A Bad Customer Service Experience at Fresco Cebu

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Working in call centers for more than 4 years now made me a very demanding customer. In my job, I always ensure that me and my team provide quality service to our client's customers.

There was really no formal training on how it should be done but EMPATHY is the key. We had discussions and role-playing but really, learning how to provide quality (to say the least) customer service is a no-brainer. Anyone with common sense can do it.

That's why I get frustrated when I deal with my fellow countrymen who are in any kind of business that's open to the public. For instance, crew in Jollibee (cashier, janitor, etc.). Were they not at least given a seminar on what is expected from them?

Today, me and Mai had a rather frustrating but funny encounter with a trainee cashier in Fresco (Cabancalan branch) - let's name her MRN (just missing 2 vowels, figure it out). We bought some bread and a Blueberry Cheesecake from them. Mai instructed MRN that she wants the first slice to Mai's right. MRN took the 2nd slice on the left side (okay, maybe she was thinking HER right side). Mai repeated her instruction and this MRN started to look frustrated, maybe she was thinking that Mai was too picky.

Mai had to repeat her request more clearly this time (the first time was clear enough but she didn't understand so...) and this MRN took the first slice on the left, even after Mai pointed her hand to the slice she wanted and the right side that she's referring to. When Mai said that's not it, MRN took the whole tray out of the display cabinet and asked Mai, a bit rudely, which one exactly does she want. It really pissed me off 'coz she had the nerve to be mad at us when she's the one who's not listening.

While she was calculating the totals of everything we bought, I can still see how pissed off MRN was so I said out loud, "Masyadong mainit ulo mo" (You're too hot-tempered). She looked at me angrily and I stared back at her rather rudely and looked down on her, from head to foot. I really wanted to say more to her but I chose not to. Mai simply said that we've been a long time customer of Fresco so MRN doesn't have the right to treat us that way. And, we walked out pissed off. I was actually mocking her in my head.

We went to Rose Pharmacy to buy something and went back out to our car. We were still discussing what just happened. We were parked in front of Fresco and MRN looked like a moron (ok, that's the word) standing in front of their glass window staring at us. And she said something to the customer inside, trying to get someone to side with her I guess. Low life. It was pretty funny, really.

Mai's really pissed off and she felt like she wanted to go back and talk down on MRN. But I told her we shouldn't stoop down to MRN's level. No wonder she's still a trainee in a bakeshop. With that kind of attitude, she ain't going nowhere but down. I hate to say it but her behavior is inexcusable. I wanted to humiliate her, really, but I won't give her that satisfaction.

I remember another story from Mai's mom. They were checking out Forty Winks at SM Cebu, trying to window shop for possible/future furniture shopping. A salesperson came up to them and said, and I'm not kidding, "Mahal po dito" (Everything here is expensive), trying to look down on them as if they can't afford to buy anything from their shop. Hah! If I was there, good luck. I'd tell that salesperson, "Magkano ka?" (How much are you?). Crazy, huh?! Just like in the movie "Pretty Woman". Yes, it happens in real life, too!

There's a saying that goes... "Customers are always right". I don't agree completely because in my experience, customers think that they're right and it's our job to educate them. Like what my friend Jonah (trainer in my past company) said during one of our discussions, "Customers should always be treated right". My gosh. If only MRN was taught that simple line, it will make hell of a difference.

EMPATHY is really the key. That's what I always say during my coaching sessions with my agents. If I listen to one of their calls and they sounded a bit rude or they didn't perform the necessary steps because the customer was difficult, I will always ask them - What if you were the customer, how would you feel? What would you expect from the customer service department?

That's why I can't understand why it's too damn hard for people like MRN to treat customers well. It's a freaking easy job! I know there are difficult customers but that's part of your job. You have to make sure you leave a good impression on every customer, difficult or not. And if those customers are not around, you won't even have your job.

This applies to any kind of business, really. When you're feeling frustrated over a picky or difficult customer, put yourself in their shoes. Everyone is somebody's customer at the end of the day, right? So, it's just common sense that you should know that customers only want their money's worth.

On the other side of the story, there are a few irate customers who are not worth keeping but you'll only get to deal with them like less than 5% of the time. Examples of this type of customers are those who abuse by asking for more compensation than what they deserve, not listening at all to explanations and those who curse like there's no tomorrow. How do you expect CSRs to solve your problem if you won't listen?

To end this all, I want to say that aside from learning how to demand good customer service, I also learned how to be more patient towards other customer service people/representatives. And I became more appreciative of those who actually take time and effort to leave a good impression. I just hope everyone will learn a thing or two about quality customer service. It'll make everyone's life easier, I promise.

Have you had any bad customer service experience/s? I'd love to hear your stories, too! Please feel free to share them with me.

P.S. If MRN gets the job, as I'm sure she will since Pinoys aren't that keen with customer service, and we happen to drop by and see her, magdasal na sya. If she doesn't change her attitude, we'll make sure her supervisor hears from us.