I was at a small, neighborhood establishment the other day when over the loudspeaker came a piercingly loud, irritated and openly snotty announcement. “Store manager to the loading dock, we have a PROBLEM.’ Clearly this employee didn’t stop to think about how her page would sound to customers. The service professional in me shuddered a bit.

Then I passed several employees who were discussing the ‘problem’ announcement. (Uncomfortably out in the open, but since I was apparently invisible to them I was happy to eavesdrop)  They were embarrassed that their co-worker had said something so inappropriate for customers to hear and were discussing the need for better customer service training than the annual training video provided by the company. I couldn’t agree more. Evidently they were unaware of how they appeared to customers. Though this store already has great, high quality products, my only thought was what a special place it could be if only, like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, these individuals could find the true spirit of customer service.   

What today’s business’ need to understand is that you will get out of your employees exactly what you put into them, which is in far too many cases next to nothing.  Employees want the companies they work for to succeed, but are often unaware of how they come across to others and in the absence of effective training, taking business to the next level is unlikely.

So what if you are an employee? What can you do about it? You can change yourself!  Set an example. Go to customer service seminars, read books and blogs. Share what you learn with your boss and co-workers. Top quality customer service skills will set you apart whether you want to get noticed, move up or even move on.