Are you being served?

One of my favorite British comedies and one of the questions I think is absent from the community at large. Have you ever gone to a desk at a business, someone is there busy at their desk flipping through the pages of some higher learning document such as US or People? They keep their eyes diverted and head down as if to say "If I don't acknowledge you you do not exist?" or "You can not see me because I am not looking at you?" These behaviors remind me of early childhood. I believed for many years that if I couldn't see you, you couldn't see me. Eyes hidden, I am curled up under the kitchen cabinet, door left open to avoid the darkness and I wait for the moment when I uncover my eyes and Viola, you can now see me! I miss that belief alot:)

I spent several minutes today at a desk being carefully ignored when I finally spoke. She appeared surprised and then annoyed. I had after all interrupted what was possibly the most critical reading of the day and that intrusion could cause some seizure, or something. How would she be able to carry on I wondered? And as the conversation continued there was not even a hint of customer service training. Addressed with many dismissive responses, it was clear her goal was to make me vanish. I am sure I have pained others with this same hope, that I would drop like a malaria stricken mosquito. Not to be her fate today. For I am resilient when I am driven. Today was not her lucky day.

As I commenced to express my needs, a head appeared from behind a cube across the foyer faining interest and yet supporting the culture of negative reinforcement established by said Information Attendant. There was going to be no satisfaction from this dual and I had to finally assert my two cents for their personal growth. One thing was profoundly clear, customer service was not a focus of this institution nor was it likely a brief in service or hand out in orientation. They were not there to serve others, but to do tasks. Tasks that clearly did not require manners or recognition of humans. This was most disturbing to me as this was the High School that my son will potentially attend. And my first impression was that more communication skills may be learned in juvenile detention then this place of higher learning.

Sadly I acknowledge that this is the case often today. Poor customer service. Interest in revenue out weighs recurring customers or service satisfaction. It is not a measurable skill that will help you up the corporate ladder. I believe there is a generational influence in this trend as well as I look back to my youth. Today it is all about me, self,I. Forty something years ago I was raised by a well mannered mother with southern principles, and military father and an expectation that we would use our manners. We should address others with respect, be polite, use all the magic words and set the table so that no one would have a need once the meal began. Service with a smile. We were taught to serve!