Need Supporters for a Customer Service Renaissance

What happened to the concept of customer service? Huh?

You’d think in this economy every business would be drilling its employees on the importance of pleasing the customer. Money is tight for most families and good jobs are hard to come by, yet I find front line workers every day who treat customers like we should be grateful that they chose to come to work. It’s the other way around, for crying out loud!

What I always believed to be the minimum standard for customer service has greatly diminished or been lost altogether, even here in the South, where it should thrive if nowhere else.

Here are three examples from the past 24 hours:

1.     Yesterday was on a conference call with a client and another third party. A representative from the third party said to my client, “There’s absolutely no way we are meeting that deadline. Sorry.” What? After an awkward pause the client – who pays the bill of this vendor – had to initiate the conversation about what other arrangements could be made and coax the third party vendor to commit to some reasonable plan. Never in my career would I handle a situation like that. Maybe it was my upbringing. Maybe it was my professional training. At any rate, I am proud to carry a work ethic that is about doing whatever it takes to make my customers happy.

2.     Went to Subway for lunch today. I go to this same spot at least once a week. It’s three blocks from my office. I know the woman at the register recognizes me. Yet as we complete the transaction I don’t get a “Thank you,” “Enjoy your lunch,” “Have a nice day,” or any other simple courtesy I should expect after handing over my money. In fact, I often find that I am the one saying “Thank you” – even though I paid you!

3.     On the way home from work we stopped to get the car from our local gas station service center. We trust these folks with all our auto maintenance and repairs, and they are typically polite. Today after I settled the bill, the manager asked one of the mechanics to pull the car around to the front door. He did, and as I walked around the front of the car, he got out, shut the door and walked the other way without so much as glancing at me, the guy who just paid the bill. I stood there for a second, shook my head, then drove away, re-evaluating the whole relationship. There are lots of mechanics in town, and plenty who I’m sure would love to earn our business.

So, from this point forward, I am launching a Customer Service Renaissance. What does this Renaissance entail, you ask? I won’t deny that there will likely be some indefinite boycotts, as I am known to practice. But the bigger issue here is choice.  

I will choose to do business only with companies that train their employees to treat customers the way we expect to be treated.

Give me less attitude and more gratitude.

Give me the bubbly 16-year-old at Chick-fil-A. Give me Publix, where shopping really is a pleasure. Give me Disney World, where employees in the Magic Kingdom made my little girl’s dreams come true.

I will not conform to anything less.

The Customer Service Renaissance has begun. Who's with me?

The Most Important Question About Onion Rings

Are they rough, or smooth?

Whenever I ask this in public I get one of two responses. (Mrs. H-CC is both embarrassed and entertained when I do it. Actually, she probably feels that way most any time she is in public with me.)

Some people know exactly what I am talking about and immediately answer the question with confidence. I trust these people. We bond.

Others look at me with a confused, slightly annoyed expression.

That’s when I see an opportunity to educate.

Everything about an onion ring comes down to the characteristics of the batter. The majority of rings, at least that I’ve seen, have a smooth, greasy batter. They’re the kind you’d get at a state fair or something. The kind that come in a little red-and-white-checkered paper boat with wax paper in the bottom and hanging out on all sides. The kind that make you hear yourself getting fatter.

My kind of onion ring has a light, crunchy batter that looks basically dry to the eye, even if it leaves visible grease on your fingertips. Here is a good example. Note the color and roughness around the edges.

Next time you are considering onion rings as an appetizer or side, ask the server or the guy at the window, “Are they rough? Or are they smooth?” It’s the only thing you need to know.

Grits: Born, Loved and Hated in the USA

Had grits this morning and was reminded of my love for this controversial breakfast fare.

What are grits anyhow? I can hardly eat them without thinking of the hilarious scene from My Cousin Vinny.

The only thing that people seem to know about grits is that they are made from corn. I also know for a fact that they are far superior to their cousin hominy. Ever tried that stuff? Like corn on steroids, but then kind of mushy, depending I guess on how it's cooked. Gross.
 
According to Wikipedia, we can thank the Native Americans for grits. Who would have thought they did anything special with corn?

I wonder if when Columbus sailed the ocean blue he found two camps of Native Americans: Those who loved grits and those who hated them, because there is absolutely no middle ground in modern America. Everyone I know is zealous one way or the other. Some people who claim to not like them admit to never having tried them. I have given up on pushing grits to grit-haters for lack of success.

Being from the South, I grew up on standard grits, not the cheese-flavored varieties and other fancy travesties. I am a purist. Focus on getting the consistency right so they aren't too runny or too stiff. After that all you need is butter, salt and pepper.

Happy Day to Us

Mrs. H-CC and I celebrated two blissful years of marriage on July 18, 2011.

Because we vacation with family every June and July, we made an agreement to take a weekend anniversary getaway every September. I get the joy of planning the trip and surprising her. This year we are going to [censored]!

We’re always home on the actual day of our wedding, so we celebrate by going to our favorite restaurant – Stoney River steakhouse. When I sleep I don’t see sugarplums. This is what dances through my head:

 

Since my first Stoney River experience several years ago, I’ve told anyone who will listen – and many people who wouldn’t – that it is my absolute favorite restaurant of all time. I won’t argue that you can’t find a better steak somewhere else. I admit there are proprietary spots around the country that probably offer better food, unique atmospheres and all that jazz. But to me Stoney River provides the best end-to-end meal in Nashville, or anywhere else I’ve been.

The fried bread and homemade honey cinnamon butter starts it off. The steaks are amazing. The au gratin potatoes are exceptional. The fudge cake is the best dessert I’ve ever had in a restaurant.

It’s consistent. You know what you are going to get. They always meet or exceed expectations.

It’s not stuffy. The ambiance is upscale, but not pretentious like some comparable places where you’ll spend more than $100 on dinner for two. You feel like your money is going toward the food, not the atmosphere, and it’s worth every penny.

Of course the best part of the meal is looking across the table at my beautiful bride. I wouldn’t care if we had anniversary dinner at Denny’s, as long as I can see her smile.

Happy anniversary, Soulmate. I’m the luckiest man in the world.