Category Archives: Customer Service

customer service skills, case studies, how to keep customers and clients happy.

How a Waitress Can Earn a 1-Cent Tip

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This story is about a harsh lesson learned for one Toronto waitress.

A long time ago, maybe back in the early or mid-nineties, some members of my family were visiting Toronto (they don’t live here) to see a Blue Jays ball game.  They stayed at the Skydome Hotel.  That’s right – this story happened before the name change to the Rogers Centre.  Anyway I was not there at the time, and I don’t recall why.  Perhaps I was at University, or overseas, or busy in some other way.  Nevertheless this is a classic story which is still shocking to me today.

Essentially the story goes that after spending an exciting but expensive weekend in the big city, the family (probably 4 people) went down for breakfast at the Skydome Restaurant.  My uncle joined them for breakfast as he lives in the city.  Anyway, what I heard was that my uncle ordered the breakfast buffet special, and others ordered straight breakfast dishes.  Uncle got up and collected some items from the buffet to put on his plate, and returned to the table.  He maybe returned once more to the buffet table.  So everyone is laughing, enjoying a big breakfast and reminiscing about the good times had in Toronto.  My uncle, who has never been a big eater, had not touched his danish on his plate, and didn’t want to waste it since he was full, and offered it to my brother.  So my brother accepted it and put it on his side plate.

Apparently, from out of nowhere, the waitress dashed over to the table and aggressively commanded that he (my bro) could not have that danish as he did not order the breakfast buffet!  Even as my uncle was attempting to explain to her that he was full and didn’t want to waste it, the waitress picked up the danish (with or without the side-plate I just don’t know) and runs off with it!

My family sat, amazed at the extent the waitress would go to in the enforcement of the buffet rules.  It was a 10 cent danish!  It’s not like my uncle was grabbing things up and feeding the whole table!  It’s not like it was roast beef!  It was a danish!!!

So my brother, who generally has a really good disposition and is a happy guy, was not amused.

When the group had finished eating and requested the bill, the same waitress brought it over to the table, and asked “Who gets this?”

My brother looked at her and said “Me.”

As fate would have it, it was indeed his turn to pay (as the ‘rents had paid for dinner the night before) and he was more than happy to pay the bill.  He added a 1-cent tip to the bill for the waitress.

It’s a sad story to some, a funny story to others, but a good learning lesson I think to all waitstaff:  think carefully before you steal food from a paying customer!  Is the reason in your head really worth it?  Maybe discuss your idea with a manager beforehand if possible.

I’m glad I wasn’t there.

Black’s Photography is Ace!

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Before I returned to Japan for the second time this last November,  I shopped around for a new digital camera, since the last time I was there I broke my other one.  It was July 4th 2008, Canada Day, and I was in Kyoto with a few foreign teachers, including my Canadian buddy Andrew.  We drank a ton to celebrate the occasion,  and around midnight as I was taking a photo or perhaps trying to shut the camera off, I dropped it.  It hasn’t worked since.  Luckily I didn’t lose any pictures off of it, but the zoom lens is permanently stuck halfway out.

Early November 2010 I looked around at some different camera shops, and when I went into Black’s near Yonge/St. Clair I was happy with the customer service I was given.  A nice young lady answered my Qs, even though I didn’t buy anything that afternoon.  The point is I returned to that store based on my memory of the service and of course the cameras.  When I returned to the store a few days later I was helped out by a very knowledgeable salesguy.  He was able to answer my Qs easily.  When he introduced himself as “Ace” I almost laughed, thinking he was joking.  Maybe it was a college nickname I thought.  But in the end apparently that is his name and he was a great salesman, nothing like Jim Carrey at all!

Not only did he help me pick the right camera for my needs, but he even pointed out matching products that were on sale that I wanted, like a camera pouch and memory card, and in the end threw some things in for free.  I was also told that if I so chose I could come back to the store for a 1-hour tutorial on the camera’s functions, which I took him up on.  A couple days later Ace showed me the ropes of the new camera by demonstrating the features in the store.

I for one can say that I was even happier with my purchase afterward because not only did I believe I had a great camera, but I also believed I got a good deal too.  Having a friendly and attentive C/S or sales rep help you is a total bonus, as it reinforces your feeling that you the customer made the right choice not just with the product, but with the store itself.

I spent a couple weeks in Japan, and I took a ton of photos and videos with my new camera.  I drank almost every evening too, but I didn’t drop the camera this time.  Perhaps my dexterity is improving, or perhaps it’s because I didn’t make it down to Kyoto this time to see Andrew.  (LOL)

Upon my return, when I needed to get photos printed off, do you know where I went?  Of course – the same Black’s Photography store.  I didn’t see Ace working there that day, but I ran into him crossing the street another day and he remembered me and smiled and waved.  I liked being remembered.  Don’t you?  It makes you feel special, if only for a brief moment.

Thanks Ace, and thanks Black’s Photography!  I will be coming back to your store.

Worse Than a Fly in Your Soup?

