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10:39:00 AM MST
Try It, You'll Appreciate It........
Awhile ago....sometime in 2007, after a most horrendous eating experience at a local establishment, I decided I would try changing my tactics with dealing with bad service. Although it may seem like an insignificant movement, I've been rather satisfied with the results thus far and thought I would share.
I no longer complain about bad service. Nope, I suck it up, pay my bill, leave a marginal tip and walk away. Giving zero energy to a negative moment.
Instead I now focus on good service...in all public establishments.
For example, last night at a simple dinner. My waitress was wonderful. Spot on and did her job well. In my past, I would have paid my bill, left a hefty tip and wandered out about my own life. She would have forgotten me in 10 minutes, her boss would be oblivious to her job well done and I would be focused on my new destination.
But now, I don't think that's the case. For one, I believe I gave her a small unforgettable heart attack based on the look on her face. When she handed me my bill, I asked her to please send her manager over to my table.
She hesitated, looking a bit crestfallen, asked me "Are you unhappy about your meal? My service, is there anything I can do?" to which I smiled slightly and said, "No, but I would like to speak with your manager."
Now, I imagine in that line of service, that's about the worst thing a waitress or cook can hear from a customer, I know that, but I had a purpose, a plan..............
Lapse two minutes and a solemn looking manager and a worried looking waitress approached my table. I then proceeded to tell the manager what wonderful service his waitress had given us. They both went from smile-less souls to beaming faces of what I shall call relief, pride and good feelings.
I was thanked by the manager and the waitress and I was a satisfied soul. But the real reason I am sharing this on my journal is what happened a few minutes later.
When I was walking out, the Manager caught up with my party and stopped us. I shall let his words speak for themselves..................
He said, "Thank you again for telling me what a good job one of my staff gave. To be honest, rarely, if ever does that happen. The only thing I ever hear is when someone's order is wrong, a waiter or waitress isn't doing what the customer thinks is a good job, or someone is unhappy with their food. I'm just amazed and very grateful someone took the time to tell me such a good thing. Thank You soooo much"
He's right you know. I used to be the Manager of an establishment. I had 25 employee's to be accountable for and all I ever heard was the negative from customers. Once in a VERY great moon would someone just stop by to tell me something nice............
It's a great thing to tell a person they did a wonderful job......it's an amazing thing to tell someones 'boss' who may not even realize it, or hear about it. A boss only has two eye's. (And the ability to give a person a raise, or positive notation in an employee file)
Try it sometime....
give someone a heart attack....
then make their day, just because you can~~
P.S. This concept works in many various places. Dinning. Home Depot. Hair Salon. Grocery Stores. If it's a service center....there's a manager who would love to hear something nice about one of their own and an employee who could use kind words to make the job alittle easier~
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I am going to do that...thank you for spreading a good idea.
Marti -
It is so true... I try to do that, whenever I can!!! It means so much!
Thank you for the note and the charm... I held it and 'hoped' quite a bit... thankfully, all is well with my sweet Libby!
be well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/ -
What a great lesson for all of us. I very rarely will complain if my service hasn't been top notch, because I like to give the person the benefit of the doubt, but then again, I rarely go to the trouble to give a lot of praise, either; just leave a good tip and a big thank you. I like what you did, and I'm very glad that you shared this with all of us.
Lori
http://journals.aol.com/helmswondermom/DustyPages/ -
Great point!
I am one of those people who is more than willing to complain if I get bad service. (Not if it is just mediocre service, it has to be BAD for me to complain.) And I am not altogether unwilling to stop letting a manager know when someone in the service industry has a bad attitude or something else is terribly wrong, I don't make enough money to pay for that kind of experience.
However, I do believe a pat on the back it worth more than 100 complaints. Letting someone know they did a good job, beyond giving them a good tip, publicly accomplishes several things. Makes everyone feel good, gives an opportunity to the person providing the good service to get the recognition they deserve, and lets those around them who might not be providing the same quality of service that there are definite rewards for doing your job with a flair of excellence. :)
You know the saying: "In the long run, the pessimist may be proven right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip." ;)
Dawn
http://dawnallynn.blogspot.com/
1/30/08 1:56 PM
Almost all the waitresses know us there and even greet Pickles by her name. When our waitress came by she asked how the food was. Doc replied in the nicest, sweetest demeanor "The service is great, the food not so much" and showed her the backside of a burnt hamburger. She apologized, even offering to replace his meal. Both Doc and I knew this was unusual to end up with food like that and said no problem it was quite alright, we didn't want her to have to go to any trouble. A few minutes later the manager came out and apologized. We told him it was "really" ok....we understand this isn't the normal faire there.
A few minutes later the waitress came around and said you two are the nicest people....the manager was embarrassed of the food you were served and is right now chewing out the cook. We asked once again, "This didn't cause you any grief did it"....she said no, it needed to be set right.
In other words, I think we had more accomplished by being polite about the whole incident than if we had been rude and obnoxious about our food and service....(Hugs) Indigo
http://journals.aol.com/rdaut