Is this bad customer service?

[sparks19]

Conversely, where one customer's transaction was taking an extraordinary length of time to complete, does it really make sense to allow two hours' worth of customers to build up in - or worse, walk out of - the store? Was all the time spent on that first customer active, or was some of it spent waiting for computer or human response? That's q genuine question; I'm a happy TracFone customer

If the manager could step away without stopping live work in the activation then yes, it makes perfect sense that he assist as many customers as possible. Speaking of which, if you read the original post, she was being helped BY the manager. Nobody for him to reprimand. Critics should try operating a retail store single-handedly.

Yes thank you... I can read but rest assured... the manager has a boss.

I have had to do lots of jobs single handedly including retail... and THATS THE RULE. You don't walk away from a customer trying to check out. You do not leave people at the counter to go and help someone else. You also don't leave someone shopping in the store that you are actively helping to go check someone out. if you are with a customer you are with THAT customer. YOu make eye contact with the others and tell them you will be right with them... if there is a break in the action and you and the customer are waiting for something to load or what have you then you may say to the customer "Now we are just waiting for such and such to finish up here for you... would you mind if I helped this customer while we wait?" You don't just walk away and then tell the customer that her transaction takes too long.

That is how it worked in every retail job I've ever worked... heck every customer service position of any kind I've ever worked. You don't pawn customers off on others and you don't leave the customer you are currently working with to do something else but you must make eye contact with every customer that comes in (provided it's not a huge store where you can't see everyone that comes in... then you must make eye contact with everyone you see) or at least do your very best to make eye contact and let them know that you are aware they came in and not ignoring them. and in all those years I've had very few customers who felt they should be served before the person in front of them

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have had to do lots of jobs single handedly including retail... and THATS THE RULE. You don't walk away from a customer trying to check out.

But she wasn't trying - or, seemingly, anywhere near ready - to check out. Obviously you don't walk away from that customer to help someone who just walked in. The manager was trying to activate her new AT&T phone and port her Verizon number (or vice versa) which was, per the OP, taking a very long time. If the manager wasn't stopping action on her activation but rather helped the other customers during "down" time, I see no issues.

And we have only the OP's version of how it all actually played out.

 

[sparks19]

But she wasn't trying - or, seemingly, anywhere near ready - to check out. Obviously you don't walk away from that customer to help someone who just walked in. The manager was trying to activate her new AT&T phone and port her Verizon number (or vice versa) which was, per the OP, taking a very long time. If the manager wasn't stopping action on her activation but rather helped the other customers during "down" time, I see no issues.

And we have only the OP's version of how it all actually played out.

You should read the rest of the post after what you quoted. I basically went on to say you dont leave any customer you are working with to wait on someone else... Unless there is downtime in the transaction and then you Tell the customer that and then ask them if they mind if you stepped away momentarily to help someone else.

Then you go to the next customer, apologize for the delay and get on with it.

But you never walk away from someone you are working with with no explanation.

Yes i know we only have one side so my answer is based on the information we have, not info we will never know. My opinion is based on the
Content of the original post

 

[ols386]

But she wasn't trying - or, seemingly, anywhere near ready - to check out. Obviously you don't walk away from that customer to help someone who just walked in. The manager was trying to activate her new AT&T phone and port her Verizon number (or vice versa) which was, per the OP, taking a very long time. If the manager wasn't stopping action on her activation but rather helped the other customers during "down" time, I see no issues.

And we have only the OP's version of how it all actually played out.

That's all we have to go by when forming our opinions.

Obviously there was some kind of mis-communication between the op and the store manager, or the op would not have walked-out before the transaction was complete.

If the manager was the only one working that day, then they surely must have been short-handed. When stores cut-back on the amount of people working during any given shift, then there is always a greater chance that customer satisfaction might be sacrificed.

 

[undertheradar]

Isn't it odd that the OP hasn't come back and clarified what might have been taking so long? I get that some of you expect that there is only one way to service the customer and that any other way is wrong. Wonder how fast the store would close if the manager didn't take care of those other customers during this long process? How much money did activating those new phones make for the store? Zero since the OP left.