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The other night I took my wife out for dinner at a restaurant that currently has 3 names (which is quite confusing – I guess they are merging or something) just south of Yonge and St. Clair.  We had a beer and a meal and all in all the service and food were good enough.  Nothing fancy, but the place isn’t pricey either, so it was fine in my books.
Anyway, after we paid and left, my wife starts laughing (outside) and asks me “Did you see that?!”

She continues to laugh hysterically even though I had no idea what she was on about so I asked her to fill me in.  Still smiling, she said the waiter who served us and everyone else in the room had his fly fully open!  She said it had been that way since the moment we walked into the joint!  WOW!  Really?  I couldn’t believe it!  Poor guy.  I wonder how many other people noticed.  I wonder if it positively or negatively affected his tips?
Let this be a warning to all servers – check your clothing before you go on, from the top of your head to the tips of your toes, and do a final fly-check okay?

Mike Does Right at Leon’s

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My current couch is falling apart, piece by piece.  It’s an Ikea futon couch and it was never meant to be my main couch but for some unknown reason (laziness) it has been in the living room for far too long, breaking down both itself and anyone’s back who sits on it for too long.  God help you if you tried to sleep on it!

So my wife and I headed out today couch/sofa-shopping.  We didn’t find what we were looking for at the Urban Brick so we headed down to Leon’s which we remembered spotting when we were on a tour of the awesome SteamWhistle Brewery a while back (that could be another post…) down by the Rogers Centre.  Anyway, we walked in and started sitting down on couches.  We put down our shopping bags and took off our winter coats and couch-surfed a while, hmming and hawing.  I asked a lady a question regarding pull-out couches and she handed me off to Mike, who asked my name, introduced himself with eye contact, a good handshake and a smile.  I like this guy already.  The fact that he is well-dressed in not only nice clothes but ones that fit him properly gets him bonus marks on personal presentation.  Anyway Mike pulls out a couch and leaves me to discuss with my wife.

A short time later we walk to him and he asks what I think, and I say I think that the sofa-couch is a bad idea!  He laughs and we agree that a proper couch would feel better.  I tell him we need to look around and try out some couches and he offers to put our bags and jackets behind the desk.  His stock is rising…

He leaves us alone for the appropriate amount of time (a good sales person KNOWS when that is…) and by the time he re-appears we are down to 2 possibilities.  Mike assures me both choices are good and customer-favourites, i.e. big sellers.  I’m not sure that’s true, but it’s okay, because a good sales rep is supposed to reassure the customer that they have made an excellent choice, no matter what they pick.  I fish for a discount which is politely ignored.  I like that confidence.  He is not pushy and not needy.  It makes me want to spend money because I believe high-quality stores do not need to discount all the time.

Anyway we decide on a couch that is nicknamed “Fiona”, which I think looks strong and elegant but practical, and my wife agreed, but I think it also had something to do with the Shrek movies we recently watched together that I got her for Christmas!

The couch felt good and was within our budget, and Mike was a confident but calm and non-pushy  salesman who understood genuine rapport-building, and so what the hey, we even ordered the upsell Scotchguard!

Our new couch is to be delivered Saturday, and we can hardly wait.  Tonight as my wife and I sat on our current Ikea futon couch I cursed it several times and told it that it’s time was up and it had to leave.  I don’t care if I hurt it’s feelings, because everyday it hurts my back!
Sayonara Futon!  Hello Fiona!  (Well, at least on Saturday I can say that…assuming there are no problems with delivery!)

Christina’s on the Danforth

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This isn’t recent, but I was sitting here thinking of some of my favourite restaurants to go to because of excellent customer service, and I thought I might start to mention them one at a time, in random order, here on the blog.

For many years I used to live just off the Danforth.  (Man I miss Greek food sometimes…)
Anyway, whenever I wanted to impress a lady on a date, or my Mother when she visited Toronto, I would take her to Christina’s.  What I like about that place is the decor, the food, and the service.  The gentlemen wear formal black and white and talk softly to you.  Even bringing butter is done professionally and with an air of importance, without feeling stuffy or snobby.

I went there many times in my life, and only had one bad experience.  I had taken a girlfriend out for a romantic night of wine and seafood, and the restaurant was not too busy.  We were seated alone.  20 minutes later a small but loud group of ESL students and their teacher came in, and for some strange reason, were seated right beside us!!!  I couldn’t believe the daftness or insensitivity of the hostess.  There were plenty of open tables available in the room.  (It was not the group’s fault, of course.)

Anyway after grumbling and scowling a bit I quietly went up to the bar and made my complaint so that the small party could not hear, and we (my girlfriend and I) were offered a new, more private table.

The lesson for servers and hostesses here is – look before you seat.

TTC – Toronto Transit Commission

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Oh yes…one of the favourite topics of the average Torontonian…especially those of us that frequently use the transit system.  I get the feeling that there will be many posts on this topic, but to start off I would like to say that I have been living in Toronto more or less since 1996, and I am used to the current level of blah customer service provided by the TTC.  From my experience I am happy to report though that I have never had a bad experience with a TTC employee.  As a matter of fact the vast majority of times that I have had to ask a question or get directions etc. I have found the employees to be very nice and accommodating.  I realize that is not the experience of everybody, but hey – it’s my blog!

