Managers - what can you say about these people that are chosen to lead us? We all can comment on that one, but to be fair there are a lot of positive things about these people. Granted, not all are of the same caliber but given time we most generally can find something good about all of them. And when we do find a moment of truth, it generally will come when least expected.
Most of our managers are well liked. They treat us with respect, work beside us when times get busy, listen to our complaints, laugh with us and understand our frustrations. In a way, we are a lot alike. And there are many times when I see many of them go out of their way, not only for customers but for employees as well. For these people, I have much respect. Because with the title of the position, comes much responsibility and frustration. And there are times when I have often wondered how they can begin to handle it all.
How I look upon a manager will depend on how they treat, not only the employees, but the situations that arise. It provides some insight as to their character and the other night was a perfect example. I was working on a register when a customer came through with just a few items. As I scanned the items the customer gave his disapproval as the prices rolled across the computer screen. Our company, like others, has a card that provides the sale prices when scanned. In explaining this to the customer, he informed me that he did not do this and continued to tell me why. Totally disgruntled by the company's policy the customer refused the sale and in the process grabbed the attention of a manager. This manager came over to my register and politely asked what the problem was, to which the customer immediately informed her of his position on the matter. And the customer did not stop with just his explanation. Instead, he stepped out of line and stood in front of everyone and continued to explain his reasoning on the matter.
Now in most situations, I believe that it is safe to assume that a clerk/manager would have apologized but informed the customer that that was company policy and let the customer go. Not this manager. She did apologise for how he felt, but she went on to try to correct the matter and explained everything to him And, she maintained a position of wanting to help make him happy. In other words, this manager wanted to make sure that the customer was not only well informed but also wanted him to know that she valued his business. And when the customer told her how the company should operate on this particular matter, she stood there politely and listened.
Now during this encounter, I looked around and saw the faces of the customers and the employees as they watched this situation take place. I mean, this customer had every one's attention. And what they witnessed was an employee being polite and trying to do right by a customer, even though the customer was in total disagreement with the company's policy. The manager went the extra mile and in the process, provided a lesson on customer service to the employees.
The end result was that the customer left the store without making a purchase, but he did not leave the store with a bad impression of the employee or of the assistance he received. It is unfortunate that we lost a customer but, on the other hand, it is nice to see a manager set such a fine example for others.
Talk at ya later!
Most of our managers are well liked. They treat us with respect, work beside us when times get busy, listen to our complaints, laugh with us and understand our frustrations. In a way, we are a lot alike. And there are many times when I see many of them go out of their way, not only for customers but for employees as well. For these people, I have much respect. Because with the title of the position, comes much responsibility and frustration. And there are times when I have often wondered how they can begin to handle it all.
How I look upon a manager will depend on how they treat, not only the employees, but the situations that arise. It provides some insight as to their character and the other night was a perfect example. I was working on a register when a customer came through with just a few items. As I scanned the items the customer gave his disapproval as the prices rolled across the computer screen. Our company, like others, has a card that provides the sale prices when scanned. In explaining this to the customer, he informed me that he did not do this and continued to tell me why. Totally disgruntled by the company's policy the customer refused the sale and in the process grabbed the attention of a manager. This manager came over to my register and politely asked what the problem was, to which the customer immediately informed her of his position on the matter. And the customer did not stop with just his explanation. Instead, he stepped out of line and stood in front of everyone and continued to explain his reasoning on the matter.
Now in most situations, I believe that it is safe to assume that a clerk/manager would have apologized but informed the customer that that was company policy and let the customer go. Not this manager. She did apologise for how he felt, but she went on to try to correct the matter and explained everything to him And, she maintained a position of wanting to help make him happy. In other words, this manager wanted to make sure that the customer was not only well informed but also wanted him to know that she valued his business. And when the customer told her how the company should operate on this particular matter, she stood there politely and listened.
Now during this encounter, I looked around and saw the faces of the customers and the employees as they watched this situation take place. I mean, this customer had every one's attention. And what they witnessed was an employee being polite and trying to do right by a customer, even though the customer was in total disagreement with the company's policy. The manager went the extra mile and in the process, provided a lesson on customer service to the employees.
The end result was that the customer left the store without making a purchase, but he did not leave the store with a bad impression of the employee or of the assistance he received. It is unfortunate that we lost a customer but, on the other hand, it is nice to see a manager set such a fine example for others.
Talk at ya later!
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