[quote Iquitit]@Arbadacarba
Thanks, companies that are offering poor customer service are onto a good thing really, the money saving policies they create, like not having enough staff, skimping on training, not having older and more experienced staff to guide and train the younger and new staff (because the younger ones are cheaper) having systems where staff are punished for not meeting targets of upsales or for not dishing out a spiel to every customer, or signing them up for this and that, for sidestepping a policy because it's common sense, leads to pissed off customers who then take it out on the same staff, while the money still rolls in but their staff get more and more demoralised.
I was in hospitality a fair few years, and over EOTHO and last summer. It really did affect my mental health to the point I was utterly miserable, to be shouted at, called useless, an idiot etc every. Single. Day. When I could do nothing about the systems implemented and the covid rules. I had to stop caring or it would have destroyed me. I'm not going through that, for a little above minimum wage, for the purpose of other people being able to have a good time, it's just not worth it. So I left, because my hands were tied, there was nothing I could do to make customers happy, upper management weren't listening when we needed more staff and to change systems to improve efficiency, and just demanded more of staff already giving everything, people seemed to think I was the one responsible for covid restrictions because I was the one in front of them - I didn't like them any more than the customers, but it didn't matter if I didn't because they still had to be followed. I was lucky, I had skills and experience in an industry that needed staff, many don't and are trapped in those jobs because to leave means they'll get nothing - and companies use this to abuse their staff and allow their customers to.
I honestly think with covid the tide is turning and the staff are less willing to have things that are out of their hands blamed on them, while being paid the lowest amount you can legally get away with and treated like crap, and so the shit end of the stick is now being handed over to the customer, because the companies aren't listening and honestly, people don't care anymore. And with a combination of Brexit and behaviour, hospitality at least is struggling to recruit.
Why should they when they are being paid a pittance, can't afford to be ill, get zero hours contracts so they bear the brunt of a drop in trade, have their employers introduce systems and policies that prevents them from using common sense or thinking for themselves and customers who expect a 100% perfection, 100% of the time because we've been led in a direction that if you don't get that, you're owed something and it can never be a simple mistake that any human might make, it has to be because they're thick, or idiots or a jobsworth.
There's a saying or quote, I don't remember who by, that says 'you don't need to look after your customers, if you look after your staff, they will look after your customers.'
And it's true because the times I've felt the happiest, most motivated and truly really wanted to help people and make sure they had good experience was when I was treated with a bit of respect by my employer, treated fairly and backed up instead of thrown under the bus when a customer was being unreasonable.
We've come to a point where anyone who's in a service position, is by and large treated with contempt and threatened and sanctioned into accepting it. Customer service is not going to improve until that does.[/quote]
So true. These companies need to be named and shamed as well.