Gen Y Speaks: How I see good customer service and deal with horrible ones

As an avid café hopper, I have come across all kinds of service staff. Here, I would like to share two recent positive experiences and also how I deal with not so pleasant ones.

The first is Aunty Kamala, who was manning a café in town when I popped in the first time.

When I casually asked what was good on the menu, she replied cheerfully: “Of course, everything!”

We both laughed.

A few weeks later, I met Aunty Kamala — a sprightly woman who looks to be in her 60s — at the café again. She greeted me warmly by name, before asking:  “Long black for you again?”

I was surprised that she remembered me — and my order from weeks ago.

Not only that, she noticed that I appeared jittery and asked if I was feeling okay.

And after I explained that it was over a task at work, she broke into a radiant smile and said: “Everything will be fine!”

Her smile left a deep impression on me, as it reminded me of my late grandmother who looked after me. That afternoon, after my brief encounter with Aunty Kalama, I felt a surge of calmness within me.

The second experience I want to share happened at a cafeteria inside a shopping mall. On my very first visit, a staff member greeted me at the shopfront.

Noticing that I looked flustered after a long walk, he asked if I would like to have a cup of water chestnut to cool down.

As I rarely come across such proactive staff, I initiated a chat with him. He introduced himself as Vincent, a co-founder of the cafeteria. 

When I casually asked if his business was affected by the Covid-19 outbreak, he let out a sigh, but quickly added that it was an opportune moment to improve the dining experience for customers.

He cited an example of how he had received a suggestion from a customer to improve hygiene by placing chopsticks downwards in a container, so that the part used for picking up food would not be exposed.

The customer was delighted to find out the next day that Vincent had implemented the idea. From our brief exchange, it was clear to me that Vincent walks the talk when it comes to providing good customer service.

But meeting Vincent and Aunty Kamala also reminded me of bad experiences I had.

Sometime last year, I patronised a café that was popular for its coffee.

A barista got my order wrong. But instead of apologising, he hissed at me: “Next time, please get your order right!”

While the coffee tasted good, my mood was already dampened.

On another occasion, I walked into a different café and came across a barista who was clearly uninterested in her work.

“Yes? What (do) you want?” she rudely asked.

When my drink came, I noticed coffee spills on the lid. I said: “Sorry, could you replace…”

But before I could complete my sentence, she reluctantly replaced the lid while murmuring something. I could have kicked up a fuss or written a negative review. But I opted to walk away.

That would not be how I would have reacted when I was younger, before I worked in the service line as a customer service consultant and a retail sales assistant during my school vacations.

Those stints taught me that no matter what we do, we are all humans who have good and bad days. As much as we try to stay composed on our bad days, there may be times we lose our cool unintentionally.

The same goes for service staff. Perhaps for most of the time, they are jovial and energetic. You may just have caught them on a bad day — be it due to fatigue or some personal problems. 

With the evolving Covid-19 situation that has hit the food and beverage business badly, operators and staff are not having an easy time either.

So for me, I choose to believe that my negative encounter with them is one-off and that they are typically not like this. This way, my mood is not affected too.

Of course, customers have a right to speak out when they receive exceptionally poor service.

My friend related how a waiter accidentally had spilled a drink onto his dad recently. Though the waiter apologised, once he walked away, he mockingly told a colleague that getting a spilled drink wouldn’t kill a customer.

My friend had no choice but to raise it with the manager, who then reprimanded his staff member and gave the assurance that similar incidents will not happen again.

Thankfully, my experiences with service staff have been largely positive; and in the case of Aunty Kamala and Vincent, they have both displayed what I deem to be three key aspects of exemplary customer service.

First, service personalisation.

I was surprised by how Aunty Kamala could remember not just me but my drink order. I was also struck by how observant Vincent was when he recommended me a chilled drink to cool me down after a long walk.

Good service staff are meticulous; they pay attention to the finest details and go the extra mile to offer personalised recommendations.

Second, customer value creation.

Instead of pressurising me to spend more, Aunty Kamala focused on my needs. On my first visit, she had asked if I use tumblers. It was only after I replied yes that she informed me about a promotion the café had.

Vincent, too, took in a customer’s suggestion and implemented the change in how cutlery was placed for better hygiene. 

Service staff who take the effort to listen to their customers will often create even greater value for them.

Third, job dedication.

When I asked Aunty Kamala her secret to her authentic service attitude, she replied: “When my customers are happy, I am happy too.” She truly derives joy from seeing satisfied customers.

For Vincent, despite having a service crew, he sometimes mans the shopfront as he enjoys serving customers himself. He is a firm believer in leading by example.

Great service staff who display passion and sincerity in their work often put customers at ease and comfort.

As customers, I think it is useful for us to show appreciation for good service. This can be in the form of a simple thank you.

Hopefully, that will spur better service standards all round and we get to meet more people like Aunty Kamala and Vincent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ong Shen Kwang works as a project facilitator in a local bank.