I have taken a break from writing while deciding exactly
what direction I wish to take this blog. But with the hottest topic in customer
service right now being staffing, I want to chime in.
We have heard countless stories of terrible “post pandemic”
service in every sector of our business. It seems to immediately become a
conversation about poor staffing. Listen. I don’t know you, or your business, so
I don’t know what your customer service philosophy is but I ask you this. Are
you willing to explore the reality that it is a not so much an issue with your
staffing as it may be with your staff?
Yup. I said it. I have noticed a new climate where businesses
are so desperate for staff, that they will not only lower their standards in
hiring to get them, but will allow their staff to hold them hostage to those “new”
standards. It seems like it’s “survival
versus service” right now, and we need to look at it from all sides. Some of us
have played both roles in this scenario. As customers, we were so happy to get
out with our friends and family after Covid, that we were willing to accept
that service was going to be subpar at our favorite establishments. We kindly,
as we should have, rolled with the punches of everyone getting back into the
swing of things. As business owners and managers, we accepted it was the best
we could do. But it now feels like the new normal, and it shouldn’t be. The
staffing issue is a socioeconomic phenomenon I don’t have the solutions to. But
as a 40+ year member of the customer service community, I know we have control
of one thing, and that’s how we treat our customers and guests.
You can be understaffed, while maintaining a high level of customer
service, as long as you have a mission to do so. I work in a place that does it every day. Your
staff must understand how to deal with humans in an understaffed environment.
They will be more patient than you think when they understand the situation,
and you will be remembered for your eloquence in handling your staffing
situation. However, if you simply write it off to “Staffing”, you may be
missing places your current frontline can become even better. Once again, why
you are short staffed is none of my business, and I would never consult anyone
as to how to find more people. But you can set standards among your staff
today, that not only sets a protocol, but gives them some ownership, in a
mission of great customer service. Do
this weekly, if not daily, when your environment allows it.
There has never been a better opportunity to absolutely
shine in your service sector. Your frontline staff, with the right training,
and some ownership of concept, can remind customers of how it “used to be”.
Yeah, I am an old man talking about the old days of customer service, where a
business took an interest in you, instead of simply taking your money. I believe
a retail and personal service revolution is right around the corner, and those
businesses that remember that they are “dealing with humans” will prosper from
it.
