What is up with customer service?

Question

Why are customer service people so rude? Why did the hairdresser cutting my hair a few months take a personal call on her cell phone WHILE SHE WAS CUTTING MY HAIR?????? It was not an emergency, I could tell. Why does the teller at the bank yak away with a friend at the counter while processing my transaction? I could go on but you get the idea.Why does someone I supervise spend half the day on personal calls, even putting a customer on hold to take a personal call? Yes I realize customers can be rude, but being a customer service manager myself, I am not rude because I know what it is like.

Answer 1

I am important, you are crap

(Of course you're not; that is just an example of how some folks think)

Answer 2

I can't explain what has happened except to say that some many people these days are so wrapped up in the mentality of hurray for me and the heck with you syndrome . I worked in Retail all of my life and back then if you were rude in anyway to a customer you were at the very least reprimanded and could even have to take a day off without pay . Repeated offenders could be FIRED !
I was a manager for many yrs. also and I carried on where my supervisors left off .I get as offended as you . I have even walked out of stores after reporting clerks to their mangers. If more people did this perhaps the supervisor would go back to the proper way to train these employees . Most times we are just in too much of a hurry and do not report anything no matter how RUDE !

Answer 3

You are in a position to rectify the problem in your area. If you have a person you supervise who does this, what do YOU do to stop it?

I totally agree with the person who says that 20 years ago this kind of behavior was not so prevelant. I've worked with several people who will talk nonstop on their cell phones when they are supposed to be working. And they werent people who "had to be connected to their job all the time" either. One was a cashier at a podunk C-store. She would gab on the cell phone while ringing up people's merchandise or while making a sandwich or pizza. It was rediculous. The Super didnt like it but never did anything to enforce the "dont MAKE non emergency phone calls during shift" policy.

If the people "upstairs" dont enforce the rule then whats the point in having it? Its frustrating for those of us who do our job without the endless phone calls, watch those who break the rules and yet never be punished. Of course they dont stop! Why should they? They have no consciense about it! People like that chap my hide! I've mentioned it to my Super but all she said was"Yes, I know" and then sat on her butt and didnt do a darned thing besides send out a memo that made a vague reference to "dont make/take personal calls during shift". Grrrrr.

Here in the boonies where I live, its like customer service is completely unknown. Waitresses are not very friendly and often times out and out rude. I remember calling a flower shop once in a "big" town an hour away from here to send flowers to the hospital for a sick friend and the person acted like I was bothering her a great deal, and getting info on the types of arrangements they had was like pulling teeth! Yeesh!

I was raised with the concept of "the customer is always right". Growing up my folks had a restaraunt and my mother worked at a telephone company, so it was drummed into us kids that you treat customers well and you are ALWAYS polite when speaking on the phone.

I've dealt with rude customers but they are usually pretty rare. Nice customers outnumber the rude ones.

Goddess Bless!

Answer 4

I agree with you - I see this a lot more than, say, 20 years ago (yeah, I'm old).

But in these people's defense, I really do think there's something else, other than being rude. It's that we're all expected to be connected to our jobs 24/7, even with punch-the-clock service jobs. There is an unhealthy ethic emerging in this country by which we are all somehow supposed to BE our jobs even when we aren't working.

In this context, I think people seize their free time wherever they can get it. No, it's NOT right, and it's not justifiable. But the root cause is beyond individual behavior. We have to fix something that is going wrong in our society.

Answer 5

There is a general lack of customer service, so I wholeheartedly agree. I am a manager myself, and if a rep takes a personal call while helping a customer, or talk to each other while helping a customer, I address it immediately. I lead by example. I don't see it as often with my reps since I started becoming quite strict with them (though that does not mean that they don't do it when I am not standing right there.)

Answer 6

I totally agree. They should not allow cell phones at work unless it's an absolute emergency. The privilege is totally abused! And employees talking to each other while you're in line is the height of rudeness! I wonder if people really care about their jobs anymore or if they go to work just for the paycheck?

Answer 7

How about this? My ex-counselor (who my insurance company paid $75/hour) would put lipstick on during sessions, answer her cell phone ( and have conversations) while in session, and then continue to tell me what they were talking about. The last straw was when she answered her cell phone, talked to her daughter and told her she'd meet her in 5 minutes outside, then she cut my session 30 minutes short~ even though she was getting paid for an entire hour. I walked out and never went to her again, I should have complained about her~ I don't know why I didn't.
~I agree with you - people are getting more and more rude everyday.

Answer 8

Why do you allow your subordinates to take personal phone calls when they should be working? Your management skills should step up and address the situation.

As for the other examples - if you get poor service, don't reward them with return business.

Answer 9

Some people are just inconsiderate and don't live by the golden rule.

Answer 10

Everyone is rude, people need to learn manners. parents are failing