Closing the Gap Between What You Say and What People Hear

8 beers

I had an interesting experience at my neighborhood grocery store the other day.  I was walking down the soda aisle, looking for my favorite caffeinated beverage (Coke Zero), when I passed a store employee stocking the shelves.  As he worked, he was also talking on a cell phone.  “Yeah,” I heard him laugh, ”especially after 8 beers!”  I don’t know who he was talking to, but my impression was that it was a personal call.  The rest of his conversation faded from hearing as I walked on.

The good news, I suppose, was that he seemed to be enjoying himself.  But enjoying your work is one thing.  Enjoying yourself at work is something else entirely, and not necessarily a good thing, at least from an employer’s perspective.  And by the way, this was not a teenager talking, if you’re wondering.  If I had to guess, I’d put him in his late 30s to early 40s.  Also, let me say that I have no problem with people drinking, in general.  (Though 8 beers does sound a bit excessive.)  My concern is with the message his conversation sends to me as a customer, and the questions it raises in my mind.  Does he have a drinking problem?  Should I be concerned about him?  Is he drunk right now?  Does management know?  Is this some sort of drink-friendly grocer?  They do seem chipper.  Is there something else going on?  Are other staff members drunk too?

You see my problem?  Or, actually, their problem?  I don’t think these are the thoughts they want me to have while I’m in their store.  I think they’d rather I was thinking what great service they give me, and how well cared for, understood and appreciated I feel when I’m there.

Now, to be fair, I do feel cared for, understood and appreciated by this particular store.  I’m a loyal customer.  So, this situation wasn’t really a problem for me.  But what if I didn’t already feel that way?  What if I was still forming my opinions as to whether I wanted to shop there?  That phone call scene might be all it took for me to decide to go somewhere else.  Can they really afford to drive people to their competitors?

At the very least, it was a lost opportunity.  Think of the difference if he had been focused on me instead.  If, as he saw me approach, he had offered a quick smile and said, “How are you doing today?  Anything I can help you find?”   Rather then pushing me away, he would have anchored in my mind the very messages they want to send.  Isn’t that the better way to go?

“I care about you. How can I help?”  These are the messages you want send.  So, whenever a customer is within eyesight or ear-shot, don’t have personal conversations with other staff, side discussions about work issues, or cell phone conversations with drinking buddies.  Just keep the focus on the customer, and how you can serve them.

Tags: Communication, communication coach, customer service, customer service training

This entry was posted on Friday, May 15th, 2009 at 10:22 am and is filed under Communication. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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