It's been a long time since I've posted a proper rant on my blog.
Today I'll be touching on customer service and female restrooms.
Customer Service
I don't get why so many people in the customer service sector don't seem to understand what their job comprises of. I feel that it is the least of their job requirements to at least put on a smile when they are working, no matter how shitty they feel. If you can't even do that, why work in the service line? I think that when managers or whoever's interviewing potential employees, they should really take notice of their attitude and how they carry themselves. Especially whether they smile or not.
I believe that in working in the service line when you are interacting with customers, you are supposed to make the customers feel good and to provide good service, instead of letting a bad day take over you and in the end, you take it out on your customers. You might think that it's no big deal but it would eventually amount to a lot when customers start patronising the shop/restaurant due to the lack of good service. And it would eventually affect lousy service providers because it could either a) close down and they lose their job, or b) lose so much money that they decide to let them go and they lose their jobs anyway.
The way people working in the service line carry themselves is very important to me. I believe that a smile for a customer goes a long way. It doesn't matter how fake the smile is. Just smile, damnit, instead of walking around with the face which seems to convey the message that the entire world just pissed the shit out of you, or the entire world owes you something. If you can't smile, don't work in the service line.
Service is, to me, about making a customer feel good, giving good service, giving the customer whatever he or she wants whenever possible. It is also a test of both patience and endurance. Sure, you meet those customers that are a big pain in the arse but if you think about it, their money is what's paying you.
And some people (like the little shit hatechloe), might think that I'm being very self-absorbed but hey, I have worked in the service line before, and will be working in the service line again very soon, so I know how it works. I for one, hate shitty service, especially those who can't deliver it with a smile. Which is why I do my very best to offer the best service that I can, no matter what is bugging me. It isn't the easiest thing in the world to do but we can always just pretend we're up on stage smiling at the whole world, getting an Oscar.
Smiling really goes a long way, and it definitely is very gratifying when a customer's being uber nice to you.
Another thing I want to pick on would be the attire of certain... customer service representatives. I think wearing the uniform properly is a mark of respect for wherever you're working at, and it adds to the overall image of the place. Maybe I'm just anal, but seriously. I once saw a waitress walking around with her buttcrack bared for the entire world to see. And she never did anything about it. I also can't stand seeing people who are on the job with their shirts tucked out or with their aprons tied so loosely, they're flapping everywhere.
They give you a uniform. Wear it properly.
Enough about service. Let's move on to the next part of my rant.
Female restrooms
I just don't understand why the male restrooms never have queues while the female restrooms almost always have a fucking long queue, sometimes even going out the door.
What the hell are you doing in those cubicles??!
I mean, its there for you to either a) pee, or b) shit. Not something else. And how long can it take for a female to pee? You either just flip your skirt up, pull down your undies, pee, wipe, pull up, flip down; or pull your pants and undies down, pee, wipe, then pull them all up again.
How long can that take?
Maybe you can argue that they're doing number 2. But for every female in the toilet to take such a long time??
Was there some synchronised shitting I didn't know about?
Of course, they could be doing something else.
(I shan't elaborate on this one. I'll leave it up to your imagination.)
Yes, I can't stand long queues in the restrooms. Is the ambience so... appealing that you would have to spend most of your time sitting down on the toilet bowl soaking it up?
Talking about toilet bowls, I can't stand how some people are just so inconsiderate to bloody squat on the toilet bowls to do their business. Hello, there are both sitting and squatting toilets. You can always choose the one which lets you squat. But nuuuuuu, you just go into the cubicle, perch yourself on the toilet bowl, leaving nasty shoeprints in your wake. You might say everyone else does it, so why can't I?
Because:
a) It's not fucking hygenic to put your arse on someone else's shoeprints. What if that person stepped in, I dunno, dog shit before deciding to do gymnastics on the toilet bowl;
b) What if it's an old woman using the cubicle next and she can't possibly hoist herself up to the squatting position to avoid sitting on the shoeprints?
Another thing I can't stand are people who are too lazy to flush the toilets properly. I think the automated toilets are spoiling Singaporeans too much. Sometimes, they forget that it isn't automated and they just walk out, leaving their business floating about in the bowl for the next person to use it. Either that or they don't press the flush properly, so not all the bodily wastes expelled disappear into the watery unknown of our longkangs.
PRESS HARDER OR PRESS AND HOLD CAN DIE AR?
One other thing I can't stand are the sanitary napkins some inconsiderate women leave lying about in the cubicle. Drenched in blood.
Would it kill you to dispose of them properly instead of letting bacteria loose?
I also can't stand those who can't aim properly, leaving their pee all over the bowl, and those who just let their visitor go visit the entire cubicle.
Ladies, please don't squat on the toilet bowls - it's not glam. Please don't take such a long time in the cubicle doing Idon'tknowwhatfuck. I think some of you take such a long time in there because you're slowly adjusting your squatting position on the toilet bowl. (For you ladies who do that, I hope you slip and fall into your own shit one day.) Please don't leave your stuff everywhere - that's not glam either. There's the sanitary bin for a reason. Use it.
That's it for today's rant on shitty service and disgusting toilets. Your shopping and dining experience would be much, much nicer with these two factors eradicated.
So please, CSRs smile more, and ladies with horrible toilet habits, go squat in your own toilet at home.
Journey
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Of customer service and public (female) toilets
Posted by Chloe at 10:43 pm
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comments:
I was struck by how similar your writing was to Neil Gaiman's when I read this post. Indeed, it reminded me of his Sandman series very much - especially the bloody nude women that came to my mind.
I quite agree with you on the service industry issue, but I won't quite say that service is about making a customer feel good. That seems too much like the "the customer is always right" notion, which in turn is complete and utter bullshit. There are certainly occasions where being rude is perfectly acceptable.
I suppose the problem is that people who enter the service industry think that their pay is a natural result of them having to stand for hours. It isn't, of course, as we both know it. A lot of these service providers don't seem to realize that they represent MacDonald's or G2000, and they sure as hell don't seem to realize that they are in fact paid to ensure that the customer's shopping/dining/etc experience meets the standard that the shop/diner/etc sets for itself - probably because Singaporeans are amazingly apathetic about such things. That's one of the chief differences between Eastern and Western culture. In the East it's "the customer is always right", in the West it's "uphold your company's image". Since Singapore cannot legitimately be called either, you get this slapdash, disappointing mix of the two.
I can't say that shopping here in Canada is exactly stellar - I mean, when they ask me "How's it going?" or "How are you?" it's a routine for them and they don't expect an answer. But they do ask, with a smile (generally speaking - though teenage salespersons tend to be a little more bored-looking). You don't get the sense that seeing a smile on a salesperson's face is something of a miracle. I won't be so demanding in Singapore and say, "Damn it, all of you slobs, SMILE", like the gahmen did when the UN came to visit, but it's probably pretty reasonable to expect the service provider to be civil and helpful. Frankly while I was in Singapore I wouldn't have even thought of telling the service provider off, but by the time I get back to Singapore I probably would be more than happy to. Sometimes these people just need a polite shock to get over themselves and focus on their work. You could probably ask, "Did you just swallow a lemon, or is that a sour expression?" and get away with it. I mean, your annoyance is legitimate, and if they want to play that old "the customer is always right" game, you might as well go all the way with it instead of bottling up your frustration inside (and make innocent blogworms like me participate in your frustration with nude, bloody women and annoying service providers).
:D
Post a Comment