34 FABRICARE FE ATURE continued from page 24 pointing index finger indicating “I’ll be with you in one minute.” Pretending not to notice a customer is gross. The coffee guy left and I finally reached the top of the phone guy’s “to-do” list after a minute or two. I told him I had two flats. He said it looked like I needed two tires. He went out to the car to see what kind of tires they were to “see if he had them in stock.” I was already taken aback. How does he already know I need tires? “Can’t you just fix them?” I asked. Maybe this guy was clairvoyant. I got the feeling that he was a crook. I told him to install two new tires because I wanted my car to be safe, but I doubt this was my only option. I politely indicated I was quite busy today and fast service would be appreciated. I certainly didn’t feel like I was asking for much. There were no other customers. I went next door for breakfast when I was told that the car would be ready in 30 minutes. After breakfast, I still waited more than an hour. It took over 90 minutes total. While waiting, I watched my car being serviced through the observation window in the back. It was annoying. The guy doing the job wasn’t working. He was talking with a co-worker. My car was on a lift. His apparent inattentiveness caused him to mount the spare tire on the front of the car rather than on the tailgate. The rims are quite different and I feared I would be presented the car this way. I wasn’t. He realized his error and fixed it, all while I waited. As I said, I suggested I was in a hurry. Management obviously couldn’t wave a magic wand to replace my tires, but you’d think a hapless employee - too busy with friendly conversation to work at normal speed - would be within the power of management to correct. They remained clueless. I sat in the seating area and read a magazine. The lounge was a failed attempt to make waiting customers comfortable. Its existence couldn’t replace careless employees and incompetent management. The only time I got a cordial tone of voice was when I was asked for a check for $199.25 and then was thanked for it. I never got mad. I never got agitated. But I left with reasonable certainty that I wouldn’t return. I have not. POOR SERVICE TURNS CUSTOMERS OFF Surely, you see my point. This same thing can happen at your store; maybe it will happen today. The two guys at the tire shop probably thought they did just fine. I came to their store, they took care of me right away, they charged me. I paid them. My perspective is quite different, of course. I never felt comfortable in there. I was in unfamiliar surroundings. I needed help to feel comfortable. The phone guy and the coffee guy ignored me because they didn’t recognize me. They would have greeted someone they knew, I firmly believe. Henry’s son Aaron greets me cordially every time I go there. I am no longer a big tuna. I am just a customer who goes there about twice a year to get a flat fixed. When someone comes to your counter with five shirts that need to be done quickly, you may do it for the guy who comes in every week. If it’s someone you don’t know, you’re more likely to scoff at the idea of bending over backward, when in fact he could become a whale! Maybe this is your opportunity to show him what you’re made of. It just may be the guy you’ve never seen before is exactly the guy you should impress. He could be your competitor’s regular customer. Okay, so you can’t greet him by his first name, but you can greet him. Making this guy feel unimportant will get you nowhere. Making him feel important and welcome might get you somewhere. There is nothing wrong with “might.” Personally, I am never more offended as a customer than when I am ignored at the counter. I’m not alone in feeling this, am I? The lesson, of course, is to treat all your customers like royalty. If that person is not a big tuna in waiting, he or she might be well-connected to someone who is. All customers are royalty. Treat them that way. Don Desrosiers has been in the drycleaning and shirt laundering business since 1978. He is a workflow engineer and a management consultant who provides serves to shirt launderers and drycleaners in the United States, Mexico, and western Europe through Tailwind Systems. He is a member of the Society of Professional Consultants and the 2001 recipient of DLI’s Commitment to Professionalism Award. He can be reached at 186 Narrow Avenue, Westport, MA 02790 or at his office by fax (508) 636-8839; by cell (508) 965-3163; or e-mail at tailwindsystems@charter.net. He has a website at www.tailwindsystems.com. The author’s views are his own and do not represent official Drycleaning & Laundry Institute positions.