Use Your Words: A Rant about Customer Service

Rather than emphasize my resume in customer service, I approach this as a lifelong consumer. My money is green (or digitally valid in a real bank account) like everyone else's.

I use drive-through windows for my convenience - for food, at the bank, at the pharmacist.

My message is for everyone who works a drive-through window:

When your customer pulls around and payment is due...

Speak.

Nothing infuriates me more than ordering by speaker, pulling around, and facing a blank stare with an outstretched hand.

What do you want?

My money?

How much is it? And don't give me the excuse that "the screen said the total." Or you said it before. I watch y'all take multiple orders on wireless headsets. If you charge me for the three bagels and peppermint mocha instead of my decaf latte and breakfast sandwich, now I have an issue.

Yes, it's happened before.

And as a learning and development professional, it occurs to me that someone may have trained people to do this. If you are a part of the L&D fraternity and that's in your material, take it out. Please. I'll get on the conference call to help you explain why. Adding "tell the customer the total again" shouldn't be a big deal - but it might be. It is for me. No one likes to give their money to people unnecessarily: make us feel just a little better by confirming that the amount is correct.

Speak, people. Use your words and say numbers.