No Time for Customers

“Where does your dog sleep?” I asked my friend. “On the bed with us,” he replied. “And, how does that work out for you?” I lightly probed, trying not to invade his privacy or get TMI. He blandly responded: “The dog takes half, my wife takes half, and I take all the rest!”

His “room on the bed” saga caused me to think about similar scenarios as a customer. I had been in the bank earlier that day around 4:45 pm--the drive-in window was backed up a mile. The teller barely noticed me since she was busy counting the money in her cash drawer. It was clear she was getting ready to close her window. I later stopped at a retail store to buy a holiday present. It took a while to find a clerk to take my money—everyone was busy with post Black Friday inventory. When I finally did locate a clerk, he sent me to the other side of the store to check out since he had already closed out his register.

What’s your priority—your tasks or your customers? The holidays are super busy times. And we all have very important chores. Yet, your customers pay close attention to how much time and attention they receive. From what customers see you DO they easily conclude their priority on your list of “to-do’s”. Remember: Observation is more telling than conversation. Your “our customers are important” words are false when they fail to match your “our customers are important” actions. How much of the bed does your customer get?