The importance of customer service

The way I understand customer service is that I pay someone to provide me with a service or product in exchange for money. I give them my hard-earned money in good faith that the person or company will fulfill their end of the bargain and provide me with a product or service with friendly customer service in a timely manner. If I do not receive this then I try to make it known my displeasure and take my hard-earned money elsewhere. My expectations are not *that* high that people can’t achieve them. It’s just a standard expectation.

Sadly I’ve been disappointed recently. In a Canadian chain coffee shop I often frequent, I ordered a strawberry lemonade smoothie. I was being served by a lady who I wasn’t a huge fan of before because she isn’t the friendliest of servers. She took my order and started making me a drink. Another lady ran my order through the cash register and I was handed a drink. I was offered an Italian soda. I politely informed the lady who made my drink that it wasn’t what I ordered. She argued that it was and when the lady at the cash told her it wasn’t she gave me a dirty look and took the order from the person behind me.  It’s sad because that one server who may or may not have had a bad day just turned me off from the entire company as a whole. The front line staff of any company represents the brand. Poor operations can kill any marketing program and can kill a business. Hiring the right people with the right attitude is key.