There is a very large difference between me being rude and me telling you something you don’t want to hear. Examples:
“You are ugly and have bad breath” – I would agree that someone telling this to another person constitutes rude behavior.
“I was told you would deliver between 1 and 4PM. It is now 4:30 PM. No one has called me. No one has apologized. Why is my time worth less than yours?” – This is not a rude statement, but many company representatives would categorize a customer who makes this statement as rude or aggressive.
I am a Customer Experience expert. I don’t think this is something you can just learn. You have to be kind of born with it. From my time working in a Customer Support call center to my time working with some of the world’s largest entertainers, I have always had a very good moral compass for what is right and wrong; and to be clear, the customer is NOT always right.
What do you do when you get in a 10 items or less line and the person in front of you has 14 items? Do you say something to the customer? Do you say something to the clerk? If you do neither, you are simply perpetuating our continued downward spiral with regards to service and its effects on how we all live together. I’m not suggesting you fly off the handle and curse the customer or clerk out. Rather, you have a moral responsibility to help educate those who don’t know how to live with other people or else you will continue to run into such scenarios again and again. Unfortunately, there are risks associated with this.
First, sometimes people say to me “someday you might say something to the wrong person and get shot”. This is 100% true. The flip side is that I don’t want to live in a world where any bully can do whatever they want, whenever they want. I owe it to my child and his world to try and train as many people as is possible on the rules of living together.
Second, you have to deal with those aforementioned people who will tell you that by sticking up for society, you are rude. I am rude because I expect my gym to keep paper towels stocked or the toilets clean. I am rude because I ask businesses to enforce their own rules. I am rude because I call people out when they break their promises to me.
My request is that we all take a more active role in reasserting our rights to quality service. If a service call is late and they don’t apologize say something. If a clerk opens up a new check stand and doesn’t pull over the first person waiting in line, say something. If you don’t want to say something right then, ask to speak with the manager later or send an email. Do anything to help make people aware of the right way to do things. If you don’t get involved, then you can‘t be mad the next time someone does something like this to you or your family…
A few months ago I would have ended this note by suggesting you all take a look at the book Delivering Happiness by Tony Shieh. Sadly, I recently gave a copy to someone and Tony refused to sign it at a speaking engagement unless a $25 fee was paid. Even the best Customer Experience experts sometimes fall flat on their face….
