Good customer service is not rocket science

This morning I ran three errands:

1. Veterinarian
2. Oil change
3. Grocery store

Below I describe my experience in completing each errand, making note of specific moments where my experience could have improved greatly through the service provider’s improved guidance, proper recognition and error prevention, and increased visibility of system status.

Veterinarian

• I was not greeted personally, but was asked to confirm the name of my pet
• The woman said I was checked in, but offered no confirmation of when I could expect to be called.
• Once called, I was directed to a large scale to weigh my pet. However, the woman remained silent while my pet stood relatively motionless on the scale for nearly five seconds. I let my pet walk off the scale, assuming her weight was registered successfully, but the woman confirmed the opposite and then declared my pet must remain motionless for at least five seconds.
• I was directed to a nearby room where the woman asked a series of routine questions regarding my pet’s health, medications and to confirm the reason of my visit today.
• The woman proceeded to check my pet’s ear for a cyst. She asked where it was, and I responded using my mental model of how best to direct someone to a specific part of a dog’s ear. Mine did not match her’s, and it took another ten seconds or poor verbal communication and me pointing to identify the correct area.
• The woman then grabbed my pet on the side and on her belly, and applied pressure. We stood in silence as this took place. I expected her to tell me what she was doing. After completing this exercise and not giving an answer, I asked her what she just did, assuming it was to check my dog’s pulse. This was a correct assumption.
• I then waited 20 minutes for the doctor to continue with the exam.
• After the exam, I proceeded to reception to pay. At this point, I was only made consciously aware of the price of a vaccine that I approved during my visit. The woman told me the total cost of my visit, providing me no way to see an itemized list of what I was paying for. I requested a verbal breakdown of what I was paying for, and then handed my credit card over.

Oil Change

• I pulled in to the station and around the back. I come to this facility often, so I am now familiar with where to go.
• There were no representatives available to ensure I entered the most appropriate line, so I chose one arbitrarily, turned off my car, and left the keys in the car — doing so out of pre-disposed habit.
• I waited by my car until a representative saw me. He guessed correctly that I was in need of an oil change, and asked if my vehicle requires synthetic oil. I was unsure because I only remember that my vehicle requires a premium type of oil that I always pay the same amount for. After relaying this detail, the representative nodded to confirm my explanation was sufficient in helping him determine the type of oil to use.
• I entered the facility and sat down. The same representative entered and handed me a clipboard containing a stack of cards, and advised me to ‘give him my information’. The card had the business’s logo on it and four text fields: Name, Address, Phone# and Email. In my previous three-four visits, I had never been presented with this card, and was therefore confused. The representative was no longer in the room, so I chose not to ask questions and only provide my name and address.
• I removed my card from the clipboard and handed the clipboard to a different representative standing nearby.
• A representative whom I knew to be the General Manager entered — appearing annoyed — and accused me of being unwilling to ‘give him my information’. I explained that I kept my card and returned the remainder of the cards and clipboard to his associate. He quickly calmed down and exited the facility.
• A representative notified me that the service to my vehicle was completed. Out of habit, I stood up and approached the checkout desk. The representative told me the total cost of services, providing no way to view an itemized list. I asked for a verbal breakdown, and swiped my credit card for payment.
• The card reader displayed the message ‘Welcome’ prior to swiping my card. Upon swiping, the message did not change. After five seconds, the message changed to ‘Approved’, and the representative handed a receipt to me that was printed from a source that I could not see.

Grocery store

• I entered the store and went directly to the aisle I containing the items I wanted.
• I proceeded to checkout searching for a checkout lane with a number lit up to indicate it was open, and with zero or few people waiting in line. I only had four items, so I looked immediately for an open express lane. The one closest to me had its light on, but no representative was at the register. I approached this lane, and a representative shortly noticed me and walked over.
• I approached the card reader. It displayed a message requesting a phone number. I entered mine. The next message requested me to ‘Please slide my card’. I was confused, and asked the representative if my phone number was properly registered. She confirmed it was and told me the total cost of my transaction.
• I swiped my card and followed the prompts on the screen — selecting Debit, No cash back, etc. — and was handed a receipt by the representative.

Summary

At the vet, the representative made me feel like I was ruining her day by not knowing exactly how things worked. A smile, a bit of guidance, and short explanations of her actions could have made my visit far more pleasing.

At the oil change facility, the representatives made me feel like a piece of data unwilling to give itself up. A clearer indication up-front of how they would use my information to improve my life — even in the smallest way — would have made me far more willing to give them my phone number and email address.

In each case, the only digital interface that I was presented with, if at all, only worked to confuse me and ask more questions from my representative — A situation I believe the software was designed to mitigate.