I was in Costco today buying new glasses. There were 3 employees for the 30customers waiting in the area. I took a number, was called and addressed, the employee went to assist other customers while I picked out some frames. I went back to the employee who was helping me, she finished up with a customer and then we wrote my order. This area was busy and it was not easy to please everyone, it reminded me of this thread and how unrealistic expectations can be. I received good service and the employees were capable of handling multiple customers at the same time. I think that the manager of the RS was doing the same and that the OP's transaction was much more involved than a standard activation. While nobody is going to change opinions, I cannot believe the customer service experts that continue to argue how the OP was wronged. Fact, none of us was there and we don't know what all took place. We have the OP's biased observation of what took place, remembering that the OP left the store without completing the transaction. With my years of customer service, I cannot conclude that the service provided was bad. You cannot please everyone, every day!

 

[ols386]

Isn't it odd that the OP hasn't come back and clarified what might have been taking so long? I get that some of you expect that there is only one way to service the customer and that any other way is wrong. Wonder how fast the store would close if the manager didn't take care of those other customers during this long process? How much money did activating those new phones make for the store? Zero since the OP left.

I was in Costco today buying new glasses. There were 3 employees for the 30customers waiting in the area. I took a number, was called and addressed, the employee went to assist other customers while I picked out some frames. I went back to the employee who was helping me, she finished up with a customer and then we wrote my order. This area was busy and it was not easy to please everyone, it reminded me of this thread and how unrealistic expectations can be. I received good service and the employees were capable of handling multiple customers at the same time. I think that the manager of the RS was doing the same and that the OP's transaction was much more involved than a standard activation. While nobody is going to change opinions, I cannot believe the customer service experts that continue to argue how the OP was wronged. Fact, none of us was there and we don't know what all took place. We have the OP's biased observation of what took place, remembering that the OP left the store without completing the transaction. With my years of customer service, I cannot conclude that the service provided was bad. You cannot please everyone, every day!

That's true, we weren't there. You don't know what all took place because you weren't there.

OP's biased observation? You don't know if op is being biased or not. You just said that you were not there.

 

[kaytieeldr]

You know how there are three sides to every story? Each participant's side, and the facts? Well, really there are five sides: each participant's side, the version each participant chooses to share, and the facts .

 

[sparks19]

Isn't it odd that the OP hasn't come back and clarified what might have been taking so long? I get that some of you expect that there is only one way to service the customer and that any other way is wrong. Wonder how fast the store would close if the manager didn't take care of those other customers during this long process? How much money did activating those new phones make for the store? Zero since the OP left.

I was in Costco today buying new glasses. There were 3 employees for the 30customers waiting in the area. I took a number, was called and addressed, the employee went to assist other customers while I picked out some frames. I went back to the employee who was helping me, she finished up with a customer and then we wrote my order. This area was busy and it was not easy to please everyone, it reminded me of this thread and how unrealistic expectations can be. I received good service and the employees were capable of handling multiple customers at the same time. I think that the manager of the RS was doing the same and that the OP's transaction was much more involved than a standard activation. While nobody is going to change opinions, I cannot believe the customer service experts that continue to argue how the OP was wronged. Fact, none of us was there and we don't know what all took place. We have the OP's biased observation of what took place, remembering that the OP left the store without completing the transaction. With my years of customer service, I cannot conclude that the service provided was bad. You cannot please everyone, every day!

Right so they h elped you... then you had to pick out frames... and then they helped you when you were ready to check out correct? YOU weren't ready yet. That's very normal and I already said that in another post that you help the customer with a question and now they want to look around a little more... so you leave them alone. you don't hover over people who aren't ready. that's normal

What wouldn't have been normal was if you had more questions about glasses and the sales associate walked away from you and started helping someone else. Confused you ask why they walked away from you and they say "Well you want to know about a lot of glasses and that's going to take too long so I'm going to go help all of these people and then we can talk" and you'd be just fine with them walking away from you and your question without telling you anything?

I suppose that's where we differ. I would never leave a customer hanging like that. if there was some down time or nothing more I could do to assist said customer at that time (like if they needed to browse a little more) then I would SAY something before I just walk away from them like "Ok we just have to wait for this to finish and that's going to take a few minutes. If you don't mind I'm going to go answer a few questions for the other customers while we wait" or "You go ahead and browse and let me know if you have any other questions" you don't just go and not say anything to the customer you are currently working with.

it's not being a customer service expert... it's just good common sense when you work with people. You don't ditch your customer in the middle of something... at least not without telling them you are going to ditch them lol.

