So ever since my first post about bad customer service I have been thinking about other things that I feel are unacceptable. The funny thing is, blogging about that has really opened up Pandora’s box. Clients are forever telling me things that they have witnessed at other businesses, and of course, things that they see at Urban Waxx that are not up to snuff. Not only that, but as I have stated before, I feel like my certain brand of crazy has imprinted itself on most of my staff, who now report back to me when they see terrible customer service infringements. Oh dear.

Anyhoo, I’m not saying that we are or should be considered the gurus of customer service. But we do try to go above and beyond and make our clients feel appreciated and loved. And special. It’s not hard. We have great clients. Really, all you have to do is be present and kind. Everything else falls into place. But, here are a few more things that I consider yuck:

1. Staff that has no idea about what they are selling. Have you encountered this? For example, you are out to eat, you are trying to decide between the halibut and the steak. You ask the server: “So what’s the better dish, in your opinion?” and the server responds: “Oh I don’t know. I don’t eat meat or fish. I’m vegan.” AGH! Really? You have NO idea what the popular opinion is about the dishes that you serve every day? I mean, can’t you just lie to me? I have heard all kinds of weird server responses along this same vein, like “I have no idea, I hate fish.” or “I don’t drink. I don’t know what wine is good.” I mean, come on people. You work there! Ask around. I have worked in many restaurants, from fast food to fine dining. At all nice restaurants I was encouraged to ask questions about the menu, to taste the dishes, to know what I was serving. I do the exact same thing at Urban Waxx. I mean, can you imagine if a client called to schedule a Brazilian and said to the front desk: “Hi. Can you tell me about the Brazilian? Is it painful?” and the response was “Oh, I have no idea. I’ve never had a wax.” Uhh, hello? No way. All of the gals at our front desk are allowed (and expected) to get a wax every month. They are told that they need to rotate through every waxer so that they have an idea of what each waxer is like. That way they can try to pair new clients with the perfect waxer. So do you want to know what a Brazilian is like? Well then give us a call!
2. Gum chewing. All right, all right. I know this may seem a little petty. But I really hate gum chewing. I never chew gum, because when I do I sound and look exactly like a cow out in field. I come from a long line of gum smackers, poppers, bubble blowers. I am not a dainty gum chewer. Gum is gross. Hearing people chew gum while talking is gross. Seeing gum on the sidewalk or under a table is super gross. Seeing a picture of a pretty gal with her mouth open and a big wad of gum in her mouth is gross. I think of that Matt Lauer/ Britney Spears interview when poor Britney looked so disheveled and was chomping on a piece of Juicy Fruit the whole time. I just kept thinking, “Isn’t her stylist around? Can’t they ask her to spit that out?” Ugh. I think that gum chewing at work is tacky. I even have it in the handbook. Really.
3. Gross bathrooms. Ahhh. This is a big one. I really feel like what a bathroom at a business looks like is totally indicative of the level of cleanliness in the rest of the joint. I am a sucker for a beautiful, immaculate bathroom. I like a bathroom that smells good, has lots of accessible toilet paper, clean floors, nice lighting. That’s important! I went to dinner this weekend at Fin, (very delicious, btw), and I went to the bathroom and was delighted. I feel like if the bathroom is lovely then the rest of the business must be even more lovely. And on the flip side: if the bathroom is gnarly then what must the kitchen/backroom look like? Eeps!