Seth Grodin commented on a problem at the Apple store and customers that care:
Obviously, not everyone complains all the time. Perhaps it’s just a few a day. But the people who complain, care. And it’s the customers that care that actually have a huge impact on your business.
If no one cares, you’ve got trouble. Goal one is getting people to care. Goal two: listening to them.
A restaurant opened up recently nearby – one of those poorly decorated neighborhood joints that often has tasty, inexpensive food. You can look at it and just know that mom and pop probably dumped their savings into it to get the doors open, and with the profit margin on restaurants, they’re living on a razor’s edge. The first time I went in with a friend, the manager or owner was chewing out an employee in the middle of the dining room. For our second visit we sent my daughter to pick up po boys for dinner, and they were rude to her. Finally, I dialed them on speaker so my daughter could place a pickup order, and the person who answered evidently didn’t feel the connection was adequate – although I use that speakerphone all the time for business, and we could hear her perfectly. Within five seconds of answering the phone, she said, “I don’t have time for this,” and hung up on us.
I thought about it for an hour or so, then called again. The same woman answered the phone. I said that I was very interested in seeing them succeed, and I hoped she’d take what I was about to say accordingly. I told her that they were getting a reputation for abrupt, curt, and rude staff, and that was not going to enhance her business. She cut me off with “I’m sorry you feel that way, but we do try to accommodate everyone who comes in here.”
I said, “Uh huh. Well, then, good luck, and have a nice day.” I had no intentions of going back, because based on that conversation, there was no reason to think anything would change. But yesterday we ended up trying one more time. The manager-or-owner was courteous and helpful, and so was the rest of the staff.
Maybe something else entirely happened to account for the change of attitude. But I’m glad I made the call, because it may have made the difference – and even if it hadn’t, it felt good to try. Since Hurricane Katrina, in what was already a city with a small-town feel, a lot of us are actively rooting for every local business. We want them all to succeed, especially the mom-and-pops where people have gambled on staying and investing in the New Orleans metro area. There’s a much greater sense of personal investment in others, and even where that doesn’t pay off, it’s a nice feeling.
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