 

[ols386]

You know how there are three sides to every story? Each participant's side, and the facts? Well, really there are five sides: each participant's side, the version each participant chooses to share, and the facts .

Now, I've heard of there being three versions, but never heard of five versions. LOL

 

[undertheradar]

Since the OP suffered through the experience and then left without completing the transaction, he/she would indeed have a biased opinion. As for what is the correct way of handling customers, everyone has his/her own perception and own expectations. How many times have you staunch attackers of the RS manager gone to such lengths to promote great customer service you have received? There is more to the story than the few details that the OP wrote. What time of day it was, you know how sometimes companies have computer issues? I wasn't there and I didn't come on the Dis to get justification for walking out on the transaction after taking up how much of the manager's time. Nobody would pay the prices if stores raised prices to be fully staffed every open minute.

 

[declansdad]

Since the OP suffered through the experience and then left without completing the transaction, he/she would indeed have a biased opinion. As for what is the correct way of handling customers, everyone has his/her own perception and own expectations. How many times have you staunch attackers of the RS manager gone to such lengths to promote great customer service you have received? There is more to the story than the few details that the OP wrote. What time of day it was, you know how sometimes companies have computer issues? I wasn't there and I didn't come on the Dis to get justification for walking out on the transaction after taking up how much of the manager's time. Nobody would pay the prices if stores raised prices to be fully staffed every open minute.

Nobody has said a clerk can't help more than one customer at a time but the regardless of the situation, you don't walk away from a customer that you are serving without an explanation.

 

[undertheradar]

I was in a radio shack earlier this evening buying a new cell phone. I was taking advantage of a special promotion where you trade in an old phone and get $50 towards the new phone. Because of this trade-in, it wasn't the simplest of transactions and it was taking the salesman (who happened to be the manager) a long time completing the purchase. Here's my issue: Every time a new customer would enter the store, he would stop what he was doing with me and help them. I was okay with this for the first two people (who knew what they needed to buy), but then a third person came in and once again he left what he was doing with me to help her, and this one took a while. I got angry and asked why he keeps interrupting my purchase to attend to customers that are coming in after me, and he said something to the effect of "well yours is a little complicated and takes a while and I'm trying to handle everyone as quickly as possible". After that I got angry and just left the store.

Is this the right way for a salesperson to handle customers? Maybe it is, I don't really know. My thinking is, it's THEIR promotion so it's THEIR fault they don't have a faster way to do the transaction, and that he should not keep prolonging the purchase time by helping other customers when I've been waiting there a lot longer.

It doesn't say in the OP's post that the manager just walked away.

 

[declansdad]

It doesn't say in the OP's post that the manager just walked away.

This would seem to say that:

I got angry and asked why he keeps interrupting my purchase to attend to customers that are coming in after me

 

[undertheradar]

This would seem to say that:

Back to perception. That's not what I read.

 

[declansdad]

Back to perception. That's not what I read.

I call it a logical conclusion.

 

[undertheradar]

I call it a logical conclusion.

As is mine.

 

[sparks19]

So the manager told her what was happening and that he was going to help someone in the meantime and then OP decided to ask the question after she was given the answer?

Why would she ask why he was doing that if he already told her?

 

[undertheradar]

Here we go, we each read this a different way. I read it as the manager tells the OP and the OP believes that everything would go faster if the manager didn't assist the others. Obviously, you are reading it another way. It doesn't state in the OP's post that the manager just walked away, that is being assumed.

 

[declansdad]

So the manager told her what was happening and that he was going to help someone in the meantime and then OP decided to ask the question after she was given the answer?

Why would she ask why he was doing that if he already told her?

Try not to think to logically.

 

[undertheradar]

So the manager told her what was happening and that he was going to help someone in the meantime and then OP decided to ask the question after she was given the answer?

Why would she ask why he was doing that if he already told her?

Reading the OP's post, the question was why the manager kept assisting other customers and the OP asked this after the manager helped a 3rd customer. That is what is written, not too much logic needed.