Great Service.

I've learned quite a few things from working in customer service for the past 3 years. The most notably being that there are so many different types of people, unfathomably more than you probably encountered while growing up or in school. Really, it never ceases to amaze me the different personalities, values, and traits of each person I interact with while I'm working.

It's become a habit of mine at the restaurant I work at to try as hard as possible to make the people I encounter smile or laugh. I believe that the best customer service is defined as when no matter how your day has been, your experience at that establishment was so outstanding that it filled you with enough happiness and appreciation that you let go of whatever shadows you acquired earlier in the day. And you know when it's your service that has been the highlight of a person's day; happiness isn't an easily hidden emotion.

There's a gentleman that comes into the restaurant a couple of times a week, normally late lunch when there's less of a wait. I imagine that he is in his late 60's or early 70's, white hair, thin, face beginning to lose shape, and a stagnant angry and depressed expression with an attitude to accompany it. Each time he comes in, he orders the same meal, sits at the same table, and pays with the same exact change, all while never looking into the eyes of the person taking his order or serving his food. He has a routine. One which doesn't involve happiness (at least from our perspective).

My manager and I have made it a sort of game, a challenge really, that each time he visits to try as hard as possible to make him smile. Just a simple expression, which we overlook and take for granted. And yet, our charm, humor, and general cheerfulness hasn't had any effect. But we've made it our goal to try and see just a glimpse of that bright emotion from him.

Of course, that gentleman is only an example of the service we aim to accomplish. Every single person who enters our establishment is given the same treatment, because everyone deserves to have a fantastic experience with us. We're having fun doing our job and we want the people we're serving to enjoy it just as much. We want them to laugh with us, sing and dance with us to the 80's classics playing, to enjoy the food we created just for them, and finally, to smile.

Because in the end, it's that connection that will separate you from everyone else, your organization from every other organization selling the same exact thing as you. The quality of your service.



Currently listening to Overkill - Colin Hay