The issues I have are with the SYSTEM (policies and procedures) of TTC.   For example, I’m on the subway (or bus or streetcar) and we have a delay for some reason.  The vehicle is not moving.  Everyone is looking around.  It’s rush hour.  We want to get to work.  We wonder why we are not moving.  We wonder if it is something serious.  We wonder if we should get off now and walk/take a taxi or wait it out.  People are shuffling.  People are grumbling.  People are sweating.  People are getting angry.  People start bitching about the TTC to strangers.

The solution is soooo simple!  TELL US WHAT’S UP!

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are unfortunately going to be delayed approximately for another 5 minutes due to (blah blah).   We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused and will get going as soon as possible.”
There – now everyone can relax, go back to sleep, or if they choose, leave.

If you communicate with your passengers they will respect you.  And if the driver/operator doesn’t know exactly what is going on, as in the case where he/she has been ordered to wait, then simply just announce that the train will be waiting at this station for approx. 5 minutes and we apologize for the inconvenience.  When there is communication people can relax and stay positive.

Fun Fact:  In Japan the subway trains are timed to the minute.  If the train is going to be delayed even for a minute, a live voice goes out over the speakers notifying people of the delay and apologizing for it.  To some that may sound like overkill, but to others, it is excellent customer service.

Your Word is Your Bond

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It is not always easy or even possible to follow this axiom, but if you can, you will be greatly respected by others, and you will feel good about yourself.

Recently I used this phrase in a customer service email to my bank, when I was chastising a rep for not calling me back when he had promised. In retrospect I may have laid it on a little thick, or had too high of expectations, but I was truly disappointed that the rep broke his promise. I felt that he and his company should know that there are people out there like myself who hope and even expect people to do what they said they would, especially those who are in the service industry.

Here are some strategies for staying on track of keeping your word:

1. Don’t overestimate your ability to deliver. Know your limitations and do not feel you have to say ‘yes’ to everything and everyone. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

2. Don’t promise anything. Get in the habit of not using that phrase. Replace it with “I’ll try”, “we’ll see what we can do”, or “I’ll do my best” if you feel you cannot commit.

3. Don’t mention things in advance – surprise people. Instead of promising the world or even boasting ahead of time, simply hold it in and create the necessary action to fulfill the desired outcome. Wouldn’t it be a nice surprise if you just ‘showed up’ and could dance well, or did your report or essay a week early, or cleaned the garage without announcing it, etc.? Think about how you can surprise people next time. Actions truly speak louder than words!

4. Record your promises. If you are going to dare to use the ‘p’ word, then by all means, stick to your oath. You have to keep your promises if you want to keep your friends and business clients. Write important dates and deadlines down. Keep a record, even if it is just a notepad and post-it notes. I don’t know how I survived before I had my iCal. I can quickly glance and see my promised schedule for the day, week, month and year. It really helps me stay on track.

I hope you can count on the word of those around you, because you have proven to them that they can count on your word. That is one of the best ways to ensure mutual trust and respect.

Florida woman claims ‘Merry Christmas’ greeting got her fired

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Hello all,

I should not be working on Christmas eve, rather enjoying my drink and relaxing.
This article caught my eye, and I had to pass it on. I could spew a lot of my opinion here, but for now all I want to say is that this article is ‘interesting’ and ‘disturbing’ at the same time, especially the last line. Sometimes I do not recognize the world that I live in. Anyway, if you like, read it and make up your own mind as to what the real issue was.

Merry Christmas everyone!
(Happy Holidays too!)

By Melissa Nelson, The Associated Press

PENSACOLA, Fla. – A Florida woman claims a vacation rental company fired her because she used “‘Merry Christmas” to greet callers.

Thirty-five-year-old Tonia Thomas says she lost her job after failing to use the company-mandated greeting of “Happy Holidays.”

The Panama City woman and self-described strong Christian has filed a federal complaint that accuses the company of religious discrimination.

She has since found another job since her Dec. 10th firing, but for less money and is seeking compensation for lost wages.

Her former employer, Counts-Oakes Resorts Properties Inc., says it’s no Scrooge.

It describes the woman as just a disgruntled employee, but refuses to elaborate.

Liberty Counsel, an Orlando-based legal group that advocates for people discriminated against because of their religion, is representing Thomas before the federal Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.

Their complaint also accuses the company of harassing and taunting Thomas after she was fired by calling the police to watch her pack her belongs and leave.

Thomas could have hard time winning the case, said Thomas Harper, a Jacksonville-based labour lawyer who writes a newsletter on Florida employment law.

“I wouldn’t think an employee has the right to insist (on saying Merry Christmas) unless that really is a tenet of their faith.

She would have to make a strong case that was part of her beliefs, if not, it becomes insubordination,” he said.

Harper said when it comes to holiday greetings, the smartest choice might be ignoring the season.

“The best option is just not to say anything,” he said.