rationalized away with the logic that traffic was traveling at a snail's pace and the trip was a short one).
Here's where it got interesting. The doorman, infuriated that we had already been waiting in line (as were lots of people behind us), not only expressed his disgust at the taxi driver, he told the taxi driver that no passenger would be riding with him from the MGM. When the driver continued to protest, he sneeringly called security over and told the taxi driver that his business was no longer welcome at the MGM. All this while, the doorman would periodically roll his eyes at us and apologize for the apparent idiocy of the reluctant taxi driver.
No One Appreciates a Bully
When we were riding in the next taxi, the first thing my 15 year old son said was, "What a Jerk!" He wasn't referring to the recently dismissed cabbie, but to the doorman who had so zealously serviced us - and mistreated the taxi driver.
While I'm sure the taxi driver would have been astounded at the negative impression his actions created, authors of a recent article in the Journal of Consumer Research wouldn't be. After conducting several studies of employee-employee incivility, USC authors Christine Porath, Debbie MacInnis and Valerie Folkes concluded a) consumers often witnesses employees being rude to one another and b) when they do, it creates a negative impression of the entire company even when the incivil employee is trying to help the customer resolve a service problem.
In a work environment, discussions about inappropriate behavior most often center on harassment/discrimination and sorting out (and avoiding) what words and actions can lead to lawsuits. These studies (and my own experience) suggest that how employees treat each other - and are treated by their managers - can be as much a customer service issue as employment liability concern - and that savvy employers find ways to reinforce respectful treatment in a variety of training opportunities and formats.
Helping Others with Leadership Skill Development - Leadership Quiz
U is for Understanding
Employee Motivation and Engagement at T.G.I. Friday’s
The fine line
How to Lose Customers Under Contract
LISTEN UP LEADERS: The Frontline Makes Your Bottom Line
Listening Pays !!!
How To Ensure Customers and Employees Recognize Your Organization’s Value
How to Stop Making Your Customers and Clients Look Stupid
How to Tell if Your Employees 'Get' Your Brand
Just Five Minutes...A Bunch Of Hooey
Little Things Make a Big Difference
Finding New Customers For Your Business
Four Minutes in the Morning
Why would someone come to work for you?
Boosting your Business in a Slow Economy
Meeting with people- Take Turns Talking About Your Business
Simple Sales - Medical Sales Training
What To Say When Your Prospect Only Has 10 Minutes
3 Ways to Improve Employee Morale and Productivity
|
About the Author: Joni Johnston RSS for Joni's articles - Visit Joni's website Click here to visit Joni's website   Contract Employees and Temp Workers Sexually Harassed Stressed and Second Class Citizens Want to Know the Biggest Source of Stress at Work Check the Office Next Door Sexual Jokes Innuendos and Banter A Kind of Workplace Bullying Business Casual and the Psychology of Office Attire or Who Cares What you Wear to Work as Long as you Perform How to Lose an Argument Even When Youre Right |
Related Forum Posts
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT
- Hi David,
To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience".
Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: Ways to Boost Productivity
- 1. Give Employees More Than a Paycheck
2. Provide Better eSupport Channels to Promote Self-Service
3. Complete your most dreaded tasks first thing in the morning.
4. Outsource as much as possible
5. . Turn off the TV.
How to Do Great Marketing with (Amost) No Money
- I've given this presentation to CEOs many times. Now i can share it with you. But I cannot because I do not yet have 20 posts.
Jeff Ogden, President
Find New Customers
CEOs and Email - Slaves?
- I wonder if the emails they are responding to are filtered thru their assistants first 'cos they seem to spend a lot of their off hours responding to them.
True they are successful but I'm not sure I'd be willing to pay that price.
I'd be interested to know what's the in the typical day planner of Entrepreneurs on the Forum.
Entrepreneurs are a different breed than Paid Employees- so it would be interesting to view the contrast.
Re: Are Business Owners too Old School to be Sold by a blog
- [quote:140e27hj]Customers Pick Static Documents over Blog Entries 8 to 1 on Average[/quote:140e27hj]
Interesting study. Just as a commenter said on your post... don't call it a blog. I agree.
Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.
Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.
by: 
Best Automated Forex Trading Strategy
Build Your List with Joint Venture Giveaway Events
May 2012 Top 100 Social Media Experts to Follow on Twitter
What to measure to be phenomenally successful in business
10 mistakes of media relations
Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!
